Tag Archives: onsen
Sakunami Onsen and Yamadera
In between the cities of Sendai and Yamagata, accessed by the local Senzan train line, sits a modest village known for its waters, infused with legendary healing power, so clear and so pure that it contributes to a famed Japanese … Continue reading
Tsuru-no-yu, Tazawako and Kakunodate
Fancy bathing in ‘milk’? The silky turquoise waters at the famed inn of Tsuru-no-yu will help any aspiring Cleopatra to at least pretend to bathe in some milk for a night or two, possibly with much better outcomes for the … Continue reading
Unazuki Onsen: a surreal experience
The mouth to the beautiful Kurobe Gorge is not easy to get to. It took us two changes of trains and the better part of a day’s journey to get here from Minakami Onsen. Most visitors do not stay long. … Continue reading
Takaragawa Osenkaku’s mixed gender baths
From certain angles you can’t tell where the river ends and the baths begin. Set in the hills of Minakami, Takaragawa Osenkaku is well known for its spectacular riverside rotemburo. Takaragawa Osenkaku claims its baths to be among the largest … Continue reading
9 Days in Japan
I’m interrupting the posts on China to also blog a bit on a recent trip to Japan. My backlog stretches so far back it’s not even funny anymore. Just this year alone so far I’ve gone to Melbourne and the … Continue reading
Aizu Wakamatsu and Ashinomaki
In Oct 1868, when the 20 young boys sequestered up in the hills above Aizu Wakamatsu saw the clouds of billowing smoke over this castle, they assumed all was lost. They believed their lord dead or captured and so made … Continue reading
Mori-no-uta
This is the key. Key to my room at the Morinouta resort at Jozankei Onsen. I only stayed a night – but that was enough to give me a quick insight into the understated and discreet ways of pampering and … Continue reading
Footbath in the snow anyone?
What makes me love Japan so much? Cute quirky surprises like these. This is not a cabin in the woods, but a foot onsen. After all the hiking and snow-walking, rest the weary feet in soothing hot onsen water. Bliss.
Tsubo-yu
Tsubo-yu is the tiniest onsen I have ever bathed in and probably the only chance anyone could have to bath in a World Heritage Site. It’s so small that only two people could comfortably fit in there at a time. … Continue reading
Yarimikan: Hidden Onsen
What’s your idea of paradise? Mine varies. Sometimes its a white sand beach with glass-clear waters. Sometimes its just home with hours of uninterrupted Korean dramas on video. But here, in Japan, there is a really special spot that comes … Continue reading
Big On Trips 