April 29, 2019 First breakfast, first museum visit, and first time in an onsen

Today, many firsts are happening to me. The first time having breakfast here in my hotel. With miso soup, rice, but also salad and eggs. And for the brave ones, with fish sausages and salmon paste. Of course, I was brave and tried it, but it tasted just okay.

Now, I'm heading to the Studio Ghibli Museum. I already got the ticket in Germany because apparently, you cannot get it in Japan. And in hindsight