Kusatsu Onsen
Strikingly simple, strikingly charming, and with a natural musk that my sinuses will never forget. Yes, this town is graced with an overwhelming presence of sulfur from the volcanic outflow that the water draws its heat from. And it was here, at the town’s center called the Yubatake, that all the action happened.
Well, the action that I was going to capture with my lens that is. Naturally, being a town that thrives on hot springs, Kusatsu Onsen’s bath houses are the real attraction. Those are stories for another day.
The daylight in November up in the mountains of Gunma, Japan was constantly picking up the steam that radiated off of the water as it flowed through the aquaducts. This fixture was built to cool the water, which begins at a scalding 65-degrees C (read: 149-degrees F), and bring it down to the desired sub-50-degree C temperature for the baths.
Enjoy these shots, and I hope this post inspires you to visit this small town to relax, unwind, and take a few memories away with you.
Posted on November 26, 2023 - Travel, Japan
