This is very late post. I mentioned I'd be sharing a recent trip when I shared about how I lost my belongings but I guess I'm a year late in sharing this unforgettable adventure in the hot spring resort of Gunma.
Remember Kusatsu Onsen? I guess you don't unless you read my post from 2 years ago. Let me refresh that memory a bit.
Being one of the best hot spring towns in Japan, Kusatsu Onsen welcomes a lot of tourists all year long. This onsen town is located in the mountains of Gunma, and you can take the train or the bus from Tokyo to come here.
Since I love onsen so much, it's normal that you'll see me in this town again. This time, I went with my friends via bus from Tokyo and it's just so much fun too! I had fun when I was with my partner here the first time but it's different when you're with your close friends who speak the same language and can really understand your definition of fun. Plus, it's winter time!
Since it's Wednesday, let me share how my walk in this town went. This is our final day in the town (LOL I never started!) and we were roaming around to find lunch and to be immersed more of the town's culture.
Don't forget to checkout the #WednesdayWalk initiative by @tattoodjay.
It was almost lunch time when we started looking for a restaurant. The only problem we had was that we're a big group and most restaurants in Japan are small and can only fit a few number of diners. And we're a bit picky this time. We wanted to try something authentic or unique in this town, one that we hadn't tried yet or at least most of us had no experience.
The road we took was just enough to fit one car. Of course, there wasn't anyone driving in this road because it's just packed with people. Some were shoppers, some were like us - hunting for food.
Some restaurants already got a long queue outside. Oh no!
See that car parked behind this board? Yeah, better to stay put because it's a small road. 😅
Actually this board listed all the shops you could find in this area. This road that we're taking now was where you'd find the restaurants and many different kinds of stores like souvenir shop and many more.
If only ice cream would suffice as lunch, we would had our fill already. LOL The restaurant beside the ice cream shop seemed famous but we backed out upon seeing the people waiting outside.
We reached a split road. I think this building had many shops inside but we're not feeling what they had in their menu.
While some of my friends went ahead to check the other road, I posed for a photo. It was a warm winter last year so snow didn't pile up on the road which surprised and kinda disappointed some of us in the group. We wanted to see Kusatsu Onsen in snow!
We were finally able to eat lunch in one of the stores near here. So it's time for further walking on this road - this time we wouldn't be too tempted to buy and eat everything we see since we're now walking on a full stomach.
I'm not sure if you noticed but on the side of the road, there's something. So if you're wondering what that was, it's an ice candle.
A candle inside a glass made of ice. It's lit up at night which we had originally planned to attend the night before but we were pressed in time and couldn't attend on its scheduled illumination.
We started going inside stores now because we're thinking of getting souvenirs.
We went inside a glass store, which looks like a museum because of the many displays they had. The items here were of different sizes, and of different purposes. Some were decorations but some like this small shiny eggplant was a chopstick rest.
The post here looked so vintage and in different colors. I'm just not sure if the colors represent something.
Looking for street food? Here, grilled skewers.
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It was tempting but we just had lunch.
Until we passed by this old, friendly man offering us a free taste of their freshly baked manju.
I'm usually shy to take something like this but being with my friends made me thick-faced. LOL He's offering so I had to take on it. Because it was so delicious, I had to buy a pack when we returned from our walk.
We wondered what's up with the round pool so we had to come closer and found the onsen eggs!
Usually hot spring towns have onsen tamago (温泉卵, eggs in english). Because the water here was so hot, it could cook an egg. Hence, onsen tamago. It's a bit different from the typical boiled egg.
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And we just had to take our love fortune! Actually, I didn't but my friends did. It was just in the streets and because we were a bit excited for our friends, I think we made a commotion there. 😅
We ended our walk with a foot bath around the center of the town.
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Having a foot bath after all that walking helped ease our foot pain. It was so relaxing. We're lucky we were able to find a place that would accommodate all of us.
We went back to Tokyo via bus. In the bus terminal, we found a smaller foot bath. Glad we did already in a much bigger area because if we did it here, we would probably be taking turns because of how small it was.
Thanks for reading!
See you around! じゃあ、またね！
With love,
If you like to read my Kusatsu Onsen travels, here's for you!
| Title & Link | Remarks |
|---|---|
| Another Onsen Trip and Overnight At A Ryokan - Birthday Blog Part 1 - 温泉旅行 | Ryokan/Japanese Inn |
| The Hot Water Field Of Japan - Birthday Blog Part 2 | Attraction |
All photos are taken using my phone unless stated otherwise.
Wow, first time I heard that there is a foot bath in the bus terminal hehe
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Yeaaah to make you relax before going home I guess 🤣
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woah. time flies so fast!
Indeed! 1 year na pala hehe
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yey! thanks much!
Amazing Japan is a developed country but maintain strong culture, the views are very beautiful and the people are friendly. I've been to Japan Twice, now it's flowers season. Thank you.
It's flower season now, true. Nice to go around because it's not super cold anymore
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When I finally get to visit Japan, I must try this too!
Is the foot bath free? 😄
yes it's absolutely free! haven't been to one that isn't 🥳
What a fascinating trip you had, those ice candles must look so pretty AND a foot bath after walking is just brilliant!
Thank you! Would have been nice if we witnessed this alley being illuminated by these ice candles at night but probably there's a next time 😉
Ice cande holder such a unique idea
and I love the concept of the footpbaths, not sure if I have ever seen one on my t5avels
3rd, 2023, buttonwood park, fort taber, massachusetts, moon, morning walk, nature, October, Palmers Island, photography, retired Singing with Light, singing with light photography, tamron 17-28
Wow! I've never had the chance to visit Kisatsu Onsen, but I really want to go there someday in the future. The ashiyu section looks nice! I love those retro posts. They're very cool.
HAYYY
Japan is definitely on my bucket list! Ur post has me dreaming of a relaxing foot soak after a long walk and trying all the delicious food. I love how you and your friends explored the town and found some hidden gems. Thanks for sharing your experience and giving us a glimpse of what Kusatsu Onsen looks and feels like. Much !love beautiful pics xx @wittyzell
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