It’s not an unknown fact that Japan is a country that is richly blessed by nature. This week, we’ll introduce you to some of the most famous hot springs from all over Japan.

The first part of our trip begins at Takamasuin Shikoku, facing the Seto Inland Sea. While there, we’ll head to Shodo Island, the island of olives and hot springs. A one hour boat ride from Takamatsu to Shodo Island, this island is in the middle of the nation Seto Inland park. With a mild climate that resembles that of the Mediterranean region, the island is also known for the famous novel “Nijushi no Hitomi”.

A great way to start off the trip is to take a 20-minute bus journey to see and taste the famous olives at the Shodo island Olive Park. With a Greek-like atmosphere, it’s not surprising to know that Shodo Island is a sister town to Milos Island in Greece.

Next to the park is the Shodo Island live garden where there are 2000 olive trees in the vast park. The first olive tree in Japan was planted in 1908 and now, in autumn, the branches are often filled with green olives. It’s not surprising that Shodo Island produces most of the olives in Japan, with especially its olive oil which is popular for its fantastic flavour. While most olive leaves are long and narrow, if you’re lucky, you might find a rare heart-shaped one which is said to bring happiness to the one who finds it. That happiness may even be preserved with it being made into a bookmark with 100 yen (S$1.70) in it.

While at the park, an obvious choice for a meal is the olive noodle set lunch. Olives are mixed into the traditional Japanese thin wheat noodles and is best eaten with a dash or more of extra virgin olive oil poured into the soup. Also try the unique olive ice cream with olive jam, which is uniquely dribbled with olive oil as well.

From there, catch the hotel bus from Tosho pier to the recommended place to stay for the night. Upon arrival at the resort hotel, olive leave crowns are given to the guests. Boasting a beautiful view of the sunset over Seto Inland Sea, the inn has fully utilised the olives which are so readily available.. While there, do take a dip in the famous open air olive bath which also adds olive leaves, plucked straight from the hotel’s olive garden, to the water. The young leaves contain olein acid which is believed to have the ability to improve healing energy. Coupled with the simple alkaline hot bath, the combination is believed to relieve weariness and relax the body. Also try the luxury treatment at the beauty salon, which also uses 100 per cent pure olive oils for its stone treatment massage.

After a full rest and relaxation, it’s time to enjoy yet another sumptuous meal at the inn where a luxury French dinner awaits. Comprising the chef’s original menu full of local specialities, Shodo Island’s olive oil is heavily used in the meal. The Seto French dinner is also made of fresh seafood from the Seto Inland Sea, which is famous for its Shako (squilla).

Indulging in olives, with dinner and breakfast included, 15,500 yen (S$255) is a real bargain for this package.

Next, take a one-hour bus ride to Ikuchi Island in Onomichi City in Hiroshima. Speaking with any of the locals, you’ll soon find out that Kuch Island’s octopuses are known for their firm meat and rich flavour. A great place recommended by local fishermen is the local octopus restaurant, Chidori, where the chef purchases the liveliest octopuses of the day to cook into octopus rice.

Ikuchi Island is also the birthplace of lemon production in Japan. Grown with little agricultural chemicals, it’s even safe to eat the skins of the eco-lemons as well. While there, you can even try a variety of lemons, including the round sweet lemon, which has less acidity than the normal lemon.

If you can’t get enough of Ikuchi’s lemons, you might want to head to the ryokan, Tstsui, which lies on the beach facing the Seto Inland Sea. Started in 1963, the lemon bath is available for day guests to the inn. Using lemons which are harvested seasonally and stored in the dedicated fridge, the hotel also offers a hotel package starting from 10,500 yen (S$173), including dinner and breakfast. However, if you’re not interested in taking up the package, it only costs 500 yen (S$8) to have a soak in the famous lemon bath. It’s even said that the refreshing lemon scent makes you feel happier and helps to stimulate the brain.
From the seas, we head next to the mountains. About a one hour journey from Nagano, head to Yudanaka, a famous spa town in Nagano where there’s even a public bath at the station. A great place to visit is the path named after the haiku poet Issa Kobayashi. Along the path lies the Moving Rock, where legend has it that couples will be blessed with a child if they can move the rock. Also look out for the 250 year old Ugan pine, which has been designated as a natural treasure by the town.

For lunch, head to a nearby shop, Shinshu, known for its soba noodle. Shinshu is also known for being the founder of the Sauced Deep Fried Pork (Katsu) Bowl. This unique but relatively unknown speciality of Shinshu enhances the pork’s flavour and is a soft and tasty treat that is not too heavy on the stomach. 

