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

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Matane