At Nagano we changed trains to get to Yudanaka. We passed through small towns and farming communities as we headed into the mountains.
This station was on the way to Yudanaka.
We then walked to Shibu Onsen, a small onsen village about 30 minutes walk from the station.
Here is the ryokan we are staying in. India is dressed in the robe and wooden sandals (correct Japanese terms will be inserted here later) which all guests are given.
Let me explain what is so special about this place. All over Japan there are thousands of naturally occurring hot springs. In towns such as this one there are dozens, and most have been tapped so they create an "onsen". This is a bath (split male and female) where you go in and relax in the hot spring water which is continuously flowing through the onsen. Plus, each spring has hot water of different mineral properties, some of which are claimed to be medicinal.
Normally these Japanese robes are for indoor use only but in this onsen town, guests are welcome to wear them as they go from onsen to onsen. Guests at the ryokans are given keys to the ten onsens in this village.
Below is a picture of Onsen number 8, you can see one entry for men and one for women. We tried this one. The water temperature was over 50 degrees C (HOT!!) so there is a cold water tap which you can run into the onsen to drop the temperature to more tolerable levels. In each onsen there is a large wooden basin in one corner where the natural spring enters, and then a small channel the water follows into the onsen (large bath). There is a piece of wood which you can use to block the channel partially or completely to control the temperature too.
This place would have to be on anyone's "Must See" list for Japan. But note if you have any tattoos you cannot use any onsens according to the rules listed inside.
Below is a picture of my footware for this occasion. It really is something else to bath in these natural hot springs which have been popular here for thousands of years. I have only been to two onsens thus far and they are most relaxing. Pity I couldn't stick my head under the water to remove the wrinkles, as the rest of my skin feels smooth as a peach.
Here and there along the street there are also little areas where you can sit on a bench and bathe your feet in the fresh hot spring water. Below is a photo showing a hot spring boiling eggs.
The accommodation at this ryokan ain't cheap (two nights is costing as much as two WEEKS for the rest of our trip) but it does include genuine traditional Japanese meals. Here is dinner, before consumption. The two pots of water partially visible at the top of the photo have a flame underneath, once the water was boiling we placed all the meat, vegetables (including muchrooms) into the water until cooked. Delicious!
Just after this photo was taken we each received what looked like a tea pot. We had already explained that we don't drink tea, coffee, sake but it was explained the pots contained mushroom soup. So you pour the soup into a little cup and it was something else! When the soup was finished you took off the lid and ate the mushrooms.
Tomorrow morning we have breakfast at 8am then off to see the snow monkeys a few km up the road. Although there is no snow here currently there are baby snow monkeys.
Here is the ryokan we are staying in. India is dressed in the robe and wooden sandals (correct Japanese terms will be inserted here later) which all guests are given.
Let me explain what is so special about this place. All over Japan there are thousands of naturally occurring hot springs. In towns such as this one there are dozens, and most have been tapped so they create an "onsen". This is a bath (split male and female) where you go in and relax in the hot spring water which is continuously flowing through the onsen. Plus, each spring has hot water of different mineral properties, some of which are claimed to be medicinal.
Normally these Japanese robes are for indoor use only but in this onsen town, guests are welcome to wear them as they go from onsen to onsen. Guests at the ryokans are given keys to the ten onsens in this village.
Below is a picture of Onsen number 8, you can see one entry for men and one for women. We tried this one. The water temperature was over 50 degrees C (HOT!!) so there is a cold water tap which you can run into the onsen to drop the temperature to more tolerable levels. In each onsen there is a large wooden basin in one corner where the natural spring enters, and then a small channel the water follows into the onsen (large bath). There is a piece of wood which you can use to block the channel partially or completely to control the temperature too.
This place would have to be on anyone's "Must See" list for Japan. But note if you have any tattoos you cannot use any onsens according to the rules listed inside.
Below is a picture of my footware for this occasion. It really is something else to bath in these natural hot springs which have been popular here for thousands of years. I have only been to two onsens thus far and they are most relaxing. Pity I couldn't stick my head under the water to remove the wrinkles, as the rest of my skin feels smooth as a peach.
Here and there along the street there are also little areas where you can sit on a bench and bathe your feet in the fresh hot spring water. Below is a photo showing a hot spring boiling eggs.
The accommodation at this ryokan ain't cheap (two nights is costing as much as two WEEKS for the rest of our trip) but it does include genuine traditional Japanese meals. Here is dinner, before consumption. The two pots of water partially visible at the top of the photo have a flame underneath, once the water was boiling we placed all the meat, vegetables (including muchrooms) into the water until cooked. Delicious!
Just after this photo was taken we each received what looked like a tea pot. We had already explained that we don't drink tea, coffee, sake but it was explained the pots contained mushroom soup. So you pour the soup into a little cup and it was something else! When the soup was finished you took off the lid and ate the mushrooms.
Tomorrow morning we have breakfast at 8am then off to see the snow monkeys a few km up the road. Although there is no snow here currently there are baby snow monkeys.
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