Yumura Onsen, Part 3


Satoka and I got up early and went for our breakfast, another array of elegant Japanese dishes.

We had breakfast down in the hotel restaurant just after 7 a.m. Check-out was at 10 and we wanted to hit the baths again before we had to do so. Breakfast was quite delicious, as was dinner the night before. I ate everything except for some raw squid cut into long strips and put in a sauce. I like the taste of squid, and have no problem with it, but when it comes to being raw I just find that it takes forever for me to be able to bite through and swallow it. Anyway, breakfast was great after which we went directly to the rooftop baths.

Breakfast at the lobby restaurant, with beautiful garden in the background.

After the bath, which took about an hour, I waited for Satoka in the area outside the baths and used the massage chair. I had a nice mountain view through the windows and felt completely relaxed from the hot water I was just in. Satoka came out some 5 minutes later and we went back to our room to get ready for checking out.

Unfortunately, after checking out we still had 3 hours to wait until our bus departed, but there was little to do in the area. We walked back down to the area where you can boil the eggs (this time in shoes!) and checked out the store in detail. After this we went into the small cafe next door and I got homemade ice-cream (mountain strawberry), while Satoka got a green tea latte. We drank those by the warm water of the river and walked around, taking a few more pictures.


In front of a statue of "Yumechiyo", a famous Geisha who entertained here and was a victim of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima.


Finally we went back to the hotel and killed the remaining time in the lobby cafe, where I gave Satoka a piece of birthday cake (no candles, sadly), and we studied English using the NHK textbook, Let's Speak.


Happy Birthday, sweetie! (even though it was the day before).

The time to go back to Osaka came, and after I paid the bill and we bought a bunch of souvenirs, we walked to the bus station. The bus ride home was even less eventful than the bus ride there, save that I could sleep a little more and Satoka and I studied. We got back to Osaka and had a Thai dinner in Umeda, E-ma building. A little while after that Satoka and I caught the train home and I saw her off at Shijonawate station, continuing alone to where I would get off and come home.


On the bus, and then eating red curry.

It was a short trip, really, but we both agreed that one day was good for an onsen trip. It would have been nice, of course, to have more time together, but since it was the first chance to spend a birthday together (in the past it has been impossible) and we could experience something so great, we were both happy. It was a little sad to see her off, but I still have the whole experience very fresh and playing vividly in my mind. It was a wonderful chance for us to grow.

For those of you in Japan I REALLY recommend going for a night to this hotspring, and if possible getting a room with your own personal outdoor bath. For me, as I said, not only was it a chance to be with the person I love, but I could also re-experience what it's like to be in love with things Japanese, and feel the kind of magic of something new again. It's expensive, to be sure, but well worth the experience at least once. Satoka and I hope to do it once a year or so, if possible. Check out the inn's webpage. If you can't read or your computer can't support Asian characters, then sorry. Try clicking different buttons. There is also an English link on the left hand menu.

Posted: Fri - April 1, 2005 at 08:53 PM          

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