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Hot Spring Skinny-Dippers Test the Waters with Flesh-Eating Fish
Apr 18th, 2006
http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/waiwai/news/20060418p2g00m0dm033000c.html
By Ryann Connell
Hakone, Japan - Hot spring skinny-dippers test the waters with flesh-eating fish
There's something really fishy going on at a hot spring bath in the resort area of Hakone, according to Sunday Mainichi.
Fish are biting like mad, but it's got nothing to do with angling and everything to do with the marine creatures taking chunks out of people.
But, before you get to thinking along the lines of predatory piranha, these tiny fish somewhat resembling roaches only aim for the feet. And they're only going after old, dried skin that floats in bathwater.
The angle here is that these extremely rare water creatures floating around in the event bath at Hakone Kowakien Yunessan hot spring theme park are actually called Doctor Fish.
Doctor Fish are members of the carp family and they live in western Asia. Their scientific name is Garra rufa. They live in countries like Turkey, where there are hot springs, and feed off human skin, their rapacious appetites for people's scabs actually having a cleansing, healing effect on the donor, according to Sunday Mainichi. It's this ability that has earned the tiny fish their "doctor" moniker.
Operators of the hot spring theme park have released about 1,000 Doctor Fish in a bath within their facility. Most of those who dip their feet into the water squeal out with peals of laughter because the fish bites not only tickle their fancy, but also tickle their feet, Sunday Mainichi says.