Onsen (温泉)

In my two years of stay in Japan, I have developed a vice of going to onsen (hot spring baths/public bath houses). Yes, I love going to onsen and I go there almost every weekend. Yes, you might have an idea already of a public bath house so it means being naked and sharing the bath facilities and the tub water with lots of people!

Onsen waters are geothermally heated and usually contains dissolved minerals which are said to heal some injuries or illnesses, and many say it does wonder to your skin! Mainly though, the purpose of onsen is for physical and mental relaxation. Personally, I go to onsen because of all the said benefits as well as I believe the hot spring baths does wonders to blood circulation (I have irregular menstruation..errr should I be saying this at all?…and going to onsen helps my cycle to be regular), improve body metabolism (alternative for dieting! haha), and a skin therapy.

I have been lucky to live just a kilometre away from the oldest onsen in Japan, the Dogo Onsen in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture. It has an impressive history of 3,000 years! The main building (see below’s picture) is a national important cultural property. You can read about Dogo onsen in its official website www.dogo.or.jp/pc/honkan/index_eng.htm

 

The cost of taking a bath in Dogo Onsen is 400yen (Kaminoyu, Lower floor fee). kaminoyu second floor fee of 800yen will have you wear Japanese summer kimono called yukata, and drink Japanese tea and eat rice crackers. There are other options for you to enjoy your experience in Dogo Onsen (see above website).

 

 

As Dogo Onsen is usually crowded (as expected) with tourists, I just go here once in two months. I mostly go to  another onsen house called Tsubaki no yu. Literally, it means Camellia water. Camellia is Matsuyama City’s official flower. Tsubaki no yu is right next to Dogo Onsen and offers the same source of hot spring water. The cost of taking a bath is 360yen and you have to pay 10yen for the use of a locker space. It has a larger area for lockers and changing as well as bathing space. Tsubaki no yu is more of a local community’s onsen so it’s usual to hear many obaasan (aunt) and obaachan (grandmothers) say hello and chitchat with each other.

 

Irohaya Bakeshop

Last week, my Japanese culture teacher recommended us to try the bread in this shop.  She said it is just behind the Matsuyama University. This afternoon, I hopped on my bike and leisurely pedaled to the street behind Matsuyama University.  Confident of my Hiragana reading ability now, I was sure I can find it easily.  But after I passed by the university and wasn’t able to see any bakeshops, I reluctantly consulted my phone map.

Glad I consulted the map. It turned out that it was on another street and behind the Shimizu Elementary School!  So off I went to the next street. Along the way, I can’t help but to take pics of the lovely flowers on the side of the road.

Lovely flowers! I love spring!!!  After a few pedals, I found the bakeshop!  I first saw the signboard at the right side of the parking space for customers.  I smiled big because it was written in Hiragana and I was able to read it! <big grin>

As I parked my bike in front of the shop, I saw that it has a signage written in English alphabet in front but it wasn’t lighted.  It was already dark when I arrived at around 6:30pm.

It was a relatively small bakery shop.  I actually expected a big one.  But I found it charming because despite a small number of bread where you can choose from, it has one row of tables on the side where you can enjoy the bread with coffee and light music.

The tables are behind one tall wide shelf so it offers some privacy from the customers going in and out of the shop.   I was alone at the tables. I had cafe ole and sausage bread (I don’t know if that’s the name; just look at the pic above) and it cost 396yen. Not bad.  The bread was delicious and the coffee was good.  I stayed for around 30 min, relaxed and read articles in some websites through my phone, and there were no other customers who ordered coffee and stayed.  Guess I found a good, comfortable alternate for crowded coffee shops.  🙂

Around Matsuyama by bicycle…an afternoon delight (Part 1)

To celebrate my one-week of stay in Matsuyama, I hopped on my bike and navigated the streets with Bluey,  a map of the city, and iPhone GPS.

Our destinations: Fuji Grand (a 6-storey shopping mall) and Nitori (a furniture and interior goods store).

