The Evening

July 16^th

The Evening

What a marvellous day. At Kurayoshi we stopped for coffee and a chat in a lovely coffee house that had a private view of a meditation garden.

After we had refreshed we headed onto Misasa, a small resort town based around hot springs. The reason for this little expedition was that to experience a traditional Japanese onsen (hot springs) we had to travel to a public onsen where Sir S and I would not be impeded entry due to the dodgy skin markings that we acquired under the needle during the Burmese Campaign. So Misasa it was. What no one explained to me was that not only were these particular springs public, they were also mixed and highly visible to everyone who decided to walk across the main bridge in the town. But crafty Hiroki had a plan. We would enter the baths at dusk and lounge in the warm water as the stars rose over the hills of Misasa. Fantastic!

For clarity I have divided this entry into the trials of the onsen and the description of the town.