EPIC trip at Kusastsu onsen, Japan!

[Jacynthe Azurée]

Hello everyone!

Some people here know I'm a French guy living in Japan... but not so many people know that I LOVE exploring, and that I'm a bit crazy...

So, I was on a week-end at Kusatsu onsen, an EPIC place of Japan, several hours of car away from Tokyo... I could come there with LOTS of difficulties, but it was worth it!
It's a magnificent place, which is like out of time, like a postcard from the past...

Here are a few pictures as a tease, because just like my pfp Daybreaker, I enjoy teasing a lot hehehe~




Crazy stories and pictures of magnificent landscapes will pop out here tomorrow!

 

[Jacynthe Azurée]

Heyyy, as promised, I'm starting to tell you my amazing adventure, and I'm posting some pictures to illustrate it!

Kuastsu is very far away from everything... Its in the North of Honshu island (the main island of Japan), and I live in the South!

Hence, to go there, I needed to cross all of Japan, like this:


(sorry for the French text ^^)

I didn't plan well, and took too much time to "look" at horses pictures that morning... Therefore, I knew it would be very complicated to go from Tokyo to Kusatsu, because I would fatally miss the last bus... However, I had my hotel booked and my 2 bags ready, so I was like "ok, let's go and I'll see!".
So, I did the 4 hours of transportation to Tokyo, using multiple trains, and when I arrived at the BIIIG capital, I started to jump from train to train to go as close as possible to my destination...
I ended up at Gunma Otsu, a very old station on the middle of the mountain!



Funnily enough, to go outside the station, I didn't have to validate the ticket, there were no gate!! VERT rare in Japan!

Once there, I realized that I had to possibilities... Pay like 500-1000 USD of taxi (OUCH) or walking 3 hours on the moutain to get there... I chose the second way... x)

Good thing is that I saw my first snow in Japan yaaaay!



In order to make it faster, I did lots of introspection, I thought about my life, zoophilia, the past, the future yet everything... and it worked, it was still hard but it helped me a lot!
I also listened to lots of brony songs I love, which also helped a lot!

After about 2 hours of walk, someplace saved my life... a convenience store, also called kombini in Japan!



The cashier there is adorable!! We talked a lot! She (rightfully) thought I was crazy hehe.

Then, I continued for like 1 hour, listening to more and more music... My legs were more and more tired...
Still along the same road, I've crossed forests, fields covered with snow, other forests... I was glad the road was easy to follow and there were some lights along the way! It was climbing, always climbing... very tiresome indeed!

At some point, I've FINALLY discovered civilization again! First time of my life I'm so happy to see houses again!



A few minutes later, I've discovered a feet onsen, it feels very nice to have your feet in hot water after 3 hours of walk!!!



Aaaand a few minutes of walk later, i've finally found my hotel... arrived at my room at like 1:30 AM!!!

 

[AirBender101]

Fucking bad ass. I plan on visiting japan. Thats awesome. We should go together if you ever go agian.

 

[OneCozyCustomer]

Wow awesome lil travelog so far! Super cool and hope to see some more updates. ?

 

[Jacynthe Azurée]

Fucking bad ass. I plan on visiting japan. Thats awesome. We should go together if you ever go agian.

Don't worry, I'm in Japan until May 2025, at least x)

Glad some peeps like this thread!
Of course there'll be updates ^^

 

[AirBender101]

Oh

Don't worry, I'm in Japan until May 2025, at least x)

Glad some peeps like this thread!
Of course there'll be updates ^^

Hell yeah. Well then i visit before then ill def hit you up

 

[Jacynthe Azurée]

Heyyy, here's the next part of this adventure ^^

In the morning, I could finally enjoy the beautiful mountain landscape, with snow covering the ground!






A bit lost in this town, completely new to me, I wandered around until I found a zoo / vivarium... which I visited, but didn't like much, because they put birds in cages... Japan still has a lot to learn regarding animal rights! Which I criticized on my review of the place...
However, it's main room lays under a very impressive dome!






