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  • Day 4

    Shibu Onsen

    February 20, 2017 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 3 °C

    Following our visit to the Snow Monkey Park, we took a 5 minute local bus (which was quite an achievement considering to complete lack of English anywhere to be seen - turns out there is only one bus and it is actually very easy, but we'll still count this as a win) to the nearby village called Shibu Onsen. This has got to be a lesson in researching where you visit before you go there because this was an absolute gem of a town. Most tourists skip Shibu Onsen entirely and will take the direct bus to and from the Snow Monkey Park, it is their loss though.

    We got off the bus in the centre of Shibu Onsen next to the Information Centre. The village is actually very small (no more than 1km long and only 1-2 blocks across) and can be easily explored entirely on foot. We enjoyed walking the cobblestone laneways which are surrounded by traditional wooden Ryokan (Japanese B&B's).

    The town has over 1,300 years of history and is famous for its 9 public baths. Each of these baths is said to provide users with unique medical relief/protection. Good fortune and health will come to those who visit all 9 baths. Unfortunately we did not have a chance to take a bath this time but did enjoy the use of one of the two footbaths in the village.

    For lunch, we wandered into a tiny little cafe and enjoyed a fantastic Japanese Curry, Green Tea and ice cream. The cafe would have seated no more than 8-10 people and was run by a lovely lady who was very welcoming. We were able to warm ourselves up as we enjoyed the view outside.

    A number of shrines are scattered throughout the village and there is also a shooting range (a bit random I thought). The village is also home, as we would later find out, to Ryokan Kanaguya which is rumoured to be one of the bath houses to be the inspiration for the Studio Ghibli film Spirited Away. This stunning wooden building has over two and a half centuries of history and is one of many amazing buildings that walk that fine line between quaint and extravagant that make Shibu Onsen such an amazing place.

    This would be a fantastic place to 'get away' for a few nights to relax. I would love to come back and spend some more time in the village and do the tour of all the baths.
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