Tuesday November 20th. We took a late morning train from Takayama to Gero, a small village in the Japanese Alps known for its many onsen which, in case you're not familiar, are spas with natural mineral hot springs, cold pools and jacuzzi type baths. They can be indoors or out. Unisex or segregated. This is important to note as it is proper to go nekkid during your stay. The protocol is to carry with you a "humility towel", basically a hand towel that you hold in front of your junk as you move from pool to pool. The ritualistic process is as follows: first, you strip down to your birthday suit in the locker room. Then, you proceed to the onsen itself. Ours was outdoors, segregated and nearly empty being early afternoon on a weekday. Once in the hot springs area, you'll find a low row of moveable shower heads, each with a small plastic stool in front. Take a seat, hose yourself down, shampoo and soap up thoroughly, rinse and repeat. You are now ready to bathe.
The order is a matter of personal choice. I went with the medium-hot big pool with bubbly jets first, then a plunge into the icy cold pool, in this case a small cement cistern just big enough for one. It was bracing to say the least. From there, I hit the super hot, super bubbly tub, leaned my head back on a large smooth stone and looked up at an overhanging red and gold leafed Japanese maple in front of a crystal clear blue mountain sky. Bliss.
Back and forth I went, hot to cold, bubbly to still and occasionally hitting the shower stools for a fresh soap and shampooing. After a bit of time in the sauna, a cedar chest into which you close yourself sitting upright with your head poking out, I showered up one more time, crawled rubbery and relaxed out of the joint and called it a day... all for under 7USD.
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