Sayanoyu

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.
  

I really liked this place. It was well worth the trip. Below is a picture I took of their garden.

More from Japan

It has been a busy fall. So, my blogging has suffered. But, time to catch up.

During my last trip to Japan, I stayed in a traditional Japanese hotel. The picture above was my room. You can see that it was very simple but comfortable.

Below is a picture I took of a temple in Matsuyama. I have always liked how these roofs are made.

Matsuyama

I went to Matsuyama this week for some meetings. I arrived and dropped off my bag at the hotel. On my way to the train station, I passed a wedding party in the middle of getting their picture taken.

I had to snap a photo myself.

Tanglewood

We went to Tanglewood this weekend. We made the trip out to the Birkshires to see James Taylor perform. He does concerts there every year. But this time as a fundraiser, he performed with Sheryl Crow and Yo Yo Ma. Actually, it was only through a bit of luck that we got tickets. Some friends of ours had a pair of tickets and then found out they couldn't go. They put word out that the tickets were available, and several people wanted them. They decided to randomly pick who would get the tickets, and we were the lucky couple. When we found out, my wife actually screamed with joy.

We hadn't been to a concert in 19 years. This one was worth the wait. Here is a sample of what it was like to see JT and Yo Yo Ma perform together.

Flying W Ranch

While we were in Colorado, we spent some time in Colorado Springs. My wife's father and his wife took us to an authentic cattle ranch for dinner. The Flying W Ranch is located near the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. They serve a Chuck Wagon style dinner and are able to feed over a 1000 people in under 20 minutes. Everyone gets a tin plate with a choice of BBQ Beef or Chicken, cowboy beans (they called them Whistle Berries...), a baked potato, corn bread, apple sauce (chilled to keep one corner of the tin plate cool enough to hold) and a little piece of spice cake.


After dinner the Flying W. Ranglers performed Cowboy Music. We really felt like we were in the West.

Rocky Mountains

For the second half of our vacation, we visited family in Colorado. We took a day and visited Brainard Lake. At 10,000+ feet, I ran out of breath just strolling around the lake.

I brought fishing gear and did some fishing with my dad and son. We had fun but didn't catch anything. While we were there, we saw people walking lamas. I'd never seen a lama close up before.

White Mountains

Here are some final pictures from the New Hampshire part of our vacation. We drove to the top of Cathedral Ledge just outside of Conway. You can park near the top and look out over the White Mountains.

There were a few climbers who were going up the rock face.

The picture below is near Emerald Pool. The sun was shining through the woods, and the water level was higher than normal because of all the rain this year.


And finally, while I was out on the lake (not catching fish), I did see a lot of loons swimming. You really understand the expression "crazy as a loon" when you hear them call to each other.

Strolling in North Conway

It is time to catch up on my blogging. I have lots of pictures from our vacation that I need to write about.

While in New Hampshire, we visited North Conway. We found a place to park on the street and took a walk past the local stores.

I like the small shops more than the outlets which are closer to Conway. There were New Hampshire gifts and a "Five and Dime" with lots of candy options.


There were also several New Age shops with collections of mystical gifts and treasures. My older daughter liked the shop with Egyptian replicas. My younger liked the expensive jeans.

Fishing but not catching

This week, I really felt like fishing. I tried in the morning and in the evening. My son and I went out on the canoe at dusk and fished until dark. There was a full moon, and the lake was very still. We passed some loons but didn't get any bites.

I had dreams of catching a brown or rainbow trout. But, I only caught little fish like the one below. Maybe next time...

Evening at the lake house

We left this morning for New Hampshire and our annual lake house
vacation.

After a quick drive, we arrived and set up the house. Then after
dinner, my son and I went for a swim.

Statues in Kobe

While I was in Kobe, I kept seeing statues that I thought were interesting. Here they are in order of smallest to biggest. The picture above was from Sumadera Temple. It looks like a kind of dog that is guarding something.

The picture below must represent a religious teaching about how the world is suspended. I need to do some research about that. This statue was also at Sumadera Temple.


Next we move on to a bigger statue. This one is at the entrance to Chinatown in Kobe. I like the earlobes, and this is one happy guy.


And finally, a statue worthy of a fish story. No really, the fish was the biggest one ever.

Sumadera Temple Part 2

Sumadera is also known for being a location that Matsuo Basho, the famous Haiku poet, wrote about. Here is an example of his haiku.

to the flute's tone
the waves also approach
autumn in Suma

fue no ne ni | nami mo yorikitaru | Suma no aki

Matsuo Basho (1644-1694)

Blogging about the Bullet Train

This week, I took the Bullet Train from Tokyo to Kobe. It was the first time I had traveled that far by train in Japan.

