The Baths at Kurokawasou

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The Baths in Kurokawaso, Kurakawa

After dinner in the Ryokan I went to the baths in the late evening hours. The pool of steamy water was surrounded by rocks on all sides and to one side in the cliffs soared up into the night sky. Maples and Ginkgos grew from between the rocks and branched out overhead. Blood crimson and golden yellow leaves fell from the branches through the steam and floated on the water. The surrounding air was crisp and cold. The steam rose up from the water slowly and was carried off in a dance of random directions by light breezes. I was alone in the pool and the only light was from the windows of the bathhouse behind me and a few lanterns around the water. To one side water from the hot spring poured over the rocks and into the pool. I waded over to the waterfall and as I got closer so did the water in the pool get hotter. I touched the flowing water. Ouch, ouch, ouch. Yes, it was hot! I'm not so sure how long I stayed in the pool. Time seemed to disappear at that moment. At some point, an hour or a day later, I decided it was time for bed. I went upstairs to the room. The futon had been taken out of the closet and the bedding made up. I slept to the sound of running water in the distance.

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Comments

[Anne]

Look at those great "joins" cut and waiting. That's really neat, as in cool.