I'm now in Beppu, one of the happiest cities in Japan. The reason for its happiness is clear; it has a great gift from the Earth, hot springs. We can see quite a few hot springs in and around the city and we can enjoy public baths deployed as many as Starbucks in Vancouver for the lower price than a cup of coffee. I arrived at this city the day before yesterday and I have enjoyed bathing more than ten times in two days. It's a little bit tough but extremely relaxing. I heard that they had wanted to send one of their daughters to this city as bribes because they can often visit to enjoy its hot springs. This picture is one of the most traditional public baths. It might look dirty, but it is actually clean. The reddish color on the surface of the wall and the bathtub is stain created from the iron content of hot springs. A lot of people including me had a happy time bathing in and around the bathtub. Anyway, before taking this picture, I asked permission for the people in the bathroom and they comfortably allowed me.
I will go to Yufuin hot springs near Beppu next week. I also visit Ibusuki, a sand bathing spot in kagoshima. For us Japanese, travalling is bathing, isn't it?
Posted by: wawasan | February 16, 2008 at 04:10 PM