Essay

The winter spa

By Peter Skov

There's a man I know in Nagano who once took me to his favorite onsen after we had climbed Mount Azuma. He told me then that he was thankful to have been born Japanese so that he could enjoy hot spring spas. Though I enjoyed the occasional visit to an onsen, I couldn't honestly share his level of enthusiasm. Still, I have come to appreciate a nice relaxing soak in bubbling hot water after a hike, and my most memorable spa experiences have always been in winter.

The first time was eight years ago. A pen pal of mine invited me for a drive around Mount Akagi in Gunma. It was a typical blustery Akagi winter day and the first snowfall had already left the trees standing like sketches on an unfinished canvas. It was below zero for certain and the wind sent the cold right through my jacket and sweater. I felt as though my bones were chilling me from the inside out!

After enjoying a walk around the wetland on Mount Akagi, he took me to an onsen somewhere on the Akagi mountainside. The location was great. In the outdoor bath we sat with a view over to Mount Haruna and Mount Myogi. We were up high enough that we looked over the haze covering the city, glaring white in the late afternoon sun. The chill wind was still slapping at my face, but on this side of the mountain it was weaker. With hot water up to my neck, I felt the wind had lost its aggressiveness and I could enjoy the cool feeling on my cheeks each time it buffeted my skin.

My next winter onsen experience was when I visited Kawayu Onsen in Hokkaido. It was February and the evening temperatures were around minus 12 degrees. Diamond dust drifted through the air and glittered in the artificial lights of the town like stars in a miniature galaxy. I had spent the last light of the day photographing the sulphur crystal-encrusted fumaroles around the nearby mountain, Mount Iou, and my toes and fingers were like icicles. Trembling, I crept outside in the buff to the outdoor bath. But, oh, how lovely that hot water was! I soaked up the heat until I could place my hand on an ice-coated rock and leave an imprint without even feeling the cold. When I finally left the bath, I strutted back to the door in minus 12 degrees, carefree!

I have had other very pleasurable hot spring spa experiences in Japan. But the best ones are the winter ones, especially after a day of hiking around in snow and bone-chilling winds.

Shukan ST: Jan. 18, 2008

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