September 3rd, 2015

Finishing off Japan, after a few days in Sapporo, we headed south to the town of Noboribetsu for a couple of nights.  Picked this place due to its geological activity...geysers, hot springs, etc. 

The first thing you see stepping off of the train is this guy.

We quickly learned that the demons of Hell Valley are not evil or monsters, but are the protectors of the sacred hot springs.   There are many kinds...the romance demons.

Business and prosperity

Study.

They are everywhere in blue and red

Obviously, we related to this father/son duo in many ways. 

 They had a free fireworks show one evening with fire and dance.

With meet and greet following.

The town is small and right in the heart of Hell Valley. Across the street from our hotel was an active geyser.

 

 

We spent a few hours taking the self guided tour around the sites.  Sulfur and steam spewing from cracks everywhere.  No pictures can capture the colors and smells as it felt like a totally alien landscape.

You had to hike down the valley to the below geyser that would spew every few minutes.  Quite cool, and it was really neat as we were the only ones there...for a while.  We felt the wooden pathway rattle before we saw them...the bus load of Chinese tourists.  Like a swarm of locusts blotting out the sun, they were coming down the hill towards us.  There was only one way in or out, so we finished our admiration of this natural beauty and started the trek out.

The path was narrow, but could accommodate about three people across.  The pack didn't seem to care as they were devouring everything in their path.  We were jostled and had to fight through the horde that was so into their selfie sticks and phones, oblivious to our presence.  We felt lucky to escape with the meat still on our bones.

 

We saved the best part for the end, and that was dipping our toes into a natural pool fed by a hot spring upstream.  A natural hot tub...when we got close to that little waterfall, the water was too hot to bear and had to move away.

 

The coolest part was that we were the only ones there so could commune with this incredible piece of nature.  We knowingly walked efficiently so we could get here well in advance of the tour bus crowd. 

Even though they have Japanese style hot springs in Taipei, and from all accounts they are very authentic and good as they had ben developed during Japanese rule in the early 20th century, we had never fully enjoyed a true onsen experience.

 

Split into men and women sections, it is basically a pool fed by naturally heated springs with minerally rich water.  As with all things Japanese, there is a strict etiquette of how to behave in the baths.  Would suggest anyone visiting one to research them before you go...wish we had but learned quickly enough.  As you are completely nude, it is easier to read about it beforehand rather than watching how others act, which can be a touch creepy.  By the end, we were expert at it and I even felt bold enough to shave my face after a soak.  So smooth.

 

 

A favorite custom was the slippers...take your shoes off at the door (which the staff scoop up and put away immediately, cross the mat and slide into your leather slippers.  The separation of the outside to the onsen immediately relaxes your mind.

We did make one stumble.  After our nature hike, and a lovely lunch (I haven't mentioned the food much, but we had great meals of soba noodles, yakitori and ramen throughout), we had our last afternoon free.  The only thing left to do in town was a gondola ride up a mountain to visit the Hokkaido bear sanctuary.  Betty and Paul decided to chill back at the onsen, but Carolyn was keen to see it, so we made the move. 

 

Haven't been a huge zoo fan for many years as I always end up feeling bad for the animals, but this place was arguably the most depressing I've ever seen.  The bears were separated by gender into two "pens", which were really just cement pits where the bears rolled around in copious amounts of their own feces and stood begging for us to through down food that you could buy at the shop.  They were cute...and had little routines they would perform so you would throw them the snack instead of the other bears, but was really just an awful scene. 

 

I think the proprietors thought that the "human cage" area, where you go see them up close through the glass, was a funny name, but was a smelly, ugly hole and am convinced that the smears on the window were from a mix of bear saliva and excrement. 

If that wasn't enough, they had other "attractions", like the duck race (although the gambler in me liked that you could wager on who won)

And the saddest dog show ever.  Scrawny poodles with matted hair...so sad.

That was a bummer, so don't go there.  Otherwise, Japan was a great time...unusual nature, new cultural experiences, and of course, killer chow. 

Random thoughts...

- In the wake of the shootings of the news team in Virginia, and the subsequent exposing of the dudes twisted journey that led him to think that killing people was a good idea, I think that I will start preparing a manifesto.  You know...just in case.

- With the upcoming "celebration" of the end of WWII being planned in China, have been reading a bunch about the 20th century history of China.  The end of the dynastic rule, Sino-Japanese wars, the schism of political ideas which led to Taiwan becoming what it is today, and Chiang Kai Shek, and am fascinated by the term Generalissimo (did you know that George Washington was posthumously promoted to one?).  Will have to tie that into my manifesto.

- Baby doll got her first case of the girl flu.  Fortunately, Betty was in town so didn't have to answer any technical questions, but if you know our family at all, you understand that we have an open and ongoing discussion of personal hygiene and all things bathroom related.  Basically, we have fart blanche.  This summer at our annual doctor visits, the Boy was having issues near his butt and was diagnosed as having a pilonidal cyst.  Official definitions don't say so, and they admit they don't know what causes them, but common belief is that it is the body telling itself to grow a tail and to send proteins to the area where our distant ancestors used to have one.  I had the same thing when I was younger, and poor Paul is getting all of the weird afflictions that I have (sorry boy).  In one way, the cyst acts like a big pimple, but once it pops, the hope is that it heals and doesn't return.  If it doesn't, it remains an open wound and has to be cut out.  It's the size of a shelled walnut and is a painful recovery, so we are hoping that it goes away and does not return.  Unfortunately, it is not closing quickly, so the poor kid has this slowly oozing puss hole just above the crack where the good lord split him.  So he doesn't spot his shorts, Betty gave him some "pads" to help sop up the goo.  I had one of those classic Hallmark moments in the car ride to school this morning where my daughter offered her older brother one of her pads.  After they got out of the car, I sat there for a moment alone, smiling and a bit chocked up, knowing my boy had become a man.

- If I am ever described, or self describe myself, as being devout about/for anything, please do something.  I don't know what you do cause if I did, I'd be doing it to all the freaking nut jobs, but please, don't give up on me.  Drugs, shock therapy, group intervention, whatever it takes.  I disagree with the dictionary's definition of the word and feel that "devout" means that you are committed to a cause that you know is wrong, but your mental illness prevents you from admitting you are a menace to civilization. 

- I turn 50 tomorrow and officially become a grumpy old man.