Powder! Monkeys! Onsen!

Spent the morning shredding powder in the backcountry but Yasu's back was bothering him so we decided to call it a day and seek some relief for tired aching muscles at an onsen (Natural hot spring mineral bath). There are tons of great onsens here in Hakuba but since we had some extra time we decided to do a bit of exploring and drive out to the next town, Omachi, and go for an onsen there for a change. It was a beautiful drive and we spotted many monkeys along the way.

The hotspring, Takasekan Onsen, was awesome too. We have actually been there before. Hot thermal alkaline waters you can drink. Last time we went I used the women's outdoor bath (women's rotenburo) which was a bit too hot for my liking. It was even too hot to drink! The women's side also has 2 baths indoors, these were set at a more comfortable soaking temperature. 

This time we discoved that the men's outdoor bath is actually a mixed bath (konyoku), meaning daring women could soak with the boys, which I did. It was the pefect temperature (probably about 40 degrees) and we soaked for about an hour.