In Japan, besides sightseeing and good food, the only other thing one can indulge in is hot spring (or onsen as what the locals will say). There is hardly any hot spring in Tokyo, so it was in Hokkaido that we got our taste of hot spring! And quite a big variety we went to! A pity we were not allowed to take any pictures in the hot spring, so we can only enjoy the water and the surroundings around it.
Christmas Eve in Hakodate, the top level of the hotel is an enclosed hot spring. One of the girls and I went up together with the guy. No, it is not a mixed spring, males and females are separated. The pool faces a glass case which can see quite a lot of Hakodate city, but the water is so hot that my friend and I had to get out after ten minutes or so otherwise we would burn. The next day, we went on to Noboribetsu, the place for natural hot springs.
The hotel we stayed in had about seven kinds of hot springs. There is a kind of shower where the water falls down hard on our shoulders and let us have a massage, then there were cold pools and warm pools. There were pools filled with more sulphur than others (considering the colour) and even a sauna room! I tried the sauna but it was so hot that I got out after a few minutes! There was also an outdoor pool enclosed by rocks.
My friend and I went there. The water was forty-two degree Celsius, but all around it was rocks and it was snowing that evening. So we went into the hot spring where our bodies were submerged in warm water, yet snow was falling on our faces and the rest of our bodies. What bliss! Plus we got out to sit on the rocks to cool down, then when we got cooled enough we went back into the water again. This hot cold treatment is really comfortable! Imagine being in the hot spring with snow falling down on your skin! That was the place where we spent the longest time in the hot spring, more than two hours!
There was no hot spring in Sapporo, at least the hotel we were staying in did not have any, and we did not have time to go looking for one. So the next hot spring we went to was the one in Niseko. We were there from twenty-eight December to second January. The first night in NIseko, we went to a natural hot spring, where again, there was an outdoor pool enclosed by rocks in the open, where snow was falling. It was good, but the place looks rather dirty and run down.
The second hot spring we went to the second night was called Popolos, another one with an outdoor pool. There was a glass casing where we could see the skiers in the distance. My friend preferred that as she said that seemed to be the cleanest. The third hot spring we went to was in Prince Hotel, where it was another outdoor hot spring with wooden casing that allows the views of the ski slope.
The fourth day (New Year's Eve), we decided to go back to Popolos again. That day the ski slope was brightly lit due to the upcoming New Year's celebration. So from where we were at the hot spring, we could see the bright lights of the ski slopes and people getting ready in the distance. The fifth day (New Year's Day), we went to the Hilton Niseko Village, the other end from where we were staying. While our guy friend went on to do a few more rounds of skiing, we girls went to indulge in the Hilton Hot Spring.
Hilton really lives up to its name! There was an indoor pool with a glass casing that overlooks the trees and ski slopes outside. Then there was an outdoor pool that faces the trees and slopes and opens out to a carp pond. Going into the outdoor pool enables us to be captivated with the enchanting scenery facing us, it was as if we were in one of the pictures of a storybook! That was the best hot spring we had, especially since snow was falling, we could reach our hand into the pond and touch the carps and the water was warm and soothing enough!
That was an experience indeed! That was the last hot spring we went to as everyone was due to go off the next day. The only gripe was that I lost my watch in the Hilton hot spring! A Franck Mueller watch, a knock-off, but a limited edition one! My guess is that someone must have taken it while I removed my clothing and put it aside without realising it. A Franck Mueller is a Franck Mueller, whether replica or original! What a heartache it is for me!
But like what my friend said, we need to be more careful with our things. All of us lost something in this trip. One of the girls lost her winter hat, the other girl lost one of her gloves. The guy lost his return train ticket from Otaru and had to buy another one, but he found it in the end. All along I prided myself on being careful and not losing anything, but in the end I lost my limited edition replica Franck Mueller watch! It is really every man (or woman) to him (her)self and we really must take care of our own things while travelling! A big lesson learnt!
Christmas Eve in Hakodate, the top level of the hotel is an enclosed hot spring. One of the girls and I went up together with the guy. No, it is not a mixed spring, males and females are separated. The pool faces a glass case which can see quite a lot of Hakodate city, but the water is so hot that my friend and I had to get out after ten minutes or so otherwise we would burn. The next day, we went on to Noboribetsu, the place for natural hot springs.
The hotel we stayed in had about seven kinds of hot springs. There is a kind of shower where the water falls down hard on our shoulders and let us have a massage, then there were cold pools and warm pools. There were pools filled with more sulphur than others (considering the colour) and even a sauna room! I tried the sauna but it was so hot that I got out after a few minutes! There was also an outdoor pool enclosed by rocks.
My friend and I went there. The water was forty-two degree Celsius, but all around it was rocks and it was snowing that evening. So we went into the hot spring where our bodies were submerged in warm water, yet snow was falling on our faces and the rest of our bodies. What bliss! Plus we got out to sit on the rocks to cool down, then when we got cooled enough we went back into the water again. This hot cold treatment is really comfortable! Imagine being in the hot spring with snow falling down on your skin! That was the place where we spent the longest time in the hot spring, more than two hours!
There was no hot spring in Sapporo, at least the hotel we were staying in did not have any, and we did not have time to go looking for one. So the next hot spring we went to was the one in Niseko. We were there from twenty-eight December to second January. The first night in NIseko, we went to a natural hot spring, where again, there was an outdoor pool enclosed by rocks in the open, where snow was falling. It was good, but the place looks rather dirty and run down.
The second hot spring we went to the second night was called Popolos, another one with an outdoor pool. There was a glass casing where we could see the skiers in the distance. My friend preferred that as she said that seemed to be the cleanest. The third hot spring we went to was in Prince Hotel, where it was another outdoor hot spring with wooden casing that allows the views of the ski slope.
The fourth day (New Year's Eve), we decided to go back to Popolos again. That day the ski slope was brightly lit due to the upcoming New Year's celebration. So from where we were at the hot spring, we could see the bright lights of the ski slopes and people getting ready in the distance. The fifth day (New Year's Day), we went to the Hilton Niseko Village, the other end from where we were staying. While our guy friend went on to do a few more rounds of skiing, we girls went to indulge in the Hilton Hot Spring.
Hilton really lives up to its name! There was an indoor pool with a glass casing that overlooks the trees and ski slopes outside. Then there was an outdoor pool that faces the trees and slopes and opens out to a carp pond. Going into the outdoor pool enables us to be captivated with the enchanting scenery facing us, it was as if we were in one of the pictures of a storybook! That was the best hot spring we had, especially since snow was falling, we could reach our hand into the pond and touch the carps and the water was warm and soothing enough!
That was an experience indeed! That was the last hot spring we went to as everyone was due to go off the next day. The only gripe was that I lost my watch in the Hilton hot spring! A Franck Mueller watch, a knock-off, but a limited edition one! My guess is that someone must have taken it while I removed my clothing and put it aside without realising it. A Franck Mueller is a Franck Mueller, whether replica or original! What a heartache it is for me!
But like what my friend said, we need to be more careful with our things. All of us lost something in this trip. One of the girls lost her winter hat, the other girl lost one of her gloves. The guy lost his return train ticket from Otaru and had to buy another one, but he found it in the end. All along I prided myself on being careful and not losing anything, but in the end I lost my limited edition replica Franck Mueller watch! It is really every man (or woman) to him (her)self and we really must take care of our own things while travelling! A big lesson learnt!
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