Day 3 - Moor Hot Springs, And Why Japan Reclaimed Lake Ogata, Once the Second Largest Lake In Japan - Hot Springs Walking Tour Of Northern Japan
Day 3 - Moor Hot Springs, And Why Japan Reclaimed Lake Ogata, Once the Second Largest Lake In Japan - Hot Springs Walking Tour Of Northern Japan
Yesterday, we packed up all our warmer clothing in a box and shipped it to a hotel that we will be staying at 10 days from now.
It was clear that the weather is still too warm to be carrying around our down jackets, warm hats and gloves.
The weather forecast calls for continued warm weather, and all I need to wear is one thin hiking shirt.
It is too hot to wear even a light second layer.
Since we were already shipping our coats forwards, we looked again at the contents of our pilgrimage packs, and decided to cut back even more, to make them a bit lighter.
I packed away my bottle of shampoo, because it is available in all the hot springs that we will be staying at, and all the other extras that we can also do without.
Now my toiletry bag is the lightest I have ever carried, and we have only one set of clothes that we are wearing, plus one extra set of clothes, a warm lined fleece, a raincoat, mini umbrellas, electronics and a front bag with our wallets, passports, phones, ear buds and a power bank to charge our phones.
We checked out of our Akita hotel, and took the train to the last train station that we had reached on our walk north.
Our plan for today was to walk from that station to our Onsen hotel, a distance of about 14 km.
The walk was on a long straight road that stretched across what was once Lake Ogata, the second largest lake in Japan.
This lake was reclaimed, as part of a massive post World War Two government project, to create more rice paddies to grow more rice.
Japan reclaimed Lake Ogata (Ogata-numa) to increase arable land for food production and to stimulate rural economic growth.
After World War II, Japan faced severe food shortages due to war damage, population pressure, and limited farmland.
The government prioritized increasing domestic food production, especially rice, which was Japan’s staple food.
Lake Ogata, a large coastal lagoon in Akita Prefecture, was seen as an ideal site to convert into rice paddies due to its shallow depth and location in a fertile region.
The plan was only partially successful.
The huge lake was filled and planted with rice, which created an oversupply which led to lower rice prices and more struggles for the farmers.
The loss of wildlife in the wetlands was a natural disaster, and some of the rice fields were subsequently converted to industrial zones, a university, local museums and residential areas.
Our hot sprigs hotel, the Hotel Sun Rural Ogata, is located on the western side of the reclaimed lake, right by the sea.
It is a modest hot springs hotel, with a very unique hot springs, serving breakfasts and delicious dinners.
Along this route, there were neither shade nor benches nor fallen tree logs to sit on.
We walked in the scorching sun for four hours without a single break.
We could hear gun shots, aimed at scaring birds away from the rice fields.
They were very loud and very scary.
We had no sidewalks to walk on, and many farmers drove trucks along the narrow road.
Midway through, a small-truck driver stopped and offered us a ride.
She said that it is a long way to the Onsen hotel and it must be difficult to walk on such a hot day, and that she would be happy to take us there.
I didn’t explain that we were on a walking pilgrimage, I simply politely declined her kind offer.
She seemed confused, but got back into her truck and drove away.
We completed the walk at about 2 pm, and checked into the hotel.
We were too late for their lunch service that was over at 2 pm.
We changed into the casual room wear the hotel provides, and I took our sweaty hiking clothes to wash in the coin laundry.
While doing our laundry, I looked in the hotel’s gift shop and bought some rice crackers to eat in the room with tea, in lieu of a lunch.
We went to soak in the public hot springs, located in the adjoining building.
There is also another hot springs bath located on the top floor of the hotel, that is only open to hotel guests.
We went to soak just before the arrival of a large group that was checking into the hotel.
Later, Jules told me that the men’s hot springs area was crowded, but it was spacious and well maintained.
There was a section of six bubbling jacuzzis that were really relaxing, and another large area of a very hot bath, that was yellow-brown in color (called a Moor bath, and relatively rare in Japan), another bath with very cold waters, and the usual sauna, washing up area, and bathrooms.
The women’s area was similarly designed.
The main attraction was the Moor hot baths, which are
yellow in color and full of minerals that are said to nourish the skin and revive natural moisture.
A Moor Onsen is a natural hot spring, unique to Ogata Village, in Akita Prefecture.
The term “moor” refers to the presence of humus (plant-derived organic matter) in the water.
“Moor” is German for humus.
The water is rich in botanical/humus content, which gives it special qualities.
The spring water originates from an ancient layer of earth sediments, about 4-5 million years ago (Tentokuji Formation mudstone / sand layers) beneath Ogata.
It comes from a depth of roughly 900 meters below the earth’s surface.
What makes it special is its unique characteristics.
The water is yellowish-brown, almost amber in color, due to the humus and organic plant materials.
Because of the humus (plant-matter) content, the onsen is thought to be very moisturizing and gentle on skin, with effects similar to “face lotion”or natural skin care.
It is sometimes referred to as “the water of beautiful skin.”
It is not a volcanic hot springs in origin, which is somewhat unusual among Japanese hot springs.
The heat source is deep underground, but the defining feature is the organic humus content of millions of years of plants decaying, rather than volcanic minerals.
We finished soaking in the Onsen with plenty of time for our 6:30 pm dinner.
The dinner was not a buffet, but a multi-course Kaiseki meal feast, a real treat.
The dishes were artistically crafted featuring local ingredients like locally sourced vegetables and fish, Ogata grown rice and tofu.
Tomorrow, we need to catch the early morning 7:30am bus, to return to Akita, to straighten out another problem with our IC cards, which again were not accepted when we got out of the train in a local station.
These train lines do not always accept IC cards, and now ours are locked and unusable.
It is the second time this has happened to us within this first week, and so, after we unlock the cards, we will not use them again on these rural trains.
Sending you love and blessings,
Tali
Walk today - 14 km.
Total walked to date - 58 km.
