Nukui Springs

After an hour long bus trip, which I kept dozing off on... We arrived at our hotel for the night. It was in the mountains and called Nukui Springs.

I got paired up with Tessa for my room, which I was very happy about. Our rooms were so big and wonderful. In the cupboards they had kimono-like garments for you to wear when going to and from the Onsen, which they had as a part of the hotel!

We had to practice our cultural performance for a while in preparation for the upcoming performances but after that, with the encouragement of Madeleine, a group of girls ventured to the Onsen.
I was a bit timid and scared but because there were not many of us ,and we were in Japan, I decided to go for it.
I was excited to the wear the 'kimono' and the facilties of the Onsen where really cool, so it didn't take long for me overcome my fears with excitement.

I had to constantly look to Madeleine for guidance but the process was pretty simple and nice.
The room where you first enter the Onsen was for dis-robing and where you put your belongings in a basket. They also had a wall lined with mirrors, basins and various facial care products.
From there you venture into the washing and bathing area. Where two walls were lined with the showering stations.
The showering stations included a stool, a small tub/bucket, body wash, shampoo, 'treatment', and the controls for the shower head and taps.
We each washed up at our stations and then headed to the pools within the same room. They had two spa like pools of different temperatures and one cold pool. I thought the baths would be a bit deeper, regardless, their design and sizing was perfect.
The ground was all at the same level so if you were sitting up right, you were doing so with your legs straight out in front of you.
We brought the smaller towels from our room with us, which we wet with the cold water and put on our head to keep us from over heating. We also tried the sauna and outside bath but found them too hot and more stuffy than enjoyable.

I found it to be a real bonding experience with the girls and very relaxing. After only a few minutes I stopped being so self conscious about my body and was able to enjoy the experience of the Onsen.
Although I was there with a group of girls, I bonded with Madeleine and Tessa the most. I'm really glad for it, I really like them as people and get on with them so well.Read more