Trip to Manza Onsen

I took this trip  on Nov 23-25, 2013.
I know, a little late in posting.

Express from Omiya

Took an express train Omiya to Tatasaki.  Payed an extra 9 dollars for it being an express, unfortunately, all the seats were already reserved, so I got to stand, along with about 20 others the entire way (about an hour). Yeah!!!

At Tatasaki we got off and waited for a special train, Resort Yamadori to take us to Manza Onsen. This train only runs on some weekends on and off through out the year, so you need to check the schedule. Outside of most of the stations are flyers for various trains or ask at one of the many travel agents next to most of the stations.

Here is the station to get off at.


This station is the end of the line for this train. If you take a different train there is only a few more stops past this, so if you miss it you won't get too much further away.

The Seat have lots of leg room and nice big windows to
watch the scenery roll by.




Resort Yamadori train



 

This is a very nice train to ride, This trip had very few

people on board.
 

On the right is a pic of the tatami room, later on it was full of folks drinking beer and sake. Nice way to travel!

There is a play area for the kids!

  

 At both ends of the train are some nice big couches that

are right behind the engineer, and give a great view

straight out the front.

 

 

It was pretty cold when the train pulled into Manza-Kazawa. Had to wait about an hour for the bus to take everyone up the hill to the onsen. While waiting, went across the street from the station to this little coffee shop. The coffee was very good. Soon, a few of the locals came in for a chat and to play some sort of card game. This place seems to serve as the local hang out



 

Soon it was to time to go catch the bus for the ride up the mountain. The one way fare was a little over $23.00.
Here is an interesting bus stop made up of some old rope way cars. This stop is for one of the Prince Hotels

Take the bus to the end of the line, which ends in a big parking lot. Waiting there are the buses of the different hotels, so make sure you get on the right bus!

It's only a 5 min ride to the hotel from here.




The local bus is the white one with blue, red and green stripes. The Manza Onsen bus is the green one.
Yes, that's snow on the ground!!

Here is the front of the hotel. The main bath area is in the large building to the left

 

Being Christmas time there is a nice tree in the lobby.

 
 

 The room was very nice. There is a TV out of sight on the right and well as a bathroom with a nice soaking tub.

Two views looking out of the room.

 

There are a few different bath areas. The main one is right off the lobby. There is another one outside about 200 feet away and another one at the other end of the hotel. The wooden building with the tile roof is the bath.

View from the men's outside bath. The other bath is across the street from the brown building in the distance.

 

Here are views of the inside bath

The washing area. It's important to wash and rinse off before getting into the bath

More of the inside area

The tub on the right has a pipe that is about 4 feet up, which allows you to sit under it and have it massage your back/shoulders. So nice!

 

This bath is in the room at the other end of the hotel (near parking lot)

This bath alternates between men and women, so make sure you check the times before walking in and either causing screams or laughter! 

Another view of the main men's bath. There are nice views of the mountains out the windows.
The men's outside bath is right out the door on the left.

Below is the outside tub, there are 2 of them. The second one is towards the bottom of the picture.

 

 

There are some nice hiking trails that go up into the hills plus there is another outside tub on top of the nearby hill, but it was closed due to winter.

 

 

A temple is alongside the trail

 

Having a snowball fight in miniskirts. Style and fashion are always important in Japan

 

The food here is served buffet style. It's quite good, plus it's nice to eat in a large room with the other guests and chat with some of them.

View from the dining room.

 

 

 

 

The hotel cat and rabbit

 

A cute little snowman

 

Frozen lake is a 10 minute walk away.

 

This is the train that goes back to Tatasaki during the week.

Overall, I had a  very nice relaxing time here (3days, 2 nights). Spent time either soaking in one of the bathes, reading or taking a nap. It's only a little over 2 hours from Omiya (Tokyo area) The hotel has live music in the evenings on the weekends. The staff is very nice and friendly. There are a lot of trails to hike, except in the winter. The food is good and the beer is cold! This could be a nice escape from Tokyo for a weekend trip. Check train schedules for express/rapid trains from Omiya or from near wherever you are. (Duh)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy New Year everyone!! It's the year of the Horse.
I just returned from a 2 month holiday in Japan and will be updating this site later in the week.
I'm now retired and will be making more trips overseas, which means some real updates!!

