Ogawa Machi: 花和楽の湯 Kawara no Yu

If there is anything one can say with certainty regarding the Japanese people, it is that they do things with dedication.  Of all of the cultures I have experienced (however much or little), the Japanese culture-as a whole-wins gold for dedication to hard work. 

The Japanese people are known to be hard workers.  And although I say that they win gold for their work ethic, this can be-and frequently is-taken too far.  The life of the “salary-man” is far too ubiquitous in Japan and is debatably a partial cause for the high suicide rate with which Japan struggles.

Although this sometimes decidedly unhealthy dedication to work is so engrained into the Japanese way of life, this does not mean that they don’t know how to play.   Some of the most intense parties to which I have been are the end of the year parties with my husband’s coworkers.  These people really know how to party.  They will drink you under the table and come back for more.  On weeknights. 

Yikes.  That is all I have to say about that.

Another thing that Japanese people do well is relax.  Their favorite way of relaxing is, of course, the onsen-Japanese hot springs. 

The archipelago we call Japan is ostensibly one huge mountain range that rose volcanically from the ocean thousands of years ago.  Several live volcanoes still can be found all over the islands-including (according to many sources, including National Geographic) the great natural icon of Japan-Mount Fuji.

Arguably the best product resulting from the volcanoes are the hot springs located all over Japan.  In our town of Ogawa Machi, we have a locally famous hot spring called Kawara noYu.

Entrance to Kawara no Yu

Not so many years ago, the building that now houses the onsen was a roof tile factory.  The son who inherited the factory decided to change the business and drill through the bed rock under Ogawa in search of hot spring water.  After investing everything and failing the first few drills, he struck gold in the form of hot water.  A very successful and popular onsen, they now have multiple locations in Saitama.

One of the reasons this onsen is so popular is because of the feel of the water.  Some onsens have a high level of sulfur in the water and besides not smelling so great, can cause your skin to itch.  (I experienced this at the very popular hot spring resort called Kusatsu in Gunma prefecture.)  Kawara no Yu’s water feels very silky on your skin in the best possible way.  There is something about the mineral content of the water that does not dry out your skin-it feels wonderful.

For the full experience at Karawa no Yu, you should also spend some time in the hot stone spa-the ganbanyoku.  A dimly lit room with soft music and relaxing scents, you receive a wooden head rest and a towel when you enter.  After you have found a location, you lay down on stone floor.  The entire room is heated.  The heat from the hot stones seeps into your bones and feels amazing-especially during winter. 

The hot springs themselves are separated by gender-this is because the Japanese way to experience onsen is in the nude.  However, many people do carry small modesty towels with them between the shower, sauna, and all of the hot spring pools.  After showering, you can either go outside to the assortment of pools which vary in depth and temperature, or stay inside and enjoy the one indoor spring, the sauna, and the cold pool.  Everyone I know usually switches between all of them. 

Kawara no Yu also boasts massage and aroma therapy services, two restaurants and bars, private rooms available for renting, and a big tatami room for reading and taking naps. 

Although entrance to this onsen is a bit on the expensive side, everyone we know who has been there agrees that it is worth it.  If you are a resident of Ogawa and would like to frequent this onsen, I recommend becoming a member of the affiliated gym across the street-Kawara Sports-where along with your membership you receive two free tickets per month to Kawara no Yu.  The tickets only allow one item with entrance-towel set, hot rock room outfit, or yukata (a casual kimono for wearing while dining or relaxing outside of the onsen itself)-we usual bring our own towels and ask for the outfit for the ganbanyoku room. 

Located a short walk from the station, Karawa no Yu is also a great destination for a anyone day tripping to Ogawa Machi. 

Opening hours:  Open from ten am until midnight.  I believe they are open 364 days a year. 

If you are planning on going there during a holiday-especially one that falls on a weekend-be prepared to wait a long time for entrance.  I find that the best times to go for the least amount of people are in the evening during the week.

Here is a map from Ogawa Machi station to the Kawara no Yu entrace.  I am sorry you have to zoom in to see it...I am still an html novice and could not figure out how to correct this just now.

