Does Heaven Have Japanese Hot Springs?

Are Japanese onsens part of the topography of heaven? 

Authentic Japanese hot springs are heavenly: They bring us closer to the earth, eliminate stress like sunlight melting ice cream, soothe aching muscles, heal injuries and other physical ailments, and let us slow down and be aware and grateful for our surroundings. 

Some of us in Japan can't imagine life without onsens. Japanese hot springs are our ikigai, our passion, or, as the French say, raison d'être.  

The person who chose the etching on this gravestone probably shared this feeling. When I discovered this artwork while strolling through a culturally rich, historic cemetery within Nagoya's fantastic Heiwa Koen (koen means park), her passion transmitted across time and nationality to my heart. Though I never met her, maybe I know something about her.

I imagine a woman luxuriating in a hot spring bath. Perhaps she is in a traditional ryokan (one in Shizuoka?) with views of Mt. Fuji and cherry trees. It must be spring since blossoms are falling. She has prepared a small container of sake in a wooden bucket floating on the water's surface. She is at peace with the world. For her, she is experiencing heaven on earth. 

The image reminds me of my experience at a Shizukoka ryokan soon after arriving in Japan. I was alone in a rock-lined onsen bath on the side of a cliff. The moon above shone a beam that flashed across the sea in my direction. Elegant, perfectly manicured pine trees and towering Mt. Fuji were silhouetted against the evening sky. 

A Japanese man in his seventies walked naked toward the bath. He passed by me and stared into Mt. Fuji. Then, he sang in a melodious voice a traditional country song about Mt. Fuji. This moment became one of my most memorable cultural immersions in Japan.

Another heavenly bath     Photograph by Peter Locke

Even though I have bathed in over six hundred hot springs in Japan, I will always remember that special moment. Japanese onsens became my ikigai and my relaxation. 

The photograph above shows me experiencing another moment of heaven on Earth. The name of the hot spring is Yunohira Onsen. It is one of the best natural hot springs in Japan. Going there requires a four-hour-one-way hike.

If you read this post while in Nagoya, check out Raku Spa Garden, Nagoya Airport's Bath, and the Nagoya Crown Hotel in Fushimi.

Please continue reading my blog and share your best onsen memories with me and my readers. A comment field is located at the bottom of my posts. I look forward to your contribution.