Blogs from Gunma, Japan, Asia

Geo: 36.7801, 138.968Visiting an onsen, a Japanese hot spring, is an activity that we missed on our first Japanese trip, one that became a goal for this visit. While we harboured fears that it could be another disappointing forced Japanese experience, it turned out to be rather memorable.  The difference between onsen and the Robot Show or Sushi Dai is that those two were not traditional Japanese experiences, but ones that were seemingly either created by, or produced for, foreign tourists. Onsen is about as Japanese as it gets, and isn't so much an experience, as it is a ritual, one that goes as far back as the eighth century. Being a volcanically-active country, Japan's landscape is dotted with onsens, so the choice is difficult.  We wound up selecting Takaragawa for a few reasons - a ... read more

It was at least a few hours worth of trains, including a stint on the Shinkansen (the famous bullet trains of Japan), to arrive at Minakami, a town in mountainous Gunma Prefecture famous for their onsens (hot springs). We had been looking forward to this weekend stay at the ryokan (traditional Japanese hotel) of Takaragawa Onsen for a good while. Japanese people have been using the onsens across the country over the centuries for the relaxing and healing qualities of their mineral-rich waters. Traditionally, clothing is not permitted in the onsen, but a towel to conceal certain parts may be used while walking around. We had lunch at a casual restaurant near Minakami station as we waited for the shuttle bus to the ryokan. Once again, we were impressed by the food, which consisted of hand-cut ... read more

19/04/2009 When I awoke today I discovered that my nose, eartips and neck were burnt red raw from yesterdays sun. But on a plus note my poo schedule was back on track and I was back on morning shifts. The toilet here is quite a scary place, it is a western style toilet in a shed outside in the garden, it appears to be somewhat of a bottomless pit as once you err.... loosen up no further sound plays any part of the equation, plops just don't feature. If one had been on the beers and took the wrong step then the boghole was definitely big enough to consume a whole human. I expect that one would never be found down there, and probably wouldn't want to be found. After loosening up I set about cutting ... read more

Do I have the greatest friends or what? As a farewell to Japan gift to me Sanae and Yumiko have been plotting and planning away for months and thrown me a mystery tour. It was by far and away one of the highlights of my trip so far and the sweetest present I've been given in my life ever. See below for the Itinerary by Sanae in bold and comments by me in Italics! Mystery Tour Schedule 14th Sep. 2008 This is today’s tour schedule. Please read through and follow your tour guide Program 1; trip to Gunma prefecture 07:00 - dep from Nishi kawaguchi (7am is the latest departure) DO: - Enjoy the view and Road in jp - Listen to the music - Eat breakfast A 7:00am start? Thats nothing! I was so excited ... read more

hello. so, i have taken a few day trips in the past little while. i have also attended a few farewell lunches with members from work. first graham and i went to ikaho. it's an onsen town, but i thought it was more of a ghost town. to arrived to winding streets, with delapitated buildings, old cracked roads, and no one in sight but graham and i. this city is in the mountains, and know for its hot springs. there are 360 steps which cut through the city and lead up to a temple high in the mountain. there is also a cable car that takes you up the mountain to a lake, but we didn't have enough time to go there. i have also recently discovered that somewhere near ikaho, there is a penis (or ... read more