Onsen John: Trip to Kyushu Day1

Friday, October 17, 2014

Trip to Kyushu Day1

Flew down to Fukuoka in Kyushu from Tokyo to spend a few days seeing the countryside and ride some interesting trains. After arriving at the airport, took a train down to Hakata and had Hakata Ramen, which is one of my favorites.

Had a few hours to wait for my train down to Kumamoto, so I wandered around the station area. There were a whole lot of Doremon figures around the station forecourt.

It was quiet a surprise to see them all! There were lots of kids going bananas seeing them all. The station also had a flower/garden show going on, plus a beer area. Stations seem to act as a community center for many towns and cities, always something going on, plus so many people pass through stations it makes it a logical place to hold such activities.

My Pack (from Duluth Pack) and fish. This is pretty much all I take when I travel, I like to travel light. I also take my computer bag, also from Duluth Pack. They make a very nice product that holds up well to the stress and abuse of traveling. (shameless plug http://duluthpack.com) I have no monetary interest in them, I just think it's a great product.

Right, back to my travels.

Took the shinkansen to Kumamoto. I think it was only 30 min or so to get there.

The train is very smooth and quiet, a very nice way to get around.

Checked into the hotel (New Otani) in Kumamoto, had a very nice room They upgraded me to a suite for no extra charge. The hotel is right next to the station and it's also next to the trolley and tour bus stops.

After getting settled in, went to Kumamoto castle for the rest of the afternoon.

Kumamoto Castle is very nice. A lot of it has been restored and one really gets the

feeling of life in feudal Japan

Here are some pics of the interior

Make sure you walk to the top of the tower, it has a great view of the area.

I love these trees !

Be prepared to spend a good 4-5 hours here as there is a lot to see. Took the bus back to the hotel and had a light dinner and was asleep pretty quick. Nothing like a day of air, train and travel by foot to wear one out. More on day 2 in the next posting

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About this blog

This blog is to document my travels to variuos onsen (hotsprings) in Japan. I will also ramble on about different Japanese resturants I've been to in Southern California in the LA area and in Japan.

An onsen (温泉, onsen) is a Japanese hot spring. Many springs are developed, having an associated outdoor bath (rotenburo (露天風呂, rotenburo) or notenburo (野天風呂, notenburo)) and/or indoor bath. Baths may be either public run by a municipality or private (uchiyu (内湯, uchiyu)) often run by a local inn (ryokan (旅館, ryokan)) or B&B (minshuku (民宿, minshuku)).

Onsens are often found out in the countryside, and are a major tourist attraction drawing Japanese couples, families or company groups who want to get away from the hectic life of the city to relax. Japanese often talk of the virtues of 'naked communion' (裸の付き合い, hadaka no tsukiai)) for breaking down barriers and getting to know people in the relaxed homey atmosphere of an onsen inn. The presence of an onsen is often indicated on signs and maps by the symbol ♨ or the Chinese character 湯 (for hot water).

People often travel to onsen with work colleagues, as the relaxed and open atmosphere helps to break down some of the hierarchical stiffness inherent in Japanese work life. However, most visitors to onsen are not work groups but friends, couples and families. It is not unusual to see a father or mother introducing a small child to the onsen for the first time. Very small children of either gender up to about 10 years old can often be seen in both male and female baths. Mixed-gender bathing is a tradition that persists at onsen in the more rural areas of Japan, although these days there is usually a separate bath for women only in addition to the mixed bath, or a time period designated for female-only bathing.

Onsen etiquette

Ensuring Cleanliness

At an onsen, as at a sento, guests are expected to wash their bodies and rinse themselves thoroughly before entering the hot water. The indoor baths have faucets with removable shower heads and little stools to sit on, for showering and shampooing.

Swimsuits

Many traditional onsen out in the countryside have rules forbidding wearing swimsuits into the bath, saying that these make it harder to clean. Some modern onsen in larger towns though have more of a waterpark atmosphere, and actively encourage the use of swimsuits, especially in their mixed baths.

Towels

Onsen guests generally bring a small towel with them to use as a washcloth. The towel can also provide a modicum of modesty when walking between the washing area and the baths. Some onsen allow one to wear the towel into the baths, while others have posted signs prohibiting this, saying that it makes it harder to clean the bath. In this latter case, people normally set their towels off to the side of the water when enjoying the baths. However, some people place their folded towels on top of their heads.