Japan Hiroshima and Beppu

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The next morning I headed to Miyajima island to see the famous floating torri gate and some of the shrines there. Again it was raining and the ferry ride over to the island realized I wasn’t going to be able to see as much as I wanted to. The is a mountain hike that offers great views of the island but there was a thick fog all around king a local so instead I walked around the shrines and then took the ferry back to Hiroshima and took the Shinkansen to Hakata before train to Beppu. Beppu is famous for its Onsen. Onsen are traditional baths built on hot springs and there are strict rules you follow when bathing, firstly you must wash outside the baths on one of the little stalls, there are stools to do this, standing up to wash is too vulgar, once you have washed head to toe and rinsed you may enter the water but no towels are allowed to touch the water. As soon as id found my hostel I went in search of Takegawara Onsen which is very old, it’s also famous. I was well in need of some relaxation and something to soothe my aching body. I was there for an hour before deciding to call It a night. The walk back to the hostel was an interesting one. I’d heard of soap lands but didn’t expect to see any. Soap lands are like Onsen but with an exorbitant charge for female company, it’s like ordering take way at home. You choose your girl from a menu, she will then wash your head to toe, give you a massage and a happy ending. Depending on the colours they were on their picture indicates just how far they will go after the massage. It’s frightening just how open the Japanese are about the sex trade and yet it’s rude to blow your nose. Bizarre!

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