Kinugawa Onsen

We all paid a brief visit to Kinugawa Onsen and stayed overnight at the Mikazuki Hotel. The principal reason for our visit was to take an onsen and let the waters do their magic.

The hotel was nice, although the room was slightly disappointing. It generally felt a bit Butlinesque as it was clearly designed to cater for the masses. And masses there were....oh the humanity! Humpf....not exactly the laid back break I had imagined, but nice nonetheless.

In no particular order, the highlights of our brief trip were:

• The hotel's chocolate fountain to which Clara made several visits due to her sweet tooth.
• The onsen - nice and not too busy.
• The walk over a suspension bridge to a pinnacle overlooking the area.
• The boat trip which we took down the river.

Ok, Actually, when I come to think of it, the boat trip was definately the highlight of the visit. The peace and tranquility of our 30 minutes glide down the Kinugawa River was soothing to a soul at odds with the Tokyo urban nightmare. Even just a small taste of the countryside was enough and an added bonus was that the town planning mess and decay called Kinugawa Town was hidden from view by the high valley sides. The gentle breeze and blue skies contributed to a feeling of contentment. I may have to change career and gain employment as a boatman on the Kinugawa River - it was that nice.

On the way back to Tokyo, I snoozed in the car trying to catch up on sleep which I had lost over the previous week. I was feeling really tired as I had only slept about 12 hours over a 4 day period - I won't go into details.... Around lunchtime on our drive back to Tokyo, Yuki's brother suggested we stop off at a restaurant which only sells gyoza - Japanese dumpling. Very satisfying, although a cold beer would also have been appreciated to help wash the food down.

A good weekend, if not a great one. However, it is always nice to experience something different. Until the next time.