Hozanso Beppu

This charming village may be a highlight of the trip -　a touch of `old Japan` so elusive in the cities. Found another old ryokan where no one spoke English, but managed to get a room, and head straight to the onsen.

Decided to spend a second night -- in part to rest from ...

... up. Anyone interested in classes should definately inquire beforehand. (Sala de Usuki open 9am-9pm 0972-64-7271)

There is a shopping road called Haccho Oji in this area too. There are a bunch of souvenier shops and places selling soft ice cream. I wanted to try the miso flavored soft ice cream but it was too cold out!

From the visitors center you walk up Nioza Historical Road. The old stone streets lined with beautiful white washed walls,beneath
heavily ...

... Dam, which is known for being on of the best water-skiing and wakeboarding spots in the country.
Along this cycling road there are camping facilities so travelers with their own bikes could ride from Nakatsu station. However the information desk at Nakatsu station doesnt rent bikes out to use along the path so those without bikes would be best off going to cycling terminal first.

To get to the cycling terminal from ...

... like a business and a new product. Basically you could have an amazing product to sell that you know will do well within its market but if you don’t promote it correctly it will fail to make an impression; well the same sort of principle can be applied to you. You could tick all the boxes and be the ideal candidate for a job but if you don’t come across well in the translation of your CV then you have no chance of ...

... You can feel your heat beat in your feet.

After you are done in the sand you then proceed to the Onsen area. You get naked (still no one around), wash all the sand off you then jump in the boiling hot bath. Now, after the long hot bike ride and the sand, then the bath, I was on the verge of passing out. The bath was so hot! I dragged myself out and couldn't walk straight. Very relaxing but very draining as well. Just as I was leaving a couple ...

... Having been in Japan for a week and being used to the communal bath facilities, the onsen experience was totally fine. I think if Americans every get over their conservativeness about their bodies, they'd enjoy the experience of soaking for long periods of time in hot water. The draw of this spa was the slightly alkaline water which was supposed to be good for arthritic and muscle aches, which was appropriate given the day I had.

After about 1-2 hours of ...

... on the big fellow yet. It's on my to-do list, really. He plays for the Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix (say that 3 times real fast!) of the Basketball Japan League. Teammates often call him Ming Ming or Sun. When he dunks the ball, it feels as if the entire floor is shaking. He mostly lumbers down the floor, but has a soft shooting touch.

... Of course getting out of the bath revealed the ever-present tattoos to the ladies (Offensive Item No 4.) After some lounging with a book back at the hostel, it was time for another Onsen. This time to the Takegawara Onsen in town. It is a traditional Onsen and this time I was up to speed with what I should do - I even bought a small towel at reception for Onsen-side scrubbing. The water was as hot as hell, I sat on the side for a moment (Offensive Item No ...

... houses. The water is scalding hot, coming from deep in the volcanic ground. Matt was so excited that he said he wanted to stay at least an hour. Funny, when Francis came out 15 minutes later, Matt was dress and ready to go...what happen to the 1 hour bathing??? The water was too hot for him apparently! He thinks he got second degree burns! Francis is still laughing about that story. We were once again the target of teenage Japanese ...

... spot in the arena. People started to comment. It seems that these two spots are open because they are very very hot. I like the heat and stay, Hessen moves to a cooler location. You then proceed to dig yourself a pit in which to lie then use farming like tools to move and scoop the sand on top of your body. The deeper you scoop the hotter it does get. You rest your head on a small wood block and let the heat and weight of the sand relax you. As a young couple where leaving they ...