Slices of Life from a Cake Hunter

Day 3: a Rest Day. We ended up in Yunomine, a village no bigger than a street, consisting of a quaint little collection of inns tucked into a small valley deep in the heart of the sacred mountains of Kumano. The waters here are said to change color seven times over the course of a day, and that’s before Brad got in. Onsens are hot springs and an example of traditional Japanese accommodations that are available all across Japan. They are hot springs and bathing facilities, surrounded by traditional inns and are are prevalent throughout the volcanically active areas of Japan (covering all the major islands).

Yunomine Onsen was discovered about 1,800 years ago, and it is thought to be one of the oldest hot springs in the whole of Japan. It’s also an integral part of the 1000-year+ Kumano pilgrimage tradition where pilgrims performed hot water purification rituals in piping-hot mineral waters after their long journey in preparation to worship at one of the main Kumano temples, Hongu Taisha.

Our little hostel, J-Hoppers, was just off the main street and had 3 little onsen bathing pools inside, as well as ‘pod-style’ living quarters. However, the pods this time were more spacious than those in Tokyo (which seems a contradiction in terms, but they were) and there was a lovely common room and a shared kitchen which made us feel very welcome.

The Onsen culture in Japan is very rich, but the strong connection with spiritual culture found in Yunomine is unprecedented. Two sections of the Kumano Kodo have trailheads here, the Akagi-goe and Dainichi-goe, making it a popular place to stay for walkers. We certainly appreciated the hot waters – although some were so hot you had to dip your feet in a number of times to get used to it. ‘Scalding’ is a word that comes close to the feeling I had.

Also, when I got in my first onsen I found suspicious white floaty things that looked liked a certain male bodily fluid, and that didn’t feel too good and I sat there wondering what the bloody hell was going on. However, what I found out afterwards was that it was ‘yu-no-hana’ or ‘hot water flowers’, naturally occurring sediments floating in the water. Yu-no-hana come from deep inside the Earth, and float to the surface in the thermal water. They are clean, meant to be there, and if you see a lot of them, the onsen you are enjoying is likely to be famous for them. So there you have it. It wasn’t male reproductive material.

After a bit of time wandering around, we got on the bus to Hongu to see the largest Torri Gate in the world (33.9 meters tall and 42 meters wide) and it was spectacular – even more so because the entrance was surrounded by blossoming cherry blossoms. The Sakura Choir really got going here.

It’s difficult to find the words to describe how beautiful it was, and how impactful. The sheer size of the gate itself, the cherry blossoms in bloom, the river scenery surrounding, and the degree of serenity and calmness it radiated … well, it’s not often I get emotional but I did discover a little bit of moisture in my eye.

We had a lovely lunch with a veggie option cooked by a very obliging chef (they do have them in Japan – thank you veggie chefs!) before heading back to Yunomine on the bus.

On the way back, there was a huge commotion as a bear was seen in the forest on the right side of the bus. There was then even more of a commotion as Brad burst through the doors and ran into the forest waving chopsticks.

Just to explore ryokans, as they are intimately connected with onsens and its easy to get confused about the difference as they are usually found in the same places and are often interconnected in the way they operate. 

Ryokans are a style of Japanese inns found all across Japan. A bit like Premier Inn but you actually enjoy the experience. They are especially prevalent in hot spring resorts and offer travelers the opportunity to experience the traditional Japanese lifestyle. As such, they are much more than a place to sleep and are as close to an authentic look into the past as many travelers will get. They offer tatami rooms, futon beds, Japanese-style baths, and local dishes. 

Not all ryokans are exactly the same. They come in a few variations that differ in size, cost, and style. There are family-run establishments that are usually small with just a few rooms. There are large ryokans that are more hotel-like with various facilities and hundreds of rooms and can vary greatly in terms of cost. We were staying in an onsen, but not a ryokan … and if anyone has seen Spirited Away then a ryokan is a main feature in that film, with a few real-life ryokans taking credit for inspiration. Here’s the one that looks closest to Spirited Away to me:

https://travelwithamnet.com/learn-about-japan/step-into-ginzan-onsen?format=amp

In Yunomine, there is a world-renowned onsen, the Tsuboyu Onsen (the world’s only UNESCO World Heritage site bath) where the water is widely believed to have a healing power thanks to the rich minerals it carries, and you get a special certificate once you’ve bathed in it. So, the story here is that I went down to get my ticket at around 6.30pm, got told that there was a 90-minute wait and you can’t reserve a space (slots are for a max of 30-mins each). At around 7.30pm I went down again, got my ticket (no 8) and got told to wait outside the onsen in a little waiting hut. When I got there, a German girl & guy were waiting (no 7) and no 6 hadn’t come out yet. We waited for 15-mins before no 6 merged and all 3 of us waiting gave her a good glare for being over time. The Germans then went in around 7.45pm and I sat waiting in the hut in the dark down a street by myself.

When the Germans came out, I was ready to rush in after waiting so long and I was the last in the queue. Walking in, all I saw was a small pool in a hut, with lots of winches hanging around – weird. I got undressed, got in the pool and started to relax. As I was laying there, I tried to work out what the winches were for and then I realised that you could raise up the sides of the onsen hut and see outside. So, I got out, did a light bit of winching and raised up the front of the hut (looking down the street) by about a foot. Just enough to peek out when lying in the pool, but hopefully not enough for people to peek in (as I was naked in a pool in the middle of the village). It was really very atmospheric, until I decided time was up and when I looked around, I realised that I was dripping wet, stark bollock naked and there was no towel, and I also couldn’t winch the side of the hut back down ; (

For a moment, I was completely and utterly floored (or technically, pooled) – I didn’t know what to do as it was late evening and in the middle of the street. Then, I saw a travellers drying towel left on a rock in the hut and even though I’m fastidious about infection control and hygiene, I really had no choice … so I used it. And then when came I came out the hut, the German guy was waiting for me and said: ‘I left my towel inside’. Cut to me standing there with his wet towel in my hand and no other towel in sight. Awkward! So I went bright red, gave it to him and slunk in the shadows back to the hostel.

The night was uneventful after that, aside from an exercise session in the hostel common room.

Local mythology dump: the figure of the tanuke has been everywhere we’ve been so I did a little research on him. In old Japanese stories, the tanuke represented the haunting of people and was often associated with bad omens.

Gradually, the tanuki became associated with a mischievous intent in using supernatural powers, as in many stories the animal would transform to play its ‘belly drum’ to scare and almost play with unsuspected hunters, travellers, and monks. Gradually, the tanuke began to be associated with benevolence, prosperity and fun, becoming associated in stories where they transformed into humans to drink, party, and have fun alongside them. The tanuki is a popular mascot in Japan, as having statues or drawings of tanuki outside bars and restaurants invites people to come in and just indulge in spending money and having a good time just like a tanuki spirit.