Oli had to teach a class at a neighboring town so after the temple visit we ate some excellent curry and then took the company car. He dropped me off at near the train station and then was on his way quick because due to our curry we were a little late. And speed limits top out at 80kmh in Japan, which is about 48 mph. Its probably for the best though, because the roads are extremely skinny, curvy, and the cars are like boxes. They also have these awesome mirror things everywhere so you can see around corners and stuff. Pretty genius.
I took the train from wherever I was into Shinjuku Station which is on the west side of Tokyo. I was lucky enough to get through the station before 5pm because it is a major hub for all the commuters. So I skinned out of there quick and took a stroll around the station and found some directions on how to get up to Fukushima. I ended up taking the Shinkansen which was expensive but a good experience. They really are amazing trains, double deckers, traveling at 100mph. Comfy too.
The view as we were getting out of Tokyo was crazy. I tried to stay awake as long as possible and almost made it till we got out of the farthest suburbs but then I crashed for a while. I got up a little bit before we got into Fukushima, but it was well after sunset. So I looked at the directions I wrote down to get to the Hostel and took a city bus out to the stop where I was supposed to get off. I thought it would be a bit more evident of where the hostel was but there was just a small sign. So I walked down a harrowing and sinister looking street for 500 meters and then arrived to a beautiful garden on a hill. I walked up a road to the hostel and checked in. They put me in a tatami room which was really cool. 6 mats on the floor, a little sink, table, tv, and then a closet for the futon mattresses and bedding. The hosts spoke a little bit of English so communication was pretty good. I had a great breakfast with fresh fruit, juice, toast, and an egg served on a iron skillet on this little wooden serving platform so that the eggs stayed warm the whole meal. They offered a free ride to the local Onsen, or hot spring, and of course I took them up on it. When in Japan…
So, the onsen. Well. Let me tell you about the onsen. It is divided by gender, and the give you a little towel and a locker to put your valuables in. So I put away my money and headed down stairs with these two highschoolers from Japan that stayed at the hostel with me. When I got down stairs there was a little bathroom with some cubbies and baskets to put your clothes in. I used the bathroom and when I got out of the stall I saw people getting naked. So I followed suit. Walking into the actual onsen room was probably the manliest feeling of my life. You feel really tough sitting around in a giant hot tub with a bunch of naked old guys, grunting and such. You’re supposed to wash yourself first so there is a little stool that you sit on and then wash yourself with a bowl of water and little towel. Then you take the dip and hang out and grunt and stuff. Periodically you get up and go wash yourself again and then come back into the onsen. Theres a little rock garden that is nice to look at and its kind of in the mountains so it was misty and foggy from the morning. Overall it was awesome, though I have a comment about it.
Not knowing what the hell I was doing with the whole little cleansing ritual was awkward. And the only way to figure it out was either watching or asking old, naked Japanese men. That made me feel kind of weird. But again, it was cool, and I cant wait to go to another one.
