Day 10 - A Coastal Walk, Encountering Kindness and A Fossil Seawater Hot Springs- Hot Springs Walking Tour Of Northern Japan

 

Day 10 - A Coastal Walk, Encountering  Kindness and A  Fossil Seawater Hot Springs- Hot Springs Walking Tour Of Northern Japan  

This morning I woke up so early that I decided to go for a soak in the iron rich Onsen.

In many Japanese hot springs, they rotate the use of the Onsen between genders.

So this morning I had the opportunity to soak in the men’s Onsen.

In the mornings, the Onsens are never empty, and by 5:30 am, there were many women around.

But everyone was quiet and I enjoyed the cool air while soaking in the outdoor bath, looking at the waves in the sea crashing on the rocks, and enjoying the golden hues of the sunrise.

We began today’s walk at about 10 am, after eating breakfast, taking a shuttle bus ride to the train station, and then a train ride for about an hour, to continue the walk north that we had started yesterday.

We got off the train at a remote station that had only an old shed being used as a station, and not even a one stall toilet.

On this train you have to pay the conductor who is also the driver, when you get off the train.

The conductor looked at us as if we were definitely making a mistake getting off in the middle of nowhere, but he said nothing.

The walk was truly along a coastal road, and the sea looked rough with big waves crashing into the concrete flood barriers erected by the shore.

The waves broke with force and sprays of foam rose high into the sky.

It was very picturesque and powerful to walk by.  

Even though there were no shops, no convenience stores or restaurants for most of today’s walk, it was a very enjoyable walk.  

In a small village, we met a local man who was amazed that we were doing this trip by foot.  

He was very chatty, eager to talk with us, so he asked a lot of questions.  

We planned to buy some food for lunch at a local market or supermarket if we happened to pass by one.

A little while later, at about noon, we happened upon a small grocery store.

The female proprietor was so excited when we entered her market.

She asked many questions and called over several of her friends who were shopping in the store, telling everyone that we were from Colorado, America.

She had never heard of Colorado, but she was very excited that we were walking around Tohoku.

She said Ajisawa was so far to go on foot, and offered to drive us in her car to Ajisawa.

We of course politely refused her kindness.

She gave us free local apple juice and took our photos and asked one of her customers to take photos of her with us, linking both her arms with each of us by her sides.

Jules remarked that her kindness was what we used to see all over Japan, but with the many travelers who have come to Japan in recent years, you only find this excitement over travelers in remote places.

Since we are walking through a famous apple growing area, we bought apples, plums and peaches.

She said we should buy a boxed lunch like Yakisoba or Takoyaki, because there are no places to eat along the way.

When I refused, saying we will eat the fruit because they are heavy to carry, she asked if people eat takoyaki in America.

Takoyaki are savory balls made of wheat flour and chopped pieces of squid in the middle.

I admitted that Takoyaki is not very popular in the USA.

She asked how we liked northern Tohokou, and I said that we loved the natural beauty like we have seen in the lakes of Juniko and the Shirakami forest.

She said that it is a beautiful area, but so remote and a little lonely.

After lots of best wishes were exchanged, and amid general merriment, we left and went to sit at the local train station, which was the only place we could find a bench to sit on.

We ate some of the delicious fruit and packed the rest up.

We drank the apple juice and some hot tea, enjoying the shelter of the one room train station.

We were only about halfway, so we still had some scenic walking to do.  When we were down to only about two km to go, our hotel came into plain view, high on a cliff, overlooking the Sea of Japan.

We decided to make our last rest stop of the day, before climbing the small mountain to our hotel.

The rest area by the sea was a combination of a sumo museum, a local produce shop, a restaurant and a coffee shop.  

We were so happy to rest and so amazed at the excellent lattes with honey that they made us, that we completely forgot about visiting the museum!  

Our Onsen hotel for the night is very well appointed.

It has an elegant lounge, which serves a free flow of drinks which include all you can drink alcohol and snacks.

Our room is a spacious Japanese style room with Tatami rice mats and soft comfortable futons on the floor.

The hot springs waters are unique too, since they use fossil sea waters.

It is a natural salty hot spring "fossil seawater," which is 300,000 years old.

The seawater bubbles up from the source and fills the baths. 

There is also a hot spring water that is not too warm, so you can soak for a long time.

The open-air bath overlooks the Sea of Japan, and evenings are especially beautiful, when you can enjoy the changing colors of the sky.

The use of sea waters in cosmetics and to aid in healing, is called ‘Thalassotherapy,’ and the fossil seawater hot spring is rich in sodium. 

The water has excellent thermal and moisturizing properties, and it keeps you warm long after bathing. 

The open-air bath with the panoramic views of the Japan Sea was lovely, as the days are cooling off now and it is very nice to soak outdoors.

But I only soaked in the bigger pools once.

The rest of the time we got to soak in one of their private baths, which requires reservations but has no extra cost.

It was one of the rare opportunities in Japan when Jules and I could soak together and alone.

The interior of the hotel has a retro atmosphere, reminiscent of the Taisho era, which is very lovely.

The food at dinner was delicious, with a wide selection of local seafood and vegetables.

At the dinner buffet, each dish was presented on a cute little plate, making it look very elegant when laid out on the table.

Time seemed to pass by slowly, as we sipped wine in the lounge and gazed out at the Sea of Japan.

At 8 pm, there was a charming performance by a musician playing the shamisen.

The shamisen is a three stringed Japanese lute, and he also sang traditional songs, and engaged the audience by telling jokes, and by asking us to play the drums and clap to the rhythm. It was lots of fun.

Sending you love and songs,

Tali

Walked today - 16 km.  

Total walked to date - 156 km.