ONLY in JAPAN
Japanese Onsen
This really is a reason to visit Japan having this pool of cold air surrounding you and then
Submerging into this warm almost hot water between fall, winter and spring. There's no other feeling in the world like it
It's truly an only in Japan experience now
It's a reason to travel around Japan the entire country, but I'm in Fukushima this time to introduce some of their wonderful Onsen
We're gonna be hitting some of the best Onsen around
Fukushima is located in the Tohoku region a few hours north of Tokyo
It's Japan's third-largest Prefecture stretching from the sea to the mountains and the plains beyond in
This episode we'll cross the entire prefecture soaking in over a dozen baths
But let's start here at the Pacific Ocean in "Iwaki" city, a place I used to live in almost 20 years ago
Iwaki is a peaceful seaside town where you'll find "Yumoto Onsen" and
The "Sahako-no-Yu" public bathhouse. It has a very unique look with various shapes and angles
Because this is a public bathhouse
Anyone can stop in for a bath at a reasonable 230 yen,
about $2 the baths are separated by sex all with natural hot spring water
My favorite bath is made of wood and has a very high ceiling
"Sahako-no-Yu" is majestic inside and
For those who want a little more privacy. There is a private bath. You can reserve
The walls are all wood the baths smaller, but inviting
Oh! this is hot this is really hot oh
Okay oh
It's slow
You'll learn fast locals like it really hot. It's not uncommon for temperatures to be as high as 50 degrees Celsius
The first,
The second is a little bit comfortablle, but
It used to
Ah, a little bit better
Yumoto Onsen has hot water everywhere
I spent the night at "Shintsuta"
a spacious Ryokan on with the traditional flair to it
The indoor baths are nice especially in autumn when the leaves turn
But it gets a whole lot better outside
This is a Konyoku-bath, meaning men and women can bathe near together enjoying the fresh air and lovely views of the surrounding nature
Two friends joined me on this trip "Miya", and "Shige" and our first stop was at Onsen shrine
The perfect place to pray for a good Onsen hopping trip
The trip from lwaki took us a couple hours northwest to Mt. Bandai area
This is "Hana-no-Yu", a massive Ryokan popular for groups
It had a unique mix of bath style starting with this the standing bath, it's 140 centimeters' high
Onsen at night is one of the benefits of staying at the Ryokan
You usually have access late into the night sometimes getting the whole bath to yourself
Each bath has a different temperature and surrounding this large barrel much brighter than the other areas
It can fit three or four
Don't worry these are limited to one bather at a time
The end is a long bath where you can find a corner and soak yourself into the rocks around you
Or wander over into this grotto looking space if there was a table you could have dinner here, but let's stay serious
It's a bath a really big one that can accommodate a society of bathers
From autumn to winter
This area around Mt. Bandai is famous for ski resorts and every skier wants to soak in a bath after hitting the slopes
This is "Atsushio Onsen"
"Yamagataya" Ryokan is a place with a really nice bath here
While me a dipper thing on the other side Shige and I went in for a long soak in the big bath
The natural light streaming in gives the bath a lot of character, it's easy to relax here listen to the running water
Or you can get up and go to the outside, but do it quickly because it's chilly out there
When you get tired of sitting in one bath for too long it's nice to move around getting another view
Charcoal is famous in this area and Yamagataya has a warm chillax room in the basement complete with crickets for a post bath nap
Not far away is the ultra friendly "Kawachi" inn
The bath here was top-notch
There's a beautifully illuminated outdoor bath, but it's the water here. That's the real attraction
Yah, feeling very good, aren't you?
It's the perfect weather for Onsen the air is cool
You can see all the steam rising from this super hot water which is great for the body
this is Kawachi Ryokan, "Yanaizu Onsen" and
This water is really special really a sacred the water flows from Enzoji temple, which has a history stretching past
1200 years
It does feel as magical as it looks
It's one reason the bath looks like it was sent down from the heavens
This is "Dake Onsen" in Onsen town with several wonderful Ryokans for a relaxing stay a stream flows right through the center of it
"Hanakanzashi" is one of the most popular places to stay because it has spacious traditional rooms with a private Onsen baths
Real luxury Dake Onsens' natural hot spring water is a milky white from the minerals in it
In the shared bath open to all in a free-flowing sake barrel where bathers can help themselves
It's in the bath like this one that I feel the traditional touch of Japanese culture
Far from the city center in Tokyo it's a place where urban dwellers can escape for the complete and absolute relaxation
As the snow came down we pulled into "Tamago-Yu" at "Takayu Onsen"?
