I have been longing for kamakura since I was a child. By kamakura I mean small houses made of snow (and not the historical city in Kanagawa, which I love, too ). It’s summer and pretty hot now in Japan but you can experience what kamakura are like. You can find one in a certain building in Yokote city where a kamakura festival takes place every winter. The day we were there, the temperature was above 30 C ( 86F ) and inside the building where holding the kamakura it is minus 10 C. You have to wear a wataire (a cotton stuffed) jacket before going into the facility.And anyone who has a weak heart should refrain from going in. In fact it was an interesting experience but we couldn’t stay there for a long time. Inside the kamakura a water god is enshrined. They give thanks to the god and enjoy baking rice cakes and drinking something hot. They set candles and usher the people into the kamakura. I hope to go to the festival sometime.

I discovered another interesting place in Yokote. But my camera’s battery was flat and I couldn’t take photos of the inn. About 50 minutes drive from downtown Yokote will take you to the inn where we stayed. The area is called Mitsumata hot spring. The facility is kind of old and nothing special but it’s really quiet and relaxing. The hot spring is pretty good and the food they serve is excellent. I couldn’t take photos of them but I’m going back to that place again and then I’ll take photos of them. They serve homemade buckwheat noodles and they still use a windmill to grind the seeds.

I went to Atami in Shizuoka. From Tokyo station by bullet train, it takes only about one hour.It’s famous for its hot springs.

In Chinese characters ( Kanji ), Atami is written “hot sea”

It is said that a long time ago, a hot spring emerged under the ocean. Since hot water sprung up fish swam away and fishermen were in trouble.

A certain priest prayed and his power moved the hot spring to the land!

Since then Atami has been one of the biggest hot spring resorts.

The Tokugawa Shoguns loved it very much. But the Shogun was too busy to visit Atami ( or perhaps did not travel for security reasons ) so they carried hot spring water all the way to Edo ( Tokyo )! It must have been heavy. Besides, since the water is for Shogun, they were not supposed to put it on the ground to rest. The day we stayed in Atami, the weather was cloudy. The hotel we stayed in is located on the hill overlooking the ocean. They had many guests but they were all quiet. The people working there were all tactful so I enjoyed myself staying there. The hotel doesn’t display many things. I like their style but some people might find it boring. They displayed only a few hanging scrolls and a vase made by ex-prime minister Morihiro Hosokawa (who resigned about 17 years ago) and he is often compared with ex-prime minister Hatoyama these days. I think both of them are from good families but their characters look very different to me. I don’t know them personally though. I remember the weather of 17 years ago was very similar to this year’s. History repeats and so does weather ?

Or does weather affect people’s behavior ?

 I went to Yamagata Zao hot spring. Yamagata’s hot spring is different from the spring on the Miyagi side of Zao. The hot spring is very effective. It’s really good for your skin, stomach, après-ski bruises and cuts, high blood pressure and nervous tension. Since it contains hydrogen sulfide , if the water gets in your eyes it causes smarting. It’s better to take off any metal things such as rings. The water will rust the metal. Or if you soak cloth in the water the cloth will weaken.  I am a bath fanatic and whenever I stay at a hot spring resort I take baths for too long and too often. It is said on the first day, one should take a bath just  once or twice for a short time and on the second day one can take more and stay in longer. I wish I could stay at that resort for a week without doing anything.I also sleep long hours when I go there. I could sleep 10 hours in a row. Am I too lazy ?

On my way to my favorite hot spring, I enjoyed viewing spring colors. Deep in the mountain spring trees and wild cherry blossoms entertained my eyes. Near the hot spring there is a nice noodle shop. The buckwheat noodles are home-made. I like their style and attitude. I always order noodles, Tempura ( deep fried vegetables ) and sometimes beer. Then they always offer us free side dishes.

The people who work there are local old ladies and they cook the vegetables they have grown and do their best to entertain their customers.

The restaurant is located on a river. It has an interesting garden and a pond where you can enjoy fishing.

Last autumn I had guests from the UK. and I wanted to take them to this restaurant but that time it was closed. I was very worried about it but was relieved to find that it is going again !

To take a bath we have to go deeper into the mountain. The hot spring has two big bathtubs inside and relatively shallow one outside. A lady and I were in the outside bath on that day. It was so quiet and relaxing.Then the lady fell asleep. Gradually her body was sliding, sinking little by little into the water. I didn’t want to interrupt her good nap but I thought I need to keep monitoring her. I decided I would pinch her if the water level reached her lower lip level. When the water touched her chin she woke for a few seconds but again went back to sleep. That time another lady joined our bathtub and my duty was over. I moved to the inside bath. Am I a worrywart ?