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Following the most comfortable highway bus experience ever (reclining chairs, foot rest, leg room, slippers!), we arrived in rainy Beppu for 3 nights to formally enter the hot spring leg of our Japan journey. It is actually fitting that the mist and drizzle has continued, because the weather is the perfect backdrop to a lazy "onsen" (Japanese hot spring) experience.
Our first night here we visited the rooftop spa of one of the local hotels to bathe and steam while overlooking the bright lights of the city - wonderful! We quickly discovered that English resources are not as plentiful here in Kyushu, so we have been learning a lot by observing, and guessing! The etiquette of the bathing here is quite precise, so we are trying to properly assimilate.
The main draw of Beppu is the 7 "Hells" (Jigoku), which are 7 unique geothermal sites (we included a photo of each one in the Japan album). These areas are too hot for bathing, but each site has been sort of "themed out" to highlight their qualities. Troy the geography teacher was particularly wowed by the amount of geothermal energy that is concentrated in this area, and Clare was fascinated by the geyser which erupts almost regularly every 30 minutes.
Troy has been a good sport about "onsen-ing" with Clare, and the experience will peak tomorrow with an overnight stay in the town of Kurokawa Onsen, where we will onsen heavily (lol) before moving back into the big city!
- comments
Carrie Lol, you know its love when......your partner onsens with you.....
Clare Hansen Ha ha, yes, it is!
Andrea L Look at all those sexy geysers lol! Did it smell like sulfur? My most vivid memory of Yellowstone was the smell of eggs everywhere.
Kristen Garvin Was there a washroom on the bus? The Onsen sounds lovely!
Clare Hansen Ha ha, Andrea! Yes, there was a bit of sulphur smell in the air, but it was not overpowering and nauseating. Would love to go to Yellowstone too! Kris, no washroom, which I was worried about, but they made a rest stop in good time! You would definitely have loved the onsen experience - they take it very seriously in Japan!
Caitlin Slippers on the bus?! Sign me up! You need to write down the rules of the onsen so we can get a better picture.
Clare Hansen Cait, there are rules around some onsens being "mixed gender", and others single sex. You need to look at the signs carefully to know! There are no bathing suits allowed! When walking naked you need to discreetly cover yourself with the small towel they give you. You need to make sure you actually pick up this small towel upon entering and bring it with you. You can't bring a big towel into the pool area. You need to go to the little shower area and wash before you get into the communal bath. You should sit on the little stool and face the mirror, away from everyone. You need to make sure at the entrance to the spa and then entrance to the change room, that you are wearing or not wearing the slippers provided. If a friendly local offers you a chocolate while in the onsen, you should definitely take it. (Okay, that might have just been one personal experience.) There is a lot of people watching involved in the whole experience!