Traditional-style Japanese spas and their inn show the essence of Japanese culture.

Japanese love bathing in hot springs, called onsen. It’s a traditional-style Japanese spa and means hot springs and surrounding inns (ryokan) with bathing facilities at the same time. Onsens help you relax and heal your body, and are said to have various medical effects.

This Spring I stayed at Iya Onsen in Shikoku. Pix are the breakfast and open-air onsen at the ryokan I stayed. pic.twitter.com/0OjFi1Wc1s

— Tokyonobo (@Tokyonobo) 2016年10月18日

 

And many of them have an outdoor bath. You can relax in the open air and may feel the oneness with the nature. From ancient times we have enjoyed hot springs in that way because Japan has many volcanoes, and so there have been may hot springs across the country.

The open-air bath (onsen) of the hotel we stayed at Cape Ashizuri offered splendid view of the Pacific Ocean. pic.twitter.com/sPPFFQPeMw

— Tokyonobo (@Tokyonobo) 2016年5月23日

Almost all Japanese like hot springs, especially roten-borus or outdoor hot springs. We enjoy nature deeply in them. pic.twitter.com/iNqrCVykNf

— Tokyonobo (@Tokyonobo) 2015年10月29日

 

Most spas are public baths and we bathe naked. When you enter the bath, usually you will see a washing area with stools and maybe a shower. Use the shower or the basins near the stools to wash yourself. When you are clean, you can go in and enjoy the splendid hot spring.

 

 

In onsen-ryokan (inn), you can find the essence of Japanese culture. You can enjoy Japan itself there; omotenashi (Japanese hospitality), Japanese food, its beautiful nature and its bathing style.

 

Dōgo Onsen has a history stretching back over 1,000 years. And Dogo Onsen Honkan (pix) is the symbol of it. pic.twitter.com/LbmPmbR39J

— Tokyonobo (@Tokyonobo) 2016年4月9日

Kusatsu Onsen is one of the most famous spa resorts. These are pix you can enjoy the atmosphere of onsen-town. pic.twitter.com/11kfXzlSFS

— Tokyonobo (@Tokyonobo) 2016年6月13日

 

Japanese bathroom has a separate area for washing. A family shares the same water in the bathtub, so we try to keep the bathtub water clean.

 

 

The bathroom of my house. It’s very ordinary one for Japanese modern house. We wash our body outside the tub and warm our body in the tub. pic.twitter.com/IluNdZAUZw

— Tokyonobo (@Tokyonobo) 2017年1月20日

 The bathroom is not only a place to clean our body, but also to restore our energy for the next day. Soaking in bathtub for minutes is so relaxing. Japanese style bathing facilitate blood circulation and metabolism.

 
I think for Japanese taking a bath at home means quasi experience of being in onsen. Therefor there's such kind of bathing powders. Why do people live longer in Japan? I think one of the secrets is in the way we take a bath, soaking in hot water for a while and relaxed!!

One of the pleasures of staying at Japanes-style inn is the Japanese cuisine served there.

One of the pleasures of staying at ryokan (Japanese-style inn) is the meal served there.

 You can enjoy genuine Japanese cuisine for dinner and breakfast. Meals are usually served in the guest room, and they are usually with seasonal ingredients or local specialties.
 

 

 

 Typical ryokan’s breakfast is fermented soybeans, toasted laver, pickled vegetables, raw egg, rice, miso soup, and dried fish.

 

 

 

Eggs are uncracked or already-cracked in a small bowl called "katakuchi." In Japan raw eggs are completely safe to eat. Please try them with soy sauce. I assure you they are yummy.


raw egg



soft-boiled egg

Anyway Japanese food is said to be good for health. and what’s more delicious.

I recommend Japanese-style inn with “tatami” mats. Enjoy traditional Japanese room's atmosphere.

If you visit Japan, I recommend that you stay at least once at a “ryokan”, or Japanese-style inn with guest rooms with “tatami” mats. Tatami is made from rush straw; one mat measures 6×3 feet.

 You will find in your room a “tokonoma” (an alcove in the guest room), “fusuma” (a set of sliding doors), “shoji” (sliding screens covered with white Japanese paper on thin wood laths admitting a soft diffused outside light to the room).

 

 Namely you can enjoy traditional Japanese-style room at ryokan.

 

 

 And you can enjoy seasonal and local specialties for dinner and breakfast.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, ryokan has a large communal bath for both men and women separately.

 

 

 

You will find the essence of Japanese hospitality called “omotenashi” at ryokan.

 

 

 

Clear stream Shimanto River

Clear stream Shimanto River is located in southern-west part of Shikoku Island. This is the most beautiful river in Japan. It is overflowing with nature, and surely worth visiting. My son lives around here.

 

Since the river doesn’t have any dams, it’s sometimes referred to as "the last clear stream of Japan". Fishing and production of nori is a thriving industry along the river. It has been named one of the "Three Clear-Flowing Rivers in Japan", along with the Nagara River in Gifu Prefecture and the Kakita River in Shizuoka Prefecture.

 

 

 

 

I took these pictures at a kaiten (conveyor belt) sushi restaurant I used to enjoy sushi so often. The name of the restaurant is Misaki-ko (海鮮三崎港 北千住東武) and is located in the precinct of Tobo Kitasenju station east of Tokyo.

 
Generally at these restaurants sushi is made by a chef in front of you. If you don't find your favorite one on the conveyor you can order it.
 

Empty trays in right corner are ones I've finished (the second picture). The color of each tray shows each price. I pay according to them.

I don't recommend kaiten sushi that's ordered by computer and made almost by machine, but I recommend one served by chef in front of you.

 

 

 

 

Shiodome adjacent to Shinbashi station in Tokyo is one of the new tourist attractions along with Odaiba. You can see a big automaton clock on the wall of the building of Nippon Television called “Nittele Tower”. If you are a Gibli anime fan, you’ll be able to enjoy much more this big clock designed by Miyazaki Hayao. It's truly a GHIBLI’s world.

 

 

Maybe you Know Captain Tsubasa, it is a very popular manga and animation. It was originally created by Yōichi Takahashi.

And he was born and raised in Yotsugi, the same town I was born, raised and now I live in. Takahashi is many years my junior in primary school and junior high school.

So there are many small statues of characters of Captain Tsubasa in my town.

The photo is the one of Kojiro Hyuga.

  

 

 

 

At first let me introduce myself. I’m Noboru Ishii, and it is written in kanji like 石井登. It literally means “climbing a stone well”. I am a teacher at a junior college near Shinjuku.

I live in Katsushika-ku, Tokyo. Katsushika-ku is on the east side of Tokyo. It’s located between Arakawa River and Edogawa River. The Arakawa River is one of the principal rivers flowing through Tokyo. It's only 5 minutes' walk from my house.

 

The nearest station from my house is Yotsugi on the Keisei Oshiage Line. And it is only 3 minutes' walk from my house. So it is really convenient for me to commute to the collage every day. My house is very close to a small park. The photo is a view from the park. The tower is SkyTree. The brown house is mine.