Today, we went to Noboribetsu Onsen, one of Hokkaido's most famous hot springs areas. Noboribetsu is within the Shikotsu-Toya National Park, and means "a cloudy river tinged with white" in the Ainu language, referring to the large sulphur deposits nearby. It is important to note that we are not traveling in their peak season, unless you want to go skiing... We were the only non-Japanese people we saw almost the entire time we were in Hokkaido and we loved it that way.
Before indulging in the thermal baths, we needed to explore the area. Because the area is known as Hell's Valley (for obvious reasons), there are tons of devilish statues everywhere. It was like a scavenger-hunt to "collect all 8."
We found ourselves in the gift shops (to see the arts & crafts AND get warm), and I ended up buying this awesome carving of an owl (significant god in the Ainu culture). We enjoyed looking at all the carvings; it was especially fun because so many of them found a place in my mom and dad's house. I never really knew where all mom and dad's carvings came from. I just assumed they were from Alaska, but neigh, it was from the very island we found ourselves. Pretty cool.
We then ventured into the woods along hot springs and thermals. There seemed to be steam rising everywhere. It was pretty cold, but it felt great to be the only ones walking around in the snowy woods. Eventually, we found ourselves in a hot spring labeled "footbath." This warm waterfall was perfect to warm our frozen hands. It was so sad when we actually had to take our hands out of the water. =o)
When we got back, we decided it was time to see what this whole public bath thing is about. We went to the Daiichi Takimotokan hotel which has 20 different hot spring baths, which was also the one that everyone recommended. First, the men and women are separated into their own bathing areas. You walk in with slippers, undress and bring a small towel into the steaming bath area. Before going into the pools, you need to wash. This is not a normal rinse before jumping into the pool. First, you poor water over you from a bucket, then you sit down at a boudior complete with bucket, shower nozzle, seat, shampoo, conditioner, and soap. And you scrub! Washing seems to be just as much a part of the experiance as the baths! Then you are ready to slip into a warm pool or two. And that little towel that you brought? You put it on top of your head when you are in the bath. I could hardly see anything with all the steam and I loved it! After the baths, they had more (dryer) boudiors complete with lotions and potions to primp with before leaving. The whole experiance was so relaxing, and we both came out with this warm, dreamy look about ourselves.
Warm or cold, this day was wonderful!
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