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For the three-day weekend in early November I went on a road trip to Kyushu to hike and camp around Mt. Aso. In addition to hiking, we found ourselves onsening ALL the time. I had attempted to go to Mt. Aso and hike (I have a minor obsession with hiking) when I first got to Japan, yet came to a dead end because it is very hard to reach without a car. Don't worry to those that know me, I have no desire in my entire life to drive in Japan- I hate doing it in America! Since last year I was still trying to find a way to get to Aso. Fortunately my friend Nikki was as eager as I was to get to Aso, and alas, can drive a car- next thing I knew we were planning a road trip to Aso.

Submerged in the waters from Hell

Casey Lary
2007-03-10 16:58:47

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the extra special onsen: inside the onsen it was all caves! It was called Shimmei-kan. That was absolutely crazy. We were told there was an outdoor pool that was coed. Lisa, Hannah, and I said what the hell, lets go for it- we only live once. We wrapped our towels around us and headed for the outdoor pool, and once at the door was told that this specific day it was for boys only. What! We did go into the other indoor one which was coed. I went to a coed onsen! I think the Japanese boys were just as surprised to see us as we were to see them! It was crazy! Definitely an experience I won't forget!

That night for dinner Eric and Ahmed cooked us Nabe as the rest of us girls sat drinking and staying warm under our futons. Later that night we went into our little Fantasy sento with a few glasses of wine. Fantasy Forest was working out pretty well! Just like at summer camp, boys and girls camp decided to play some tricks on each other :-)

Beppu

We woke up early and headed west to the coastal town Beppu, famous for its, you guessed it, onsens. It seems as if Kyushu itself is just one big onsen. Yet these onsens were a new experience for all of us. We went to the one recommended in the book called Takegawara. This onsen is famous for burying you in black sand that has been soaked in hot spring water. We all got decked out in our super cool yukatas, and entered the onsen chamber. They had body-length holes for us to lie in. Once positioned the ladies started to pile piping hot sand on us. We were so enthralled by this new procedure! Once buried up to our neck in sand, we were left to sleep and relax. The hot spring water is supposed to be good for your skin. What it actually does, I am not sure! It was an interesting feeling. I actually felt very secure when originally I thought I might get claustrophobic. I soon found myself dozing off. To think, I used to let my brother bury me in the sand for fun and for free. After 15 minutes we break free of the sand (we make it look so dramatic in the photos!) and were off to the showers. This was the 4th onsen of the weekend. Onsens and waters from below aka "Hell" were a constant theme of the weekend. Needless to say, my skin was a little dry and I was a bit onsened-out.

Post Beppu onsen, we headed back to Hiroshima. Sachi was much better on the way home. While driving along the cost of Kyushu, we entered the town Usa. They have a huge sign when you enter staying "Welcome to USA." It was like I was coming home! Before I said anything Nikki was turning the car around so I could snap a photo. We arrived back in Hiroshima by 7 pm.

It was another incredible weekend, full of hiking, and a whole lot of hot springs. I highly recommend others make the trek to Beppu to Aso and Beppu to check it out.

And for fun, I have a list of my three favorite quotes from the weekend.

"We are going to Kyushu?" Ahmed, an hour into the trip

"It's kinda like Angelina Jolie's kids, you never know which country the next one is going to come from" -Larissa with respect to boys

"Uh oh Casey you aren't going to like these rock cakes- they are muffins with raisins!" Lisa and no you aren't supposed to get it!