I had a free day on Saturday as I waited for my flight back from Japan. During the week, I asked around the office for some ideas of things to do.
A friend of mine came up with a great suggestion. He told me that there was an Onsen (hot springs) only 30 minutes from the office. It is called Sayanoyu.
I had to take a train and subway to get there, but I did arrive in about 40 minutes. I really liked it. There were several kinds of pools. Here is my quick summary:
- Cold Pool: Think temperature of a mountain spring fed by snow melt...
- Indoor Hot Pool: Think temperature of simmering water
- Sauna: 68deg C which was 154deg F. I couldn't breathe in that room and left fairly quickly
- Jaccuzi Pool: Just what it sounds like
- Jaccuzi Pool with cold headrest: Jaccuzi with metal round headrests that are very cold. I liked the combination.
- Outdoor Hot Pool: Simmering water with a view of the garden
- Medicine Pool: Once I got past the murky water, I liked it.
- Tea Cups: Small tubs just big enough for one person to sit in.
- Hobbit Hole: This was my favorite. It was a room that you get to by going through two hobbit size doors. Inside there was a basin of salt that you rub on yourself. The room was dark with only a small window. It had two chimneys pouring out steam. The salt and the steam had the fragrance of Old Bay Seasoning. That is the seasoning you use in Maryland when you are steaming crab. I sat in the room for a while thinking about steamed crabs and smelling the salts. Then, I started to feel like a steamed crab and decided to go out into the sunlight again.
