Yunessun
So the day after I climbed Fuji, Love and I headed to Hakone. Since the weather was, well, rather atrocious, we headed to Yunessun, a hot-springs complex. This has tonnes of indoor and outdoor hot baths and unusually for Japan, you get to wear bathing suits. Except of course in the “Naked Zone”.
The baths come in all shapes, sizes, temperatures, and of course colours – not the bath, but the water itself. The crazy baths include: red wine (sadly doesn’t have the flavour, just the colour), green tea, coffee, curry (this one I was really glad it didn’t have the flavour), and sake.
But there were two particularly special baths that deserve mention. First was a “dead sea bath”, into which an entire country’s salt extracts had been poured, raising its density, and thereby making you float! It’s really cool floating on the top, the only problem comes when (not if – there’s no choice in this) you get some in your eyes, or if you’ve got scratches or cuts. OW. Big time OW.
The second amazing bath – a real “only in Japan” moment – was “Dr Fish”. In the style of a Turkish hammam, this was a foot-bath filled with tiny fish that come up and nibble your toes. I kid you not. This is not one for the ticklish, and would make even the local Yakuza bosses giggle like school girls. That’s if they were allowed in – “NO ENTRANCE to those who have a tattoo on their body” say the rules. I’m not quite sure of the health benefits of Dr Fish, but definitely an experience.
