I know my head was a little full of spider webs the next morning after our get together but I knew that having made the plan to go to the onsen that I should stick to it. Luckily, it was brutally cold with the wind so it was difficult to feel drowsy. I headed back to the station nearby where I used to live and gave Emi a call. I stuck my 10 yen coin in and a sleepy voice answered. She was feeling very rough and didn't remember much from the night before. The call then cut out. Apparently 10 yen gets you about 12 seconds of phone time. I fished in my pocket again for another coin. This time, we got as far as where I was calling from and what we should do before the phone cut off. I was reluctant to pay a dollar for a simple phone call but the 10 yen coins just weren't doing it. When Emi found out I was at kuromatsu station near her house, I think she felt guilty and even though she was in no condition to drive to the mountains, she at least could come up with something. She told me she'd meet me in front if the grocery store. Some 30 minutes later, suffering from severe hypothermia. I formed my frozen fingers into a rough appendage and dialed her again. She was having trouble finding her car keys but would be there soon. She did show up soon but she was definitely feeling rough. She must be allergic to sake because she threw up the night before. She said her head hurt and that her hair smelled of smoke. She ruled out driving to the mountains but did take me to this hot baths place. I expected the place to be empty as it was a weekday morning but it was quite busy. I was amazed as Emi gave me a quick tour-there was were in a group sleeping room, tv room, lie around and do nothing room, a restaurant, massage stations, etc. We went in the separate bathing entrances and I immediately went outside to enjoy the cold air and the hot water. The place had about 8 different baths and I especially enjoyed the silk bath. I also went inside after a while and did a cold, cold bath followed by a jacuzzi bath. It was awesome. They had provided us with the casual wear people used to wear in the old days (not the kimono things as people lie down in all sorts of different ways here. I was worried my North American body was going to be too big but it fit quite comfortably. I met up with Emi and entered the sauna with her but was not able to deal with the 50 degree heat before I went outside and lay down on an inclined mattress. The soft, smooth grass woven floor (tatami) was awesome and it was great to rest the eyes.
This is a bit personal but Emi and I ended up sleeping together in a room full of strangers. She took the next mattress over and we enjoyed a delightful nap. :) The weird thing about this place is that it is just designed to lounge around. Time seems to stop here! After a two hour nap, we grabbed a bite, and then headed back for another bath. Emi was feeling much better. I was surprised how quickly the time had passed. On the way back, Emi shared that she was going to France to tour guide but was nervous about not knowing any French. We listened to a learn French cd on the way into the city. It was surprising easy to understand but weird to hear the Japanese sentence and then the French one.
I forgot to mention that on our tsunami tour through the mountains that I had slipped about 30$ for gas into her present bag before I left the car. Emi didn't mention it but at our party the night before, she gave me an envelop with $30 worth of Euros. Such are the Japanese. Her biggest concern with blacking out the night before was whether she had paid or not. It was neat that we got to see each other 3 times when originally, we were only scheduled for one. She dropped me off near a station and thanked each other about 40 times. Just before I left, she phoned Yuko so that we could say goodbye. I asked her about the night before and just running off but she didnt seem very apologetic. i think that she might have been afraid of crying. :) Not likely. i joked with her that because i was just a gaijin, the standard social rules did not apply! :) i live to play up that i am a minority here. Truth is, most people are extremely respectful if you are polite and at least try to learn a little japanese. After the call to Yuko was done, more thanks and i left the car. The Japanese aren't big huggers. A very casual but pleasant day. Top award to Emi for listening to my horrible Japanese all day with a hangover even!! :)
This is a bit personal but Emi and I ended up sleeping together in a room full of strangers. She took the next mattress over and we enjoyed a delightful nap. :) The weird thing about this place is that it is just designed to lounge around. Time seems to stop here! After a two hour nap, we grabbed a bite, and then headed back for another bath. Emi was feeling much better. I was surprised how quickly the time had passed. On the way back, Emi shared that she was going to France to tour guide but was nervous about not knowing any French. We listened to a learn French cd on the way into the city. It was surprising easy to understand but weird to hear the Japanese sentence and then the French one.
I forgot to mention that on our tsunami tour through the mountains that I had slipped about 30$ for gas into her present bag before I left the car. Emi didn't mention it but at our party the night before, she gave me an envelop with $30 worth of Euros. Such are the Japanese. Her biggest concern with blacking out the night before was whether she had paid or not. It was neat that we got to see each other 3 times when originally, we were only scheduled for one. She dropped me off near a station and thanked each other about 40 times. Just before I left, she phoned Yuko so that we could say goodbye. I asked her about the night before and just running off but she didnt seem very apologetic. i think that she might have been afraid of crying. :) Not likely. i joked with her that because i was just a gaijin, the standard social rules did not apply! :) i live to play up that i am a minority here. Truth is, most people are extremely respectful if you are polite and at least try to learn a little japanese. After the call to Yuko was done, more thanks and i left the car. The Japanese aren't big huggers. A very casual but pleasant day. Top award to Emi for listening to my horrible Japanese all day with a hangover even!! :)