Then, after eating cheese nan, I enjoyed my first onsen / thermal bath, Ohtaki-no-yu!





Stay tune for the next part, the center of the town and the Sahawara park!

 

[Lokissimo]

Wow, what an adventure! You are hardcore to walk 3 hours in the dark

 

[valleyyote]

Well how awesome is this ? Very !

Some very cool and beautiful architecture and scenery! The water looks so warm an inviting. Glad you made it ! Sorry to hear you missed your connections and had to hoof it as the saying goes. Glad you could find a place to get out of the gold and get some goodies. Got to love these little stores. I had no idea 7elevens exited elsewhere. Nice you met a friendly lass! I can see why she would think you were nuts.

I love how different their hotel room is compared to the typical American style. Love when cultures keep traditions! Nice, beautiful view from your room?

Really loving that round arboretum! Such a beautiful, calming, warm, inviting space full of interesting, beautiful plants!

I am jealous! I would so love to be there with you! I do so love beautiful places!

I look forward to seeing more!

Thank you so kindly for sharing this!

I hope you are well this day and that you have most beautiful one! ?

 

[AirBender101]

That is cool. I really want to go lol. Keep posting more. Also can you visit one of those femboy bars ive always wanted to visit to see the hot femboys. Its a themed bar not sure the name just seen it on tv once.

 

[Jacynthe Azurée]

Thanks for all the nice comments <3

I will post more very soon!

Sorry to take my time, I have lots of things happening at once x3
Many are good things ^^ but I'm a bit tired when I come here!

Valley, I really hope we'll meet someday in the future, in one place or the other... who knows?
Also, 7eleven are more popular in Japan than in the US... all the American people I've met here in Japan
think that 7eleven are WAY more common and way better in Japan!
7eleven, Family Mart, Lawson, Daily Yamazaki... these are "kombini" (convenience store in Japanese),
opened almost 24/7, and we all go there all the time here!!

AirBender, thanks for your nice comments as well <3
Ahah I don't remotely know of the femboys bars you're mentioning... but I'm not really into that.
I prefer meeting people with the same mindset as me... and I tend to admire horses more than human femboys x)
For themed bars, I'm a lot more into music bars, like Rock bars and Metal bars... I've been to an awesome one at Nagoya!!!

 

[Jacynthe Azurée]

Let's continue the adventure, shall we? ^^

So, after the more than welcomed onsen bath, where I've met several nice Japanese people, including some which have visited France, I continued my exploration towards the town center...
I quickly see that the number of tourists increases, and the boutiques having more and more customers as I'm getting closer to the center.

Nonetheless, I never expected to discover such a fairy tale scenery... if every human being had suddenly vanished from this place, I would have believed it was a fairy tale!

Have a look!









After admiring this awesome place from every angle, I needed to come back to my hotel room, because I've forgotten my external power source there and my phone was running out of power...
After this little crisis had been solved, I've continued to explore in the direction of the mythic Nishinokawara park!
Again, I felt like I was in a fairy tale!
The multicoloured lights make this park looking like a dream!










(I find these statues a bit sexy hehe~)






I stayed quite a long time there before trying another onsen, in the town center...
The water there is boiling, it's like 50 celsius degrees!
I've met 3 nice French people there ^^

Afterwards, I went to sleeeeeeep at my ryokan!


TO BE CONTINUED...

 

[AirBender101]

Thanks for all the nice comments <3

I will post more very soon!

Sorry to take my time, I have lots of things happening at once x3
Many are good things ^^ but I'm a bit tired when I come here!

Valley, I really hope we'll meet someday in the future, in one place or the other... who knows?
Also, 7eleven are more popular in Japan than in the US... all the American people I've met here in Japan
think that 7eleven are WAY more common and way better in Japan!
7eleven, Family Mart, Lawson, Daily Yamazaki... these are "kombini" (convenience store in Japanese),
opened almost 24/7, and we all go there all the time here!!

