Waking up each day...

By the time I finished work yesterday, my whole back started to hurt.

Got up rather early this morning (well 8:30 as opposed to 9:30 or 10:00...) I guess we'd gone to bed rather early last night. I woke up in pain; the kind that reminds you how much your muscles are not used to being exercised so much.

I decided that an onsen trip would be just the thing to treat my body after all the hard work I put it through.

We rode out to the station in a light drizzle, I caught the 10:30 bus (that came at 10:40) bound for the Iwasaki Hotel in Kirishima, while Paul caught the 10:39 train out to Kagoshima for some event thing happening out that way.

By the time I was up in Kirishima, it was pouring down, good thing it eased up a little when I got to the stop for the Kirishima Kokusai Hotel. The entry for the onsen at the hotel was 1000 yen but I had those half-price coupon things. I was going to go there with Marci and have the buffet lunch there too, but she bailed so I went by myself just for the onsen.

I got the bus times mixed up so I left the onsen too late for the 1:37 bus back out to Kokubu, and way too early for the next bus which was at 2:58. So I bought an umbrella and walked a few bus stops down. It was an almost-hour-long bus ride to Kokubu station, fortunately there was a training waiting for me when I got off the bus. Then out to Kagoshima Chuo I went.

I was getting cold so I bought this hooded long jumper and put it on before walking some more to meet Paul. We then walked yet some more to the Tenmonkan area to have ramen at a place called 我流風 (Garufu). I had the one with the egg and Paul had the one under it. They were both pretty nice. Our soups are supposedly the same but somehow mine tasted a bit harsher, hence I didn't like it as much. The meat was awesome though.

I'm now very tired and sleepy, Paul's already gone to bed. I'm going to follow suit.

No sign of the typhoon at all now. It's moved up to visit the Shikoku people.

I was going to get up earlier and go to the onsen today, but my bike tyre's punctured. So I slept in.
I could take Paul's bike, but then he won't be able to ride me out or come out to get me afterwards.
Plus, I have to leave early today to go collect my visa and have it put on my passport; I wonder how if I'll get a 1-year visa again or if they'll give me a 3-year one this time...

Anyway, I've decide that Monday Wednesday and Friday will be my onsen days. That would be the start of some routine-ish living.
I should also start getting more exercise in, especially if I'm going to do that 10km run in Ibusuki in January.

I've been accumulating JR pamphlets for the onsen area in Kirishima and Ibusuki... half price coupons for nice onsens... oh ho ho ho ho ho... (^O^)

Can't wait till Bachiko comes over in October!

The rain I woke up to this morning seemed heavier than yesterday's.

Glad I decided to brave the rain and go to the onsen yesterday. It was rather pleasant.
It was called "YOU Yu". A bit smaller than the one in Kanoya, but water quality was just as good.





Downside to the ones I've been to so far, since we've moved down here, is that they're not as big and nicely furnished as the one I got used to going to while we were living in Osaka. Afterall it was a super sento.

On the plus side: I don't know what it is with the water here (as well as the water at the onsen in Kanoya,) it's crystal clear and it makes your skin feel soft and smooth. Also the onsen's here don't seem to get nearly as crowded as the ones back in Osaka either. It's much cheaper here too so I'm not complaining.

This friendly obaasan chatted to me for a bit while I was there, turned out she's a daily customer. She was telling me about some other onsens up in the mountains, some "hidden" one in particular down the road of sakura trees.. but I have no idea where still...

Anyway, that kind of inspired me with the thought of going to the onsen regurlarly.
- It's about a 20-minute bike ride away, so I get some exercise
I can get a gym membership, but I don't enjoy going to the gym,
at lease this gives me the motivation of going to something I enjoy.
- The water makes your skin nice and smooth; seriously you can feel difference rather quickly.
- 400yen during the week and 500yen on weekends
but the 10-visit pass is only 3000 yen
plus one free visit after you've used up the 10.

I figure one of those 10-visit passes should last me about a month if I go there every 2 or 3 days (since I have a whole week away in Kanoya each month.)
Not a bad habit to get into really; more exercise, better skin, relaxation. I think it's a great idea!

Now I just have to wait for this rain to stop.

... but maybe in ANOTHER 2 weeks

Well I set the alarm and got up early to go to dragon boat.
Just when I think: "Nothing could possibly go wrong this time..." We get there, and there was no boat, no people, no sign of any action at all. Even the water looked shallow. Great!

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I sat there for a while because in an attempt to comfort me in my dispair, Paul said we're like 5 minutes early. So we waited. Still nothing.
Then some guy walked down the ramp and looked around checking the water etc. On his way back up the ramp, I asked if he was one of the dragon boat people and he was. Sadly I couldn't train with them today as they are preparing for the Kagoshima Prefecture race that's gonna be held next weekend, plus nobody seemed to have shown up for training anyway so... I will have to wait another 2 weeks.

I was rather bummed, but I guess having at least talked to someone in more detail about it and exchanging phone numbers with them is a promising start.

On the plus side, Paul came home with Pokemon Platinum (new DS game released today,) and is now happily
playing away. I on the otherhand have just finished weaving the second basket (a red one this time,) and am now just making the handles.

I was gonna finally make a trip out to the onsen in Hinata Yama (about a 25 minute bike ride away) but it's started to rain and hasn't really stopped yet so I'm not sure if it will actually eventuate today.

Been eating so much all weekend.

Friday night:
Had yakiniku (bbq/grilled beef) at tama-san's.
Apart from all the meat and vegies and seafood we were eating off the tabletop grill, she also made salad, kimchi (yes she made it herself), chijimi, and spring rolls. Then to finish it off, we had fresh pineapple, and mini chou cremes and mini chocolate eclairs. Even though I was really really really tired, it was good to see people I haven't seen in quite a while: Tama-san, Bachiko-san, You-san, Sumi-san and Idel.
It turned out, Tama-san actually has an apartment closer to civilization, the place we went to back in Summer was her "jikka" meaning it's her family home. I still stayed over though, waking up to a breakfast of mini chou cremes (I had 2) and a glass of apple juice.

Saturday:
Met up with Idel, and went to Inadera (about 15mins from Umeda/Osaka) and had an "ama ebi sarumon don" (sweet prawn and salmon sashimi on rice) before soaking and relaxing at the onsen there：湯の華廊.
Then met up with Paul around 6 back in Umeda and went to the Rise year-end party at an izakaya where they seem to just keep on bringing more and more food.
I even had a couple of non-softdrink drinks too. One was a strawberry and plum cocktail with real strawberries and shaved ice, and the other was a "macha miruku" (green tea liqueur with milk). Both were quite yummy, except I think I'm allergic to alcohol as I went bright red really quickly (as usual) and have some itchy spots on my arms.

All in all, I had a pretty fun weekend, and even managed to get some relaxation in too.
Today was a rather lazy day except for the 1.5hrs of Wii Fit-ting; I stayed in bed till 1pm... hehehe.

And off to bed I go now.