View Ogawa Onsen Kawara no Yu in a larger map

Ogawa Machi: Our Japanese Hometown

A hand drawn/painted map of our town-Ogawa Machi.

Nearly three years have passed since my husband, Karl, and I moved to Japan.  At this time three years ago, we knew that we would be moving to Japan, but we were still anxiously awaiting to hear about where we would be living within Japan. 

Only six short weeks before we were scheduled to leave, we finally found out where we would be living during our time in Japan:  Ogawa Machi, Saitama.  Karl would be working in a tiny neighboring village: Higashichichibu Mura. 

As soon as we had this information, we consulted with the all-knowing Google to try and find out a thing or two about our new place of residence.  Unfortunately, we found very little information. 

Because of this experience, I have decided to take it upon myself to document all of our favorite places in Ogawa Machi on this blog.  Though not nearly as exciting as Tokyo (which is a mere hour away by the Tobu Tojo train line) Ogawa is a fantastic place to live. 

Ogawa is, by Japanese standards, a small town.  The population is probably somewhere around 35,000.  It is nestled in a little valley right at the edge of the Chichibu mountain range.  Like most places in Japan, it too boasts a long history. 

Right after the massive 9.0 earth quake that shook Japan on March 11^th, 2011, we were reassured many times by the residents of Ogawa that we were living in a safe place.  Ogawa was built directly over an enormous bedrock, so even though we can feel lots of shaking during earth quakes, the buildings are quite sound. 

The weather in Ogawa is, for most of the year, fantastic.  Saitama is rated at the sunniest prefecture in all of Japan.  Since the ground doesn’t freeze, the growing season lasts all year long.  The occasional slushy snow falls in the winter and the summer is horribly humid.  But the spring and the autumn are perfection.  Unless you have allergies, that is.

Over the next few weeks, I will devote posts to several places in Ogawa that we wished we had known about when we first arrived.  For anyone else moving here in the future, I hope that you will find this useful. 

Hong Kong: History Museum and Tea Class

On our final full day in Hong Kong, we went to see an incredible museum exhibit at the History Museum called, “The Hong Kong Story.”  If you can only fit one museum visit in to your trip to Hong Kong-this is the one to see. 

Starting from 400,000,000 years ago, the story begins with the geographical formation of Hong Kong.  The exhibit tells the story of Hong Kong all the way through 1997-when the British left and ceded Hong Kong back to mainland China.  

From the WWII area of the museum; these are Japanese military notes.

Interestingly, last fall a friend's grandmother came to Japan to visit and gave us this.  She works at a post office in the US and somebody randomly gave her this.  It is the exact type of Japanese military notes that we saw in Hong Kong History Museum!  Fascinating.

The exhibit is fantastic.  We spent at least three hours going through the entire thing-though you could easily spend longer.  There were several interactive mini exhibits, movies, and smart boards with extra options for learning-including games. 

When we finished, we hopped on a ferry to go back to the tea museum for a tea appreciation class for some more learning. 

I have been to a few tea class/demonstrations in different places in China before, and this was by far the best one.  The teacher was extremely knowledgeable, funny, and easy to understand.  We were able to try many types of teas that were clearly of very high quality.  

This class was a fantastic way for us to wrap up our trip.  If you find yourself in Hong Kong, I recommend you check it out.

The following morning we woke up early and headed off to the airport.  Though we were tired and ready to get back to our little home in Japan, this trip to Hong Kong sparked a new drive for exploration.  Perhaps sometime in the future we could call Hong Kong home.  

Perhaps. 

A Day in Macau

Just a one hour ferry ride from the ports of Hong Kong lies the Macau peninsula.  Similar to Hong Kong, Macau boasts a rich, multi-cultural past.  Hong Kong is heavily influenced by the British, Macau by the Portuguese. 

