Join Our Newsletter
  • Visit Our Store
  • Come Write for J-List!
J-List Blog
Visit J-List - Your Favorite Online Shop and Friend in Japan
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan
No Result
View All Result
J-List Blog
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan
No Result
View All Result
J-List Blog
No Result
View All Result

The Mongolian Spot

Peter Payne by Peter Payne
15 years ago
in Your Friend in Japan

I love Japanese public baths (sento) and hot springs (onsen, pronounced “own-sen”), and have gone with my kids for years. Public baths hail back from the Edo era when people didn’t have private baths in their homes and had to go to community facilities to get clean. Once, when my son was younger and we were in an onsen together, he took me aside and asked me why a little boy playing in one of the baths had a blue bruise on his rear end. This is the famous Mongolian Spot (mokohan in Japanese, meaning “the Old Spot of Mongol”), a blue bruise-like spot which is found on Chinese, Japanese and Mongolian children until the age of five or so. My kids are haafu, half Japanese and half American (well, a quarter American and a quarter British, since my father was born in Chipping Camden in the U.K.), and they were born without this blue spot, which was the subject of much conversation with other mothers when my wife would take the kids in for their regular medical checkups.

 

Asian babies are usually born with a blue splotch on their rear ends. Not sure about anime babies.

Tags: bathingkidsonsen

More Posts Like This

Quora Japan Questions Answered
Your Friend in Japan

Random Questions about Japanese Society Answered

by Peter Payne
8 years ago

One site I visit from time to time is Quora, a place to ask questions and get answers on various...

phoenix comicon and using chopsticks
Your Friend in Japan

Five Reasons Why We Love Anime Girls

by Peter Payne
8 years ago

There are many things to like about anime girls. The way they can be violent one minute then shy and...

Phoenix Comicon

The Rise of Anime Cons and Cosplay

8 years ago
Setsubun 2017

Today the Japanese Attack Ogres with Soybeans and Rolled Sushi

8 years ago
jlist_front_0sbqv.jpg

Saying Goodbye to 2016, and Another Reason to Love Japan

9 years ago
jlist_front_8ikao.jpg

Warm Christmas Wishes from Japan, and a New Trend in Anime

9 years ago
Next Post
Screen Shot 2019 03 28 At 1.41.30

Pocky Day is November 11 and J-List Holiday Guide

Trending Today

Summer 2025 Ecchi Anime Web Cover
Featured

Summer 2025 Ecchi Anime and The Streaming Services of Culture

6 days ago
Spring 2025 Ecchi Anime Web Cover
News

Spring 2025 Ecchi Anime and Where to Watch Them

3 months ago
Yandere Dark Elf Episode 1 Featured Image
Featured

Yandere Dark Elf, Episode 1 — Love Heavier than Chocolate Melons!

2 months ago
Jlist Wide Yabai Banner Email
Your Friend in Japan

J18 Publishing Presents: The YABAI Art Gallery Experience at LA ARTCORE, Little Tokyo!

6 days ago
How Profitable Is Anime As A Business?
Your Friend in Japan

Anime Industry Profitability: How Much Does Sony Make from Anime?

7 days ago
Get the Newest Figures from J-List - Your Favorite Online Shop and Friend in Japan
My Dress Up Darling Returns! 7 Reasons We Can't Stop Loving Marin Kitagawa
Your Friend in Japan

My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Is Here! 6 Reasons We Can’t Stop Thinking About Marin Kitagawa

by Peter Payne
July 7, 2025

With You and the Rain — Visually Stunning, Possibly Repetitive

Haite Kudasai, Takamine-san, Episode 9 — Slippery When Wet!

My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Is Here! 6 Reasons We Can’t Stop Thinking About Marin Kitagawa

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 Travels North

Adult Slice of Life: Why You Should Watch Kowloon Generic Romance

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Discord
  • YouTube

© J-LIST. All trademarks, characters and images are property of their respective owners.

No Result
View All Result
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan

© J-LIST. All trademarks, characters and images are property of their respective owners.

No Result
View All Result
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan

© J-LIST. All trademarks, characters and images are property of their respective owners.