Today is our first day back to work after a short holiday. It’s our first year here and we are still developing, so we decided to keep our holiday short and close to home. I am a huge fan of onsens (hot springs). I love everything about them, especially the deeply relaxing feeling of bathing in the water. So, it was natural that we would take a break from the city and go to an onsen. We took the train to Arima, an Onsen town located in the mountains. We enjoyed our day so much that we spontaneously decided to stay at one of the many Ryokans (Japanese style hotels). It was the perfect retreat. The air was a little cooler, the atmosphere relaxed and everyone came out at night dressed in the yukatas provided by the ryokans. We went for a walk along the river, ate a wonderful Japanese dinner served in our room at the ryokan and then had a quick bath before bed. The break from the city was great. We came back energized and ready to work.
In fact, tonight’s class may just start with…..I had an appointment to go to an……
We returned to a fax that told us we had a trial student! The best news is that he joined! What a great way to start the new week!
Hi there Carol,
Great read that you enjoyed Arima Onsen. I too love Onsens and manage to take time to sit in a relaxing Onsen bath at least once a week. Not far from my home is a small Onsen / Ryokan known as “Shionoyu Onsen” It allows casual day entry for 600 yen betwen 10 a.m and 6 p.m. It is always well kept but always empty and I am not sure how they survive. I usually have the entire place to myself or share it with an older Japanese man. Brilliant. Hey do you have any photos of the onsen area?