The old bathhouse has a lot of character to it the milky water giving it part of its name
So this is "Takayu Onsen". In this, bath
and Ryokan is "Tamago-Yu"
Tamago means egg in Japanese and you might be wondering why they call this the egg bath
It's because
After sitting in this bath for some time your skin starts to take on the consistency the feeling the smoothness of an egg
we can get slippy feeling of a skin surface, can't we?
Yeah, we say smoothness in Japanese is "Tsuru-tsuru". Tamago-Yu is also famous for having that sulphuric egg smell
People have been coming here for a retreat since the 1870s. One of the many famous Onsen towns in Japan
If Shige and I stay here too long
We'll turn in to eggs ourselves so we decided to make a run for it to the other bath nearby
It's cold outside
This bath faces the river between the mountains and the bath has that super hot water protect you from the sub-zero temperatures outside
You can see the minerals clearly here like ash after an eruption
The water source is treated as a holy place a tribute to the gods for bringing such beautiful water to us
You can see it bubbling up naturally from the ground
Here at the origin the minerals are quite deep
This is "Tsuchiyu Onsen". A scenic Onsen town that is just perfect when the snow is falling
Hotel Sansuiso is located right next to the scenic emerald colored hot spring waterfall
And you get an amazing view of it from the back
Although the water is a little hotter than what I'm used to. The bath has one of the most relaxing
Views and atmospheres I've ever been in thanks to that rushing water at the Falls a hundred metres away
What makes the Fukushima Onsen experience so amazing it's this bath
It's sitting and soaking for 10 or 15 minutes and looking at the beautiful views that
Leaves the biggest impression on me because you kind of forget everything out in the outside world all the things that you
were stressed out about you forget for this time period where you're soaking in the bath, and
I think Japanese people also enjoy this about the Onsen. It's just an escape
It's the perfect escape and it helps you physically, mentally, spiritually
There's not a part of the body that I don't think it helps coming to an Onsen
It's the ultimate Japanese experience in my almost 20 years of living in Japan. It's the Onsen that Ryokan
the total experience that I remember the most
"Iizuka Onsen" is a lot different from Tsuchiyu Onsen
Gone is the snow in the sounds of rushing water a stunning looking building that is open to the public
One of the biggest attractions for locals can be seen as notorious for outsiders
Yeah
I heard about this a lot of the people who live in this area they they prefer the hot water and if it's not hot
Enough they complain so the bath is usually at a ridiculous
51 degrees Celsius one of the hottest baths in Japan actually
Slightly
Uncomfortable
Although it's stunning inside a lightweight can't stand the heat for more than a few minutes at a time
In Aizu Wakamatsu nearing the end of our onsen tour is "Higashiyama Onsen"
Ryokan "Harataki" has an amazing outdoor bath that changes with the four seasons
It's also one of the many hangouts from my 30 centimeter tall Samurai friend, Wakamatsu
If there was ever an Onsen Jedi Master it would be Wakamatsu
Namuamidabutsu
Daub-San, nice to be to join me
You may have noticed the energy from the water falling around you
It's this force of nature that brings me here time and time again
What Wakamat-San says really makes sense?
Onsen can be a great place to meditate
It can be so peaceful one may even fall asleep
Fall asleep
"Ashinomaki Onsen" is south of Aizu- Wakamatsu in the mountains
"Okawaso" is an incredible Ryokan, and I've come with my friend Gawk just soak it up
Okawaso is up on the hilltop overlooking the river and the bath has a fantastic view
The distant sound of the river is a nice contrast to the Onsen that are right next to waterfalls
"Toryukan" at "Yunokami Onsen" has become one of my favorite places to stay
From the long family history of the end to the amazing rooms and baths. It's an easy stop for me on this tour
The reason why our family has started this Ryokan was
The predecessor drew water from the river flowing far below our original hut
and increased and improved the size and quality of Ryokan since then
The thing with Toryukan is that the rooms are so comfortable with their own private Onsen bath
There's little reason to even leave your room
Minami Aizu is pristine nature, and it's easy to see what makes this the ideal Onsen stop
So we traveled all the way from the Iwaki on the coast to the mountains and Bandai and now we're at
Minami Aizu
And the great thing about Japanese Onsen is that it takes you out of the city and brings you to a place like this?
Iwa-Furo is quite casual bathers here on the honor system to pay the 200 yen, or $2.00 entrance fee
The bath is Konyaku (mixed bathing) if the bathers are okay with it women can enter
No trip to Japan is complete without a stop at at Ryokan for a night, or a good long soak at a scenic Onsen
Fukushima has some of the best Onsen in Japan and being a short trip from Tokyo
It's an ideal getaway for Tokyoites like me or any visitor that simply wants an adventure that will leave you feeling younger
smoother and definitely a lot cleaner