It’s about ten minutes by bus, and twenty minutes on foot from Yudanaka to Jigokudani (Hell Spring) hot spring. It’s said that about 200 monkeys live in the wild and the Jigokudani monkey park is a rare place where you can see monkeys bathing in a hot spring.

A great place to stay for the night is the authentic Japanese inn called Seifu-So. The attraction of the inn is its bath which has an Amur cork tree placed in it. The Amur cork tree can only be found in the deep part of the forests and was used in the Warring States period for healing wounds. It has been treasured as a herbal medicine for a long time. The inn’s famous Heian bath has the look of a traditional bath house, with an elegant high ceiling, the clear hot spring changes to a yellowish-green colour when the Amur cork tree is put in the bath. A soak in the unique bath will not only clean the body from the inside, but also help relieve bruises and sprains.

Needless to say, dinner is an equally special treat. From the valuable, seasonal bent root bamboo to deep fried koi carp, do also try the Shinshu steak, which is a local favourite as well.

If you’re travelling in a group, you might even consider reserving an open air bath exclusively for yourselves. Personally preparing the bath for guests, the master specially picks low bamboo leaves and dries them to float in the bath. It is said that the low bamboos have been used as herbal medicine for a long time and even have relaxation effects.

One can never get enough of a hot bath, so next, head to the top of Mount Yokote by taking a bus from Yudanakato. An hour’s bus ride to get to Shibutouge, the top of Mount Yokote is 2305 meters above sea level. The highest ski field in Japan is there and can be reached by lift even in the summer time. If the weather is clear, you might even enjoy the panoramic view of the Shiga Highland from the top.

Kokote Sancho Hutte, is a bakery located at the highest in Japan which produces soft and fine bread, that are a truly welcomed treat for tired travellers.

From Nagano, head to the Kusatsuin Gunma prefecture and stop at the Mount Tengu play zone for some good fun. Who said skiing and snowboarding were exclusively winter sports? Now, you can enjoy grass skiing and mountain boarding as well at a summer ski field as well.

	A great way to see Ikuchi Island is on bicycle. Visitors can rent a bike from the tourist centre and cycle on a bike road on Shimanami road to cross the Seto Inland Sea.
	Tourists who are interested in visiting the public bath in Yudanaka will have to wait to the 26th of every month before its open to the public, as only locals hold the keys to the bath.
	The cork tree bath at the Seifu-so inn is available from summer to winter. From autumn to spring, an apple bath is also available.
	If visitors make a booking in advance, a rose expert is available to guide you around the Higashizawa Rose Garden.

After a mini detour, next head to the Manza spa whose hot spring contains the most suphur in Japan. Also available for a day-bath, shelf fungi, a kind of mushroom, are infused into the bath. Shelf fungus only grows at high altitude and the master has to venture deep into the forests just to find them. Before the bath, a special tea made of shelf fungus, aloe vera, Asian ginseng and low bamboo is served.

The shelf fungus bath may be enjoyed from outside as the hot spring from the source is flown into the shelf fungus. The Matsubusa wine tree is also put in as it keeps the body warm. The day-use charge for the bath is 700 yen (S$12), but if you’ll like to stay the night, it only costs a reasonable price of 7500 yen (S$126) with dinner and breakfast included.

Our next journey will bring us to the north of Japan, Yamagata, a flower-producing area which is a three hour trip by Yamagata bullet train. After alighting at the Murayama station, take a 20 minute walk to the Higashizawa rose garden. Surrounded by roses, the garden is three times as big as the iconic Tokyo Dome. 20,000 roses comprising 750 kinds are planted there, ranging from the Murayama, the original rose of Murayama City and the Houjun flower which smiles amazing when in bloom. In the park, you can even enjoy varieties of roses from the US or Europe and its best seasons are till the end of September.

Take a 50 minute train trip from Murayama via Kitayamagata and you’ll arrive at Sagae city, one of the major rose-growing areas in Japan. While there, a great place to visit is the famous board soba noodles shop, Koan. The shop looks tasteful as it is the reconstructed old sake brewery. Offering homemade soba noodles made of fine buckwheat; the noodles are made of different binding agents and are of different widths. It is even served in a long board box that has been used for a long time.

Of course, while in Yamagata, one definitely can’t miss out on the cherries which are a speciality of the area. There is even a road station called Cherry Land which is filled with many cherry fields.

Join us as we continue this exciting journey next week