AirBender, thanks for your nice comments as well <3
Ahah I don't remotely know of the femboys bars you're mentioning... but I'm not really into that.
I prefer meeting people with the same mindset as me... and I tend to admire horses more than human femboys x)
For themed bars, I'm a lot more into music bars, like Rock bars and Metal bars... I've been to an awesome one at Nagoya!!!

yeah i just want to go for the experience its supposed to be fun thats all i just wanted to see it and take pictures lol.

 

[AirBender101]

very interesting place and find indeed. i did find the water fall thing cool. it looked like something from a movie set

 

[Jacynthe Azurée]

Yes, it definitely looks like a movie set!

When you go there, you're like out of time, in a different reality!


The next morning, I decided to enjoy the morning by doing a long walk up to the borders of the town...

At first, I've explored the temple Kosen-ji, a very nice Bouddhist historical area, on the top of a loooong slope!

One of the entrance is "watched" by a Bouddha statue!




And then, I could admire lots of Japanese stone lanterns - toro - that always look so nice and mysterious!





Then, I have entered the main yard of the temple, with a few nice buildings!





And finally, I went across the nice and tall red pagoda!





I have finished my visit by a long staircase leading to the center of Kusatsu!

 

[Jacynthe Azurée]

Also, sorry, I'll be slow to post, I'm very busy these days!

But the nice news is that you're gonna explore Kusatsu for a bit longer!

 

[AirBender101]

no worries we will be here when u do lol

 

[Jacynthe Azurée]

Hey guys, so here is the next part of my adventure at Kusatsu onsen!

So, after my visit of Kosen-ji temple, I admired again the mythical central plazza of Kusatsu!
I think it's one of the source of the onsens water!







It was also one of the last days of Kusatsu's Christmas Tree!
Just before I left the town, workers dismantled it!
I got really lucky to see it!



Then, I walked towards the Nishinokawara park, to see how it looks by day... and I was very right to do so, it's magnificent!

 

[Jacynthe Azurée]

This is my penultimate post about Kusatsu onsen!

At some point near end of March, I will make a thread about my recent trip to Asuka,
one of the first capitals of Japan (from like 6th to 8th century) ^^
But now I have lots to do and friends coming... I'm gonna live lots of fun adventures with them :3


Let's come back to Kusatsu...
I walked accross the Nishinokawara park because I wanted to admire it completely during daylight!





However; I also had an another goal... Explore Kusatsu ski station!
Yes, in addition to onsens and great forests, Kusatsu has a small ski station!
After like 40 minutes of walk, I arrived to the typical Japanese ski station!






I admired it a bit, ate lunch there... I was questioning to do like afternoon of skying, but I still had onsens to do
and it was too expansive to be improvised.







Afterwards, I came back to the park and went to its vast open air onsen!
I can only post pictures of its surroundings, because of course photos are prohibited inside.





This onsen was awesome, a very big pool with huge rocks where you can sit on, and a great view on the sappling forest all around!
Also, the temperature of the water got hotter as you get close the source, so it's interesting to test different temperatures... some are way harder to bear than others!


That's all for today!
See you soon for my last post about Kusatsu!

 

[Jacynthe Azurée]

Hello everyone!

Here's my last post about Kusatsu onsen!

Someday I'll present another trip in Japan, either Beppu or Asuka, idk yet... I prefer to present the most original ones!

So, after the EPIC open-air onsen, I've wandered around in the very beautiful Nishinokawara park and the city... always very pleasant to the eyes!




... yes, they have 3 different historical mail boxes!!!



The pig is sooo cute and I love old fashion logos like that!

At night, I have walked around the shinto cemetery... it has very strange vibes!



Then, I've spent my last night at the traditional ryokan hotel...

On the next morning, before taking my return bus (that I didn't want to miss this time!!!), I quickly explored the shrine... at the top of a staircase!






That's all folks! However, if you want to learn more about Kusatsu, feel free to ask anytime!