I started off the morning by picking up some sushi to eat during the journey. I am a fan of Convenience Store sushi; it makes a great breakfast on the go.


I settled in and watched the scenery as we rushed by. I saw Mt. Fuji in the distance but couldn't get a picture in time. After we left the outskirts of Tokyo, the countryside was green and dotted with small villages like the one below.


I like the roof on the building in the picture below. It has a classic Japanese design.

2 1/2 hours later, I arrived in Kobe and took a quick detour on my way to my meeting. More on that later.

Lost in Ginza

Japan in July is like a giant steam bath. I arrived in Tokyo on Sunday and have been sweating ever since.

After work yesterday, I took the train to Ginza to look for a present for my son. He has a birthday coming up, and I wanted to get him something here.

I had a map but couldn't figure out how it matched up with the myriad of streets. After walking around in circles for 40 minutes, I finally found the store. I can't remember being so glad to walk into an air conditioned building before. After I picked out the present, I took a deep breath and headed out in the heat again.

Ogunquit

I'm still catching up on pictures I took a while ago.

When we went to the Marginal Way, we parked in the center of Ogunquit. There is a parking lot right before the bridge that goes to the beach. And, across the street from that parking lot is a great little store.

My kids loved the samples of jellies and jams. I tried some Blueberry jam that was amazing.

The Marginal Way

Happy Memorial Day!

I arrived back from Japan and spent a perfect Memorial Day weekend. On Saturday, we decided to drive to Maine and visit Ogunquit. From our house, it takes about one and a half hours to drive to Maine.

We like Ogunquit because it has a great walk called The Marginal Way.


The pathway goes a little over a mile from Ogunquit beach to Perkins Cove. Along the way, you can climb down the rocks and see tidal pools.


Even though our kids are teenagers, they had fun exploring and looking for sea creatures.

I liked looking at the ocean, and my wife loved the sound of the waves.

The Onsen Experience

When I was in Matsuyama, I stayed at a Ryokan type hotel that had its own Onsen (hot springs bath).

I have written about Japanese Baths before, but I've never had a chance to take a picture. This time, I got up early and found myself alone in the onsen. So, I rushed back to my room, picked up my camera, and took some pictures.

Here is my version of how you go to an Onsen.

First, you have to figure out which side to enter. The picture above shows the entrance to the men's side. The Chinese character at the top means "man".

Once inside, you enter the dressing area. You pick a basket against the wall and remove all your clothing - think of it like gym class without the angst of the teenage years.

You pick up a towel and head to the next room. The towels are for modesty but are only the size of a dishtowel.


Once inside, you select a spot against the wall that will be your "washing area", and you pick up a bucket. You fill your bucket with water from the main pool and rinse off. Then you can soak in the pool or start to wash up. You sit on the small stools, turn on the faucet, and lather up. In this Onsen, there were dispensers for soap, shampoo, and conditioner.

You use your bucket to rinse off.


Once you are finished, you head back to the pool area. These are usually designed to to have a combination of natural features against the side. The water is very hot. When you sit down in the pool, the water comes up to your chin. I spent long enough in the pool that I felt lightheaded when I tried to stand up.

The Onsen experience may seem strange for a westerner, but it is actually quite relaxing. I would never pass up an chance to go to an Onsen.

Noh in Matsuyama

I flew to Matsuyama yesterday for some meetings. After work, I checked into my hotel and found out that there was a small Noh Theatre inside. My colleague from Matsuyama suggested that we go by and see it.

We were just in time to catch a few minutes of a demonstration. I didn't understand any of the song - neither did my colleague. But, it was really interesting to see. Click on the video below to get an idea of what Noh is like.

Tanuki

A few years ago, my brother and his family were living in Tokyo. I came on a business trip and met up with him. I was telling him about the "Tanuki", a raccoon dog found in Japan. The Tanuki is thought to be mischievous and to have the ability to change shape. I had remembered seeing little Tanuki statues around and wanted to show him.

We wandered around for quite a while and never came across one of the statues. But, on this last trip, I went to a lunch place with some co-workers and saw the statue. In this case, the Tanuki had an onion in his mouth. I don't know why.

How's your commute

I'm back from Tokyo but have a lot of pictures yet to post. While I was there, I rode the Yamanote train line everyday to get to the office. Between 8-9am, that train gets very crowded.

One day, I hit the train at the exact wrong time. I was packed in so tightly I could have lifted my feet off the floor of the train and not moved.

After that experience, I decided I had to take a quick video of the trains.