Having come all the way to Gunma, there was no way I was skipping the hot springs. There is Ikaho Onsen near the Mizusawa udon place, but I went to Kusatsu Onsen, the most famous one in Gunma. There were so many onsen ryokan that I had a hard time choosing, and ended up at a shabby place called Kusatsu Onsenkan in the quietest corner of town. With a bit more time to search I would have gone to a decent onsen hotel, but there was no time. The thing is, Kusatsu Onsenkan’s facilities were run-down, but the water was really good. An open-air bath in a wide-open forest with the snow falling felt wonderful. When I got out, my body felt so light. I never knew how good a hot spring bath was, but now that I am older I get it. If I go back to Kusatsu, I would happily stay at this place again.
A glass of highland milk after the bath.
You cannot skip the glass of milk~
The Yubatake
The scene that comes to mind when you think of Kusatsu is the Yubatake.
The Yubatake
It looks every bit like an onsen town.
Near the bus stop
This is roughly the atmosphere. There were so many people that I thought staying the night would not have been a bad idea.
A maitake tendon set before heading home
There is nothing at all to do at an onsen ryokan once night falls, so I decided to head home. I had a meal before leaving, and it was just so-so. I found out the place I originally wanted to go to was far away, so I looked for a new spot, but could not find anywhere worth going and just walked into a random place. This does not usually happen to me, but I slipped up for once. Next time I will prepare more thoroughly before I go.
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