Koshihikari Echigo Beer

COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION


(Translated from the Japanese on the bottle) We’ve used the delicious water and Koshihikari rice that Niigata’s nature has provided and made this in a German-style decoration mash. This is a dry beer with a crisp palate and finish.

This beer is a nice pale lager, pours with a great foamy head. Finishes clean with a nice hint of rice and hops
I buy this at my local Japanese market, not cheap at 4.75 per bottle. The store manager told me this is an "everymans" beer, especially in the country side. Next time I'm there I'll check that. I find it goes great with a steak

some grilled zucchini with some miso paste on top and grilled shishitto  (Japanese hot peppers)

If you ever get a chance to try shishito, please do. They aren't that hot, but sometimes you get a tongue burner !

You can buy them at most Asian markets and sometimes at the big chain stores. My favorite way to cook them is to skewer them and grill them on the BBQ with whatever else I'm eating. This time I just grilled them in olive oil and added dried Bonita flakes afterwards. yum yum!! See eating healthy doesn't mean cardboard taste, so might say that a nice thick steak is bad, but hey you want to live forever?

Cheers!

Ice cream donuts at Beach Cities Donuts

A nice refreshing treat for the summer weather we are having this fall. Go figure! What Beach Cities Donuts has to offer is one of their regular donuts filled with vanilla ice cream and topped with whipped cream. Totemo oiishi desu!

Gardena Ramen

Gardena Ramen is a nice little place located in, wait for it.... Gardena!

They have a very simple menu, shoyu (soy sauce) ramen and miso (soy) ramen, so for those of you who feel overwhelmed by restaurants with pages of choices, this is the place for you. This place feels like a typical noodle house in Japan, minus the haze of cigarette smoke

The menu is tacked on the wall

No need to getting glassy eyed staring at tiny print and wayyyy too many choices at some overpriced restaurant. They also serve gyoza and a few other side dishes.

This noodle house is very clean and light, in the bookshelf near the door are various manga to read, that is if you read Japanese ! The old women who runs the place is very kind and takes great care of her customers. The soup is really good, with a light taste. The noodles are not mushy and have a firm texture to them.The bowl is a good size, but if you are real hungry, you can get a bigger bowl for a dollar more. Everything about this place gives one a nice homey feel.

The pork is real tender and tasty, Oiishi desu!!

They are located in the shopping center on the southwest side of Western and 182nd in Torrance. 1840 W 182nd

Yamadaya Ramen noddle house in Torrance

A new ramen noodle house just opened down the street from me. They have a limited menu, but what they do serve is totemo oiishi desu!  Note the seedy looking bar next door. No, I haven't been inside there (yet!)

 The soup base has a great flavor. If you want a thick rich soup, order the Tonkatsu shoyu Raman.

You can also ask for fresh garlic to crush into your soup, adds great taste, plus has the bonus of keeping those pesky vampires away. Unless of course you like that sort of thing. 

Fresh garlic!

The pork is very tender and with the addition of some fresh garlic and black pepper, you've got a delicious meal with a bit of zing

They are located near the corner of Crenshaw and 182nd. Next to Burger King (why go there when for about the same price, you can get something, that has ingredients you can pronounce and your body will thank you for when you are an oldie). They have a few tables inside or you can get it to go. Go slurp some noodles and let me know what you think.

Onsen John

Update to Beach Cities Donuts

A quick update to an earlier post. Beach Cities Donuts also makes special "doggie donuts". They also provide water for your mutt. There is also a few tables outside, so you and your 4 legged friend can enjoy your goodies together. Woof woof!

They also offer oatmeal with almonds,raisins and brown sugar. A tasty way to start the day