Just when you think that you’ve grown up enough to stop messing up things and embarrassing yourself, life comes back at you like „na-uh“, and reminds you who you really are. And that’s exactly what happened on my last trip. But, I mean, at least it kept things interesting, right? (definitely not me being overdramatic again)
So, here’s the background to the story: my Japanese friend and I decided to rent a car to go to an onsen-ryokan, traditional Japanese hotel with hot springs. For me it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance, so I just had to go.
We were supposed to meet up at the car rental, which meant that I had to take a bus to get there. Unfortunately, due to my morning baking and the fact I had to withdraw some money, because Japan is still quite cash based, I was running a bit late, so I relied on my knowledge of the bus timetable without checking it first. And that was a mistake, because, as it was school break, the timetable changed. Did I get on the wrong (on purpose) bus and walked to my destination, which ended up working just fine, since I was only about 15 minutes late? Yes. Yes, I did. Do I still feel stupid about hurrying to the bus stop only to realise my bus is not coming. Yes. Yes, I do. But that’s life. Stay humble, kids.
So, we started our journey to the ryokan… and changed our mind halfway through. The weather was nice, such a lovely winter day, so my friend suggested going to a special place to see the views. Having left Hiroshima city only once, yet longing to see more, I eagerly agreed. We travelled long and far (ish), through numerous tunnels (specifically 35, counted on the way back), only to find out the weather in our destination, surprise, surprise, is not the same as in Hiroshima. Luckily, the views were not the only selling point of this place (I’m not trying to keep it a secret, I’ve just forgotten the name). There was a cave, too! And I do love me a cave!
While I do think the caves in Slovakia are nicer, it was a very pleasant experience. And, actually, there was a special type of decoration that I don’t recall seeing anywhere else, so it was absolutely worth it. It looked like rice fields, so it fit the theme. And one more observation – it was quite warm inside. The further down we went, the warmer it got. Warmer than outside and even the outside wasn’t that cold, maybe 8°C. and I know the temperature in caves is the same all year round, but I still found it weird as it was getting warmer and warmer, the further we got.
After staying there for too long and calling our hotel we’d be a bit late (I’m starting to see a pattern here), we finally arrived. The room was amazing! Japanese style, so tatami floor and all the furniture quite low, really cool! And then the dinner! I do regret not taking a picture of what seemed to be at least a 10-course menu, since now I don’t remember everything that was included. But there was a lot of fish and seafood, who would’ve thought, right, tofu, eggs, veggies, rice and noodles. Though my favourite must be the first course (the top photo). Moreover, the staff were nice enough to alter my menu, as I didn’t feel confident enough to eat raw meat or fish. The only thing… mushrooms. I kinda absolutely despise mushrooms and we somehow forgot to inform them in advance. And I mean, I wasn’t surprised to see them, as mushrooms are a big part of Asian cuisine. But I just couldn’t force myself to eat them slimy-looking things. Or so I thought. And I felt so sneaky leaving all the mushrooms in my bowl, covering them with a lid. Until the next morning, when the lady who served us, asked whether I hated the mushrooms. Hated (嫌い)! We’re in Japan, they don’t tend to use such strong words. I felt horrible. Therefore, I ate everything that was for breakfast, including the mushrooms and even praised how delicious they were (through tears), just to make sure this lady doesn’t haunt me till the day I die. But other than that, the food was sooo good. ♥
And now, the onsen experience we’ve all been waiting for, right? Right?! If you don’t know, you have to undress… completely… before entering the bath. So, not being used to this, you can imagine how nervous I was. And on top of that, there are so many rules to follow as well. So, being a foreigner, I was worried I’d be watched by everyone. In reality, I ended up being the one watching other people to make sure I was doing the right thing. Oh well. So, what to do?
Okay, so, obviously, you have males and females separated. When you enter your corresponding area, there’s a place with lockers and baskets for you to store your yukata (ryokan style kimono) and a big towel. In the other room, there are baths and showers and you only take a little towel there, which you can use to cover yourself if you’re really shy. Once you wash yourself, you can enter the hot spring. But make sure, your small towel doesn’t touch the water. So where do you put it? Everything around you is wet, so…? Yes, on your head! (Dora the Explorer type of guessing, eh) But the best part was the outside onsen. Imagine being in hot water, your head (and possibly limbs) sticking out in the cold air. Heaven on Earth, really.
And how did we end my cultural emersion trip? Well, in a shrine, indeed! When you enter, you should wash your hands (unlike us, who completely forgot) and walk to the shrine on the side of the path, since the centre is allegedly for the Gods. When you want to pray, you should throw in a coin, bow twice, clap twice, say your prayer and bow again at the end. Though the most fun part is getting a fortune – a little sheet of paper that will tell you how (un)lucky you’ll be in the foreseeable future. I’ve done it twice so far and got very neutral results, so no tea here. Maybe next time…
So, was this trip once-in-a-lifetime thing? Hopefully not. I do wish to do it again sometime. Though, sometimes it’s the company that brings fun into experiences (though sleeping on the floor is fun as it is~).
