Featured image artwork by theonlybriman47.
When I first visited the Laundry Pool in Majora’s Mask, it was initially overshadowed by other curious hot spots around Clock Town. Aside from some rupees in the pool (possibly loose change from people’s washed pants?), it just didn’t seem to have much going on at a glance. However, I’d quickly learn that the Laundry Pool was not only the back door to the ultimate source of curiosities, but also a refuge for some of Clock Town’s citizens and, more noteworthy, the main stage of a tragic tale. It would just take some time for all these stories to reveal themselves.
Although its entrance is tucked away and inconspicuous, the Laundry Pool is easily accessible to all citizens via the southern part of Clock Town. It’s enclosed by high, ivy-coated walls and has a single tree overlooking the pool. Likewise, a single bench sits nearby, where people can come to ponder or rest after a day of chores or heartache. It’s a perfectly secluded, serene spot for anyone who needs some space.
In fact, no one seems to actually use it for its intended purpose throughout the game. Perhaps technology has advanced enough and everyone has washing machines now. Or, more likely, the menacing face of the Moon has made laundry day less of a priority. Still, you’d think someone would want to wash their best tunic or dress in preparation for the carnival. I know you’re grieving, Anju, but come on, you’ve been wearing that same outfit for three days, and my Mask of Scents knows it.
There are a variety of characters and questlines to experience here in the Laundry Pool: Guru-Guru’s musical musings, a frog’s long-awaited return to his a capella group, and most memorably, Anju and Kafei’s heart-wrenching confessions to Link. It’s undeniable that the quest to reunite the two is the one we all associate with this area. But, before we talk about it in a bit more detail, let’s at least acknowledge one of the quirky side quests you can complete here.
The first character that most people will have encountered in the Laundry Pool is Guru-Guru, a musician that is part of the Gorman Troupe and who is basically the twin of the Phonogram Man from Ocarina of Time. If you visit the pool on the first night, Guru-Guru tells you that he was kicked out of his room for practicing too loud, so has clearly come to the pool to play his Phonogram and sing in peace. Hey, it’s okay, Guru-Guru, we’ve all been on both ends of that situation — it comes with the job of being a talented and beautiful singer such as yourself.
He then shares a story about the animal troupe he once played with, expressing his jealousy about a dog who became the leader instead of him. As he reminisces about this, he temporarily transforms from a well-mannered man into a rage-induced caricature of his former self, which triggers all of our memories from when we played the “Song of Storms” in Ocarina of Time and accidentally made a guy’s windmill go haywire.
Despite Guru-Guru’s lapse in composure, he seems appreciative that you listened to his story and he passes on the Bremen Mask (which he stole by the way; watch your back, Link) as thanks, making you an honorary animal troupe leader. It’s a great mask too, as animals will follow you when you wear and use it to play your ocarina. And who doesn’t love doggies and cute little chicks following you around, like in a viral internet video?
The next person who you’ll likely encounter in the Laundry Pool is Anju. If you didn’t trigger the Anju and Kafei side quest on the first day, she gloomily makes her way to the secluded corner of Clock Town on the second day and sits on the bench. When you speak to her, she asks about Kafei and then has a very real and poignant breakdown into grief-stricken tears. This is a moment that genuinely moved me and, when I first played the game, changed my perception of what games could do with NPCs. In fact, it was such a striking moment to me that I went into depth about it in a dedicated Realm of Memories article, titled “Anju’s Despair.”
I’ll never forget my 13-year-old self watching a seemingly unremarkable background character show such raw emotions, and in a game no less. It was the first time I’d seen anything like it. You experience a real moment of heartbreak here as she expresses her distress, worries, and even self-doubts about reuniting with Kafei, as she wonders if she’s the reason he disappeared. It’s even more heart wrenching when you realize they’re so close yet so far apart: ringing the bell prompts Kafei to stand in the doorway, but the two won’t interact. Dammit, Anju, just look up for a split second! And Kafei, take that mask off and dry your fiancee’s tears!
Of course, their time apart is more complicated than that, and chances are you don’t know their full story yet when you see Anju there for the first time. But seeing her in such a vulnerable state motivates you to listen to what she has to say next time you talk to her, and to make their quest a top priority on your next 3-day cycle.
When you do, you realize that the Laundry Pool is not just the place where a silent, purple-haired, kitsune-mask-wearing boy pops his head out if you ring the bell and piques your curiosity (ha, get it, cause he stays in the curiosity shop? I know, that was a major-a stretch. All right, I’ll Termina-te these jokes before they start feeling old-olwa.) You realize that the area is pivotal to the two’s story. It’s the place Anju went to freely release her overwhelming feelings, as she most likely needed a secluded place away from the Stock Pot Inn to do so, and it’s where Kafei found refuge to ashamedly hide from Anju. It’s kind of poignant and tragically beautiful in a way that they shared the area during their struggle.
Plus, it’s imperative in helping Kafei reclaim what was robbed from him. The Man from the Curiosity Shop, an old friend of Kafei’s, allows him to stay in the room behind the Curiosity Shop and use the hidden peephole to wait until Sakon, the thief who stole his mask, eventually shows up with his smarmy smile. Thanks to this safe haven, you can help Kafei and Anju at least communicate through letters and, eventually, reunite in the most bittersweet moment in the entire series.
As I progressed through their quest, it became clear to me that the Laundry Pool was more than just a place for the people of Termina to deal with their dirty laundry (whether that was using the pool for their clothes or ringing the bell of the Curiosity Shop for “business”). To me, it symbolizes the vulnerability of all those who need a retreat to an unsuspecting, quiet corner of the bustling town. Whether they need a place to hide their cursed form, to shed unseen tears, to play music without judgement, or to pawn off a few oddities that Link would later gander at, the Laundry Pool gives people the space to air it all out.
