By HARRIET MUHRLEIN

This sketch by Yukie Yumibe shows two people soaking in a simple home built “hot tub.”

The tub, made of wood, was housed in a small bath house, or Ofuro. It was used daily by Yukie’s parents to relax and restore body and mind after the hard work of farming in the their fields in Kingston.

One washed with soap and rinsed with water before stepping into the tub. The water was heated by a fire built in a fire box under the tub and fed from outside of the building.

You can read more about the Ofuro in Yukie Fukuzawa Yumibe’s book From Cherry Blossoms to Strawberries.

This small book is available from the Kingston Historical Society. Contact a member for a copy. Supplies are limited.

Harriet Murhlein, is president of the Kingston Historical Society. She can be reached at (360) 297-2448