So one day I went for a walk...

Yesterday I left Hamamatsu and set my sights once again eastward to Kakegawa, some 30km away. When I had arrived in Hamamatsu I had originally planned to stay only a couple of nights, but once I discovered my lodging was so comfortable, I extended my stay. Like most places I stay along the way, I am going in mostly blind as to what I am going to find. I am mainly concerned with finding the most affordable place more than anything else. In Hamamatsu, this ended up being a stay at "Dormy Inn global cabins", which I can best describe as what would happen if a hostel and a spa had a child.  Affordable but also surprisingly luxurious for a place where I was sleeping in a bunk bed. But while the beds were nice, and the private space attached to it was a nice surprise, the real selling point was the onsen built into the facility. I spent every night soaking here! These tubs were amazing, and each filled to the brim with 42 C (107 F) water. Each time I entered a tub th...

Last night I slept heavily, and it was wise to skip the onsen. As much as I wanted to have that first try in the onsen, i was to tired and I simply couldn't imagine getting into a 42C onsen after a day in the blistering heat. After a night of rest and cooling down I woke up with the sun and prepared for my first attempt at an onsen. I won't lie, there was some nerves going on, as there is a lot of steps to doing the onsen properly.  Thankfully I caught a break in from the morning bathers, and just as I arrived, they were all showering to leave.  This helps take away any pressure and I slowly went through the new routine for the first time. If you aren't familiar with Onsens, there are a lot of how-to videos on YouTube which will tell you all about this routine. And actually SHOW you an onsen.  Given all the nudity involved, you will just have to use your imagination here. The one somewhat unique hurdle I faced; my beard.  You are never suppose to let long hai...