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alt title(s): Onsen Episode Gai: That aside, where can we hide her? Kiko: A hot spring! There has to be at least one! Gai: What do you mean by "at least one"? Kiko: Everyone's looking forward to it. Gai: Who are you talking about?
The cast finds a reason to spend an episode at an onsen, or hot spring — a popular type of Japanese resort/attraction similar to communal bathing. Naturally this provides an excusable opportunity for Fan Service if a show is so inclined, although some shows aimed at younger kids will use toweled characters. Some series' that aren't geared towards younger viewers will broadcast with towels, but remove them from the DVD version, as an incentive to buy the DVDs.
In milder situations, this is merely equivalent to a bath scene where the episode slows down so the characters can relax and think about the events of the day. Often a trip to an onsen will lead to characters accidentally seeing each-other in the nude. Or intentionally seeing each other in the nude. Or falling onto each other in the nude... whatever they want, really, as long as someone ends up naked.
Occasionally, there may be a little ping-pong playing afterwards.
The low-budget version of this is the sento episode, where the characters go to the public bath house together. Usually, it's because there's a plumbing or other utility failure at home.
Cousin to the Beach Episode.
Examples:
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Anime and Manga
Video Games
- One of the inns in Tales Of Symphonia is also a hot spring, and going there with Zelos in the party after a certain plot event results in a cutscene where Zelos tries to spy on the female party members while they're bathing. Lloyd shows up and chastises him, but the ladies hear him and Zelos runs off, leaving Lloyd to take the blame. The game even gives Lloyd the title of "Peeping Tom".
- The same kind of situation happens in Dawn of the New World if the party goes to the hot spring at one point and have the ladies go in. Zelos tries to spy on the females (while Emil and Lloyd give him crap for it), and Lloyd gets blamed again as he's the only one didn't run. When the males take their turn, Marta tricked everyone but Emil into not coming in so she could spend time with him. When Emil finds out he ends ups calling everyone else attention. Naturally, everyone but Lloyd decide that Emil must have planned this even though both claim otherwise (and them all knowing how openly affectionate Marta is towards Emil), and Emil also gets the title "Peeping Tom".
- The original bathing scenes in Tales Of Phantasia had peeping on both sides: Chester on the male side, and Arche on the female. Chester also gained the title of Muscleman, Mint the title "Boin~chan". Tales Of Eternia had no wall-watching, although Rid did have to smuggle Chat into the men's dressing room to get one of her skills.
- They're at it again in Tales Of Vesperia. There are three different scenes. To get the first two, you need to pay 300,000 gald for the first and 600,000 gald for the second. During the first two Raven keeps trying to peak at the woman's side of the spring, with little success. The third visit is free, During the third, the party winds up working there and at the end they all get costume titles.
- Riviera The Promised Land and Yggdra Union, two Gameboy Advance games developed by Sting, both feature a hidden "hot springs scene" where the games' female characters appear naked. Bafflingly, the American version of Yggdra Union's hot springs scene actually shows MORE than the Japanese version.
- One of the jokes about Riviera is that the only way to tell gender for some NPCs is whether or not they appear in the bathing scenes; they are female if they appear in one, and every female appears in one.
- Lunar: The Silver Star featured a spring, but only the males were allowed to use it. The Play Station remake added a girls' only spring, providing the expected Fan Service.
- This is also a bit of a Guide Dang It since you (naturally) need to bring soap. It's only available for a very short time at the very beginning of the game. Long before there is any hint either spring exists.
- Part of the Mt. Gagazet sequence in Final Fantasy X-2.
- Later on, as the Gullwings install cameras all over Spira, they get to watch nearly the entire cast of NP Cs show up at the hot springs at various times. Subverted as all the NP Cs keep all their clothes on (most probably due to budgeting). The PC sequence does provide briefer outfits for the three girls, although in Rikku's case it can be argued she ends up wearing more than she usually does.
- Persona 3 did one of these. Not surprisingly, it involves a Stealth Based Mission.
- Raidou Kuzunoha Vs The Soulless Army has the public bath house variant - sort of. It's the local yakuza's hangout, and Raidou needs some information the boss has. There is a (player-controlled) naked fight scene, with an altered camera angle and less 3D movement for censorship purposes.
- Averted in The Legendof Zelda: Twilight Princess, where there are two hot springs, but there is not much focus on them other than for healing
Webcomics
- Webcomic example: In one El Goonish Shive strip, the characters recapping the plot to each other is covered up by scenes from the "Lucky Bunny Bounty Show" — both of which involve the male character accidentally walking in on the female character in an onsen.
- In the creators' commentary for A Miracle Of Science, a Hot Springs Strip was repeatedly referenced, originally in an April Fools joke.
- Red String, which faithfully uses all the tropes of shojo manga, features an entire chapter
 about the cast spending a few days at an onsen. One of the male characters sees more of the anatomy of three Hot Shounen Moms than he intended to.
- The Heroes of Middlecenter.
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