30 12 2004

Thu, 30 Dec 2004

Hot springs

I went to some hot springs for the first time yesterday. I was a little nervous because public bathing is not something I've had the opportunity to experience back home. We drove to a place called Kurokawa, which is a famous hotspring (onsen) in Japan - and fortunately, it's rather close to Kumamoto city.

On the way to the onsen we drove up a mountain which offers a great view of the area surrounding Kurokawa (literally: black river). Some photos are available here:

Snow in Aso

Kurokawa is a beautiful place set at the bottom of a valley, with streams and tall trees surrounding the area, and naturally heated water with various minerals channelled into a vast array of different baths. Indoor baths, outdoor baths, baths with different mineral contents and temperatures.

We went to a bath set outside. The trees were covered in snow and there was a small stream running about 5 meters away from us. The cold air caused steam to rise from the water and made the whole experience feel a little dream-like.

We spent a bit over an hour relaxing in two of the baths (one was very hot and hard to stay in for long). The experience isn't comparable to a normal bath - it's really relaxing and you feel wonderful afterwards. It was a great experience.

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