Snow in April!

Who would have thought that a random day in April would kick off with freezing temperatures and snow? Okay, maybe if you were in Antartica or something but our trip just became a bit more memorable.

This is the 300+ year old ryokan inn, Tsurunoyu, we stayed at last night that boasts some of the best “out of the way” natural hot springs. And “out of the way” means a three hour train ride, followed by two buses with a bunch of elderly couples into the middle of nowhere.  There were icy snow drifts when we came in, but there was enough green around to remind us that Spring was here. That is, until we woke up the next morning to powdery snow covering the ground and being able to see our breath when we shuffled down the hallway to breakfast–and then running through icy puddles to jump into the outdoor hot springs for that true experience of sitting in a steaming onsen butt naked while snowflakes fell all around you.

And with that, I’d like to officially announce that I am sick of Japanese food, including miso soup, fish, tsukemono, red bean anything but not rice because I could eat bowls of rice all day long.

Also, B would like to officially announce that he’s a huge fan of the toilet butt sprays. He’s been trying every single one in each of our hotels. The last toilet even came with a hot air fan to dry your butt off. I refuse to try them. Toilet paper is enough for me, thank you very much.