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| Blogs > Dreamcatcher__ > 奥の細道 (Oku no Hosomichi) |
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Back from Japan, The Delights of Hot Springs Japanese Hot Springs Resorts come in all sizes and varieties. I chose one of the best for my visit... the onsen at Seni Iwa no Yuu in Nagano Prefecture. These hot springs are unusual in that the main springs are inside a cave which is mixed bathing. The myth about Japan's hot springs is that mixed bathing is nude. With a few exceptions mainly on the northern island of Hokkaido, only the private baths are nude. However, there are plenty of private baths where nude mixed bathing is the rule. In the cave bath at Seni Iwa no Yuu, bathing suits are provided to all bathers. The lights are dim, however, and there are plenty of dead-end offshoots within the cave, so the opportunities for a bit of hanky panky still abound. The main fun is in the private baths, both indoor and outside, which are all discreetly screened off from view. I wasn't traveling with a female companion, so I didn't have an opportunity to avail myself of the privacy of the baths for a bit of fun, as I do at my private lakeside hot bath in Virginia. I did manage to be invited to correct that oversight if I visit Japan this May for the anniversary celebration of a certain lady friend's business establishment. It seems that one of her girls is opening a spa in Miyagi Prefecture shortly. Meanwhile, I hope you will enjoy the photos of the pools of one of the premier hot spring onsens in Japan.        |
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The Blue Ridge Mountain version is less upkeep and far more accessible, but for intricacy and sheer artistry the Japanese version can't be beat.
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Beautiful!!!
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12/25/2017 9:32 am |
Beautiful!!!
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It saddens me that so few Americans and Europeans ever get a chance to visit Asia. Japan's hot springs are an under-appreciated beneficial aspect of the country's incredible uniqueness. Communal bathing is a ritual. There was a public bath house just a couple of blocks from where I lived for three years when I worked in Tokyo. We stayed again in that neighborhood while in Tokyo and bathed in that bathhouse every evening. The contrast between the towering Tokyo skyscrapers and the Ginza's neon signs and this vestige of feudal Japan couldn't be more striking. All of the springs and waterfalls pictured above are natural. They are volcanically heated and contain a variety of beneficial minerals that the locals swear by. I caught a cold from my grandson while visiting Kyoto. When I sat down to dinner a few days later at the Seni onsen, the staff had noticed my condition and prepared a special shredded ginger drink for me that, along with the effects of the hot springs, immediately revived me.
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And, for comparison, here is a photo of my poor attempt to create a replica of a Japanese onsen at my country place in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, about an hour's drive from Washington, DC. Although you are welcome to visit me there, I think you will prefer the original. [image]
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