From the university main gate,we to crossed a railway street, and one of the main roads, the Heiwadori. (sorry, no pics)

From the Heiwadori road, the road will fork into left and right streets.

The first thing that you will see on the right street is the entrance for Matsuyama castle. You can easily see it because of the stairs going to the castle.

Just 5 meters from here is the equestrian statue of Kato Yoshiaki, the first Lord of Matsuyama Castle.

Further down is the Matsuyama Castle ropeway station.  (I have yet to know the price for the round trip chairlift ride going to the castle.)

The road down the lane is lined with restaurants, shops, and cafes.  How I love to walk/bicycle along this street!  The cobbled pavement and the lampposts gives me a feeling of quaintness.   April, another Filipina student, likened this road to Diagon Alley, a street in Harry Potter.  Come to think of it, it does look like Diagon Alley especially at nighttime.

At the end of this street is another main road, Ichibancho, where all the buses and trains pass by.  Across this is the Okaido which houses an arcade of shops and restaurants.

I did not cross the road, instead I turned right immediately.  The next street on the right is the Sakano Ueno Kumo Museum,  inspired by the novel Saka no ue no kumo, written by Ryotaro Shiba.

Along this side of the road is the Prefectural Building with its dome-shaped roof at the center.

The Prefectural building is the last building on the right side of Ichibancho.  I have to cross the street and get on the left side of a bridge which is part of the castle park.

I have to stop by while on the bridge to take a picture this beautiful scenery.

Little did I know that on the other side, a more beautiful scenery awaits me. Take a look at below’s picture and guess why!

Didn’t see it? Here’s a big clue (and treat) for you. 😉

Castle, water, and Sakura trees in bloom…so lovely, ain’t it?

Further along this road, can’t help to take some more pics of the scenery with sakura trees.

…to be continued

Day 1 Arrival in Matsuyama

It was warm that afternoon when I first step foot in Matsuyama-shi.  My professor was already waiting for me at the arrival gate of the Matsuyama airport.  I approached him, bowed, and introduced myself.  I handed him a small paper bag containing my omiyage (banana chips, dried mangoes, and a Capiz plate).  My luggage consisted of one medium suitcase, one small suitcase, two bayongs, and one handbag.  We went to his cute white box-type car and put my luggage inside the car. We stopped at the real state agent office to process the contract for my apartment.  After the signing and initial payment, I had the key to the apartment where I will be staying for a minimum of three and a half years.

It was around 4pm when we arrived at the apartment.  The apartment was the size of 6 tatami, with bath and toilet, kitchen, and laundry area/veranda.  The monthly rental fee is 20,000 (room rent), 2,500 (water bill), plus 3,000 (management fee).  The gas was still not working so  my professor called his secretary to call the gas company.  He left to say I take a rest from there.   I looked around the apartment and I was very surprised to see it was furnished. Dau-san, the Vietnamese PhD student who was the previous tenant, left most of her things for me: bed, mattress, computer table, two bookshelves, TV, DVD/karaoke player, low table, 3 kitchen shelves, refrigerator, microwave oven, one-burner gas stove, kitchen utensils, dishes,kitchen wares, curtains, clothes hangers, some towels, and washing machine!

At around 4:45pm, a student from Prof. Iwata’s lab came.  Her name is Jean.  She is Korean and a first year PhD student.  She taught me what are the meaning of the buttons in the remote control of the airconditioner/heater. The gas company staff came at around 5pm to turn on the gas in my apartment.  I can now take a hot shower bath!!! Without the gas heater, the water from the faucet is way too cold.  Jean showed me the supermarket near my apartment.  It’s just a minute walk, haha!  The name of the nearby supermarket is Sunny Mart.  After showing me around the supermarket where I can buy cooked meals for dinner, she went back to the lab.  We made an appointment to fetch me at 10am the following morning.

Kazu lent me his Docomo wifi modem so I had an access to internet immediately.  We were both excited at this new journey and life in Matsuyama.  I ended my first day in Matsuyama with a long hot shower, a smile, and much love from Kazu who has been my biggest supporter in every step.