 |
| It looks like a bullet train from the front |
 |
| It was actually rather comfy inside |
We checked in, got settled and went for a ride on the town's trolley.
 |
| Trolley mirror selfie |
And arrived at our destination, Dogo Onsen, a 19th century bath built over hot springs.
An onsen is a Japanese bath. This particular onsen also is famous because it was used as the model for the bathhouse of the gods in Miyazaki's Spirited Away.
We took a tour of the imperial baths, which were built for the emperor. The special section has been visited 10 times, three by emperors and seven times by royal family members. After the tour we all went to the bath.
The rules of an onsen are pretty simple:
- Go into the changing area.
- Remove all of your clothes. Put them in the designated baskets or lockers.
- Walk into the next room. Sit down at a shower and scrub yourself down. Everywhere.
- Soak in the bath until you are finished.
Many times bathers may have a small towel with them (think hand towel) which you could use to some what cover yourself with (but it generally doesn't help) Since there is no place to hang the towel, you may see bathers with the towel folded on top of their head. I tend to do this so I can have a dry towel with me when I get out.
At Dogo Onsen, we were given a rental yukata to lounge in after bathing while we enjoy a cup of tea.
On this trip I took advantage of onsen in our accommodations in Nikko and Koyasan. Nikko was my favorite because the bath itself was outside. It's interesting how quickly one can get used to walking around in front of strangers in a robe, either at dinner, doing laundry or heading to/from the bath.
From Dogo Onsen we left back through the shopping arcade, this time with the lanterns lit and headed to dinner.
We ended up at an izakaya, which is a restaurant with lots of cheap, small dishes people generally share over drinks.
 |
| I drank sake from a box. It tastes just as good. |
 |
| Aftermath |
I like the sound of the onsen!
ReplyDelete