Unfortunately, in the eyes of some, Macau is now most well known for its casinos.  It is called the Las Vegas of Asia-and for good reason.  More money is lost and won through gambling per year in Macau than in LasVegas.  Gaudy casinos line the coast of Macau.  Gambling is not legal elsewhere in China, so Macau has a monopoly.  It is a gamblers paradise. 

Uninterested in the casino scene, we walked past all of the tackiness to find the Macau in which we were interested.  The most famous cultural icon in Macau are the ruins of St. Paul’s.  We started there.

Unfortunately for us, it was pouring rain.  Pouring. 

Despite the rain, we thoroughly enjoyed the ruins.  Soon after we found the Macau Museum and took relief from the rain.  The museum was so well done, we ended up spending more than three hours inside. 

By the time we had finished, we were starving and ready for a late lunch.  We wandered through the streets until we found a little Portuguese restaurant.  We went all out-it was fantastic. 

The best cappuccino I have ever had.  Ever. 

When we had finished, we stepped outside to find the weather beginning to clear-thank goodness. 

 

Walking around, we discovered some truly fascinating areas of Macau.  You really feel as if you are walking around in Portugal sometimes, then you would turn a corner and see a Chinese temple.  It is an extremely interesting place. 

The only blue sky we saw for the entire trip.  Sigh.

Hong Kong: A Little Night Viewing

After yet another delicious meal of dim sum for dinner and also making ferry reservations to go to Macau the following day, we took a walk along the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade for a little night viewing. 

The Hong Kong cityscape is truly beautiful.  Every evening there is show called the Symphony of Lights-we incidentally saw it some evenings, but never actually sat down to watch it. 

Hong Kong: The Tea Museum and Aviary

 

Since the hike took us less than half the time we had expected, we found ourselves with more than half the day free.  We hauled out our little guide books and maps and quickly zeroed in on our next destination: Hong Kong Park and the Tea Museum.

 

The tea museum was free of charge and definitely worth a visit.  We had hoped to join the free tea appreciation class that is offered at the adjacent tea shop, but unfortunately the class was filled.  Fortunately, the class would be offered once more during our visit.  We made a reservation and continued exploring Hong Kong park.

We came upon the aviary during our exploration.  It was full of rare birds-some of which were not a bit shy.  

On our walk back towards the pier, we came upon a beautiful church and another park.  (Hong Kong is full of nice parks!) 

We caught the Star Ferry back over to Kowloon.  If you have time, taking the ferry from Hong Kong island to Kowloon is so much more fun than taking the metro.  And just as cheap and nearly as convenient.  We loved it and took the ferry multiple times during our trip. 

Hong Kong: The Dragon’s Back

Almost from the very beginning of our trip, Karl and I fell in love with Hong Kong.  We loved the unique feel of the city.  The international feel, the amalgamation of cultures, the size of the city.  We are used to Tokyo-home to approximately 13,000,000 people.  The vast megalopolis is amazing, but it can get tiresome. 

Hong Kong is home to more than 7,000,000 people.  Compared to Tokyo, Hong Kong seemed like a small city.  Not because of the population, but because of the physical size.  It is not that large.  The metro is itty bitty compared to the intricate maze of trains and metro lines we are used to dealing with in Japan. 

One of the other reasons we loved Hong Kong was because of how easy it was to get out of the city and into the mountains.  And how quickly you can get there.  When researching our trip before we left, we decided we would try to fit in some hiking.  We found one hike-the Dragon’s Back-in the southern district of Hong Kong Island.  In 2004, it was voted the number one urban hike in Asia by Time Magazine. 

We had to check it out. 

It took us only about thirty minutes to get to the trailhead from Kowloon.  We loved the hike.  It was not difficult at all.  We reached Shek O Peak with no trouble at all.  Our little guidebook told us that the hike would take about six hours.  It took us two and a half.  

At the end of the hike we walked along the beach and checked out this incredible ancient stone carving.  Definitely worth seeing if you do this hike.  We then caught the shuttle back to the metropolis.  

Back at the metro station, we spied an outdoor market and couldn’t resist walking through and looking at all the amazing food stuffs.  I would love to shop at one of these places for my groceries.