We went up north to some hot springs to relax a little- I was hoping to see some snow and relax in the outdoor baths. I had something like this in mind:
(Image courtesy of Takaragawa Onsen.)
Instead, we wound up at a place smack-dab in the middle of an industrial zone. There was a chemical factory, zinc mine, bottling plant and lots of other factories around.
The view from the train station. Nothing says “relax” like the Shin-Etsu Chemical Factory.
Also, the lovely Toho Zinc Mine:
While the hotel was pretty nice and the food was tasty, the scenery was the pits. With all the beautiful hot springs in Japan, I recommend giving Isobe a miss.
Not exactly the backdrop I had in mind for my relaxing getaway…but it gets worse. I got the flu. It’s probably my own dang fault because I didn’t get a flu shot, but I am so miserable right now. I started feeling sick on Saturday night, and by Sunday, I knew it was the flu. I’m beginning to feel somewhat human again, though every part of my body aches. Including my hair, which I didn’t know was possible.
Oh no!!!! I hope you feel better soon
I’m on the mend (it’s Wednesday) but I’ve just about used up all my sick days for this year…boo.
oh no . . . ): how unfortunate
Yeah, but at least I didn’t get anyone else sick (knock on wood!)
Is this in Hokaido Juan was asking?
Nope, both the gorgeous hot springs in the top photo and the one we actually went to are in Gunma Prefecture, which is near Nagano. Hokkaido does have some gorgeous hot springs too but it’s a plane ride from Tokyo.