I've just started writing about onsen at airtech's super-blog. I will also start writing about onsen for a Japanese portal site soon.
Ms. Sonoe Azuma is based in Tokyo, Japan and is a Big fan of onsen, which are hot springs located in thousands of places in Japan. She has a BA from Sophia Univ in Tokyo, and an MA from Waseda Univ in Tokyo. She Founded Japan Port LLP in 2005. Sonoe is currently Running an old historical house built in the Meiji era(early 1900s) for events and social interactions. As a young girl she lived in the US where she mastered the English language. Without further ado:
Japan’s natural treasure- Onsen!
Have you ever heard of an onsen? It is a word for hot spring in Japanese. “On” means hot and “sen" means spring. As Japan is volcanically active country, there are thousands of onsen sites throughout the country! Japan is obviously a heaven for hot spring fans!
I am a huge fan of onsen and have been to various onsen sites in Japan. There are some onsen in the middle of Tokyo, where I currently live, but the best ones are mostly located outside of Tokyo. So, I travel around the country to soak myself in a superb onsen!
Of course the best part of the onsen is to simply soak your body in a gorgeous onsen and sit back and relax but there is more to it.
Finding out the mineral content of the springs, such as chloride sodium, sulfur, simple onsen etc, which differs from place to place is one way of enjoying an onsen. Depending on the mineral content, some onsen are transparent, milky, oily or even dark brown water. Some onsen may feel soft while some may feel silky smooth. Feeling and seeing these differences is one charm of enjoying onsen.
Besides the type of onsen, location is also an important factor to enjoy onsen. There are indoor onsen, outdoor onsen and also onsen in the middle of nature! Imagine yourself in an outdoor onsen sipping a nice cup of sake!
Don’t forget about its power. Onsen have been used for relaxation but also for medical care. The mineral contents are said to cure all kinds of ailments.Therefore, many people spend days at an onsen ryokan(Japanese-style inn with an onsen) to cure their ailments.
This blog will share the charms of onsen and feature various onsen in Japan! You will find ou t that surprisingly onsen differs substantially from place to place! Don't miss the next post!
Good on you! I like reading about your experiences at onsen all around Japan. I think it's awesome the Airtech visitors will now also be able to enjoy your great stories. I'm a fan myself but budget and time constraints limit me to the close-by sento, but when I do have the time I do like to travel around an soak. I agree, it's great!
Posted by: Wouter Kloos | November 07, 2007 at 09:45 AM
Hi Wouter, Thank you for your comment and thank you for visiting my onsen blog:) I love your sento guide website!! Can I link it to my onsen blog?
Posted by: Sonoe | November 07, 2007 at 04:16 PM
Hi Sonoe, of course you may link to me. I have added your blog to my blogroll too!
Posted by: Wouter | November 19, 2007 at 11:48 PM
Thanks! I just made "onsen links" on the right side of my blog.
Posted by: Sonoe | November 21, 2007 at 12:20 AM
Thanks a lot Sonoe!
Posted by: Wouter | November 23, 2007 at 10:49 AM