After lunch, I decided to take care of my fatigue by participating in one of the most unusual of Japanese rituals - public bathing. I googled nearby onsen and found that there was a nice, foreigner-friendly one near my hotel called Thermae Yu. I took the subway to Shinjuku, found the onsen easily, and spent a very pleasant hour and a half soaking in the various pools. My favorite one was a shallow outdoor lie down pool with moderately hot water. I just lay there, stared at the sky, and let my fatigue soak away. Here, the Japanese hive mind was in full swing; everybody knew what they were supposed to do. There were instructions in English throughout the spa, so I was able to figure out what I needed to do. Even then, I'm sure I still committed a faux pas or two.
Refreshed after the soak, I had a latte at Tully's, collected my bag at the hotel, and made my way to Narita for my flight to Guam and onwards to Honolulu.
September 30, 2017 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C