Posts Tagged‘onsen’

LWIF EP66: Visiting a Famous Japanese Hot Spring Town: Kusatsu

I love Japanese onsens (hot springs), and my family… well, they like them. I had heard about Kusatsu and asked my wife to see if she could book a trip out there for us. She delivered and we rented a car and drove a few hours, stopping a few places along the way, before we reached our ryokan. Not knowing that much about Kusatsu, I think the family was all pleasantly elated to find a hot spring town that was beyond our expectations. There are some places that the kids visit where they whine about walking here and there, but…

LWIF EP45: Tokyo’s Volcano Island: Oshima

Did you know that Tokyo has a volcano island where you can visit an active volcano in the morning and go snorkeling in the afternoon? The place is called Oshima Island. Thanks to Tokyo Islands for sponsoring our trip. You can book a ferry to Oshima – or any of Tokyo’s islands – at www.tokyoislands.jp. I was quite surprised when I first found out that Tokyo has a chain of subtropical islands to the south. Last year, we went to Shikinejima and Niijima. Niijima had a gorgeous white sand beach, while Shikinejima was a tiny island with fantastic little inlets…

LWIF X EP5: Nudity in Japan

When I first visited Japan, I was eager to try out the famous onsens (hot springs), but very nervous about bathing naked in a room full of guys. While some aspects of Japanese culture is very open to nudity (like public bath houses and men’s toilets), it’s also one that is fairly conservative (in comparison to North America, women are modestly dressed). Jess from Jessica and Hai joins me to discuss nudity in Japan.