Kusatsu Onsen, the thermal town where time has stopped.
If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to be suspended in time, like in a Miyazaki movie or in a postcard from the past, then you can find yourself living that exact feeling if you ever visit Kusatsu Onsen.
This small town, nested in the mountains of the Gunma Prefecture, will let you breathe and immerse yourself in what feels like authentic Japan from another time.
For us, the feeling was especially strong, having spent a couple of days in Tokyo before going there.
From the chaos of the city, bustling with people, sounds and lights at all hours, with just a couple of hours of train, we found ourselves in one of the most important Onsen cities of the whole country.
Here the thermal springs shape the city and the activities of the people, rhythmed by the thumping sound of wooden planks, used by the women of the town to cool down the spring water, chanting “Choina Choina”.
The smell of sulfur is pretty strong and pervades the air, and feeling the warm vapours was really nice since the weather was not the best.
We arrived directly from Shibukawa with our little rental kei car, under a pouring rain that made the arrival at the hotel hall even more comfortable.
First thing we did was explore the town walking around the Yubatake, the main spring right in the middle of the city center. Here the spring water is channelled through wooden slides, that not only bring it to the various public and private baths around town, but also help cool it down.
One of the most important aspects of Kusatsu is that thanks to this ingenious mechanism, the water is not mixed with normal water, so its thermal properties remain pure and intense.
We also decided to try the famous Onsen Tamago, basically a hard-boiled egg, cooked using thermal water. There was a little shop selling Gunma specialties and the Onsen Tamagos were packed in a small plastic bowl together with a spoon and a sauce. Pretty handy, if you manage to crack the egg open properly ;)
After the walk and the snack it was finally time for the onsen bath (we had booked it previously at the reception).
We decided to stay at the Urakusatsu Tou hotel, offering not only a very practical location right in the city center (just a few steps away from the Yubatake), but it also features various private onsen baths, very much appreciated, even though not strictly traditional. This way we could enjoy the onsen experience together, since the public baths are divided by gender.
The hotel room was one of the most beautiful we’ve stayed in, very spacious, with tatami mats and a beautiful view on the forest.
The bathroom on the ground floor of the hotel was really spacious and it had both a shower and a big stone bath tub, where we both could fit comfortably.
The spring water was actually pretty hot, but thankfully there was also a regular tap with cold water, if you want to cool it down a bit.
It was a super relaxing experience, especially on that rainy day, even if we came out of it almost as boiled as the eggs ahah
After the bath, it was already time for dinner.
Be aware, that in Japan (especially outside of the big cities, but often also there) the restaurants close pretty early, many by 10 pm, some even by 9:30.
We headed once again to the Yubatake, and after browsing a bit around we picked a restaurant specialized in Kamameshi, riced cooked in an iron pot, with all sorts of topping, from meat to fish, vegetables or mushrooms.
It was nothing short of delicious! And paired with a local sake, it tasted even better.
I highly recommend trying it, if you get the chance :)
After dinner, since the rain had stopped, we noticed many people walking around in their yukatas, the japanese traditional house clothing and slippers. This is very typical of onsen towns, where hotels offer you these clothes during your stay, but you can wear them also outside of the building.
We didn’t want to miss the chance of living such a unique experience, so we headed straight to the hotel and changed into our yukatas, just to go back to the Yubatake right afterwards!
Sorrounding the main pool, you not only find taps where you can wash your hands in the warm thermal water, but there are also multiple public foot baths. We soaked our feet in the hot spring water and i must tell you, during a chilly evening, that was the best feeling ever!
The first day is over, but there is still plenty to do! Coming soon the post about the second half of this trip to beautiful Kusatsu Onsen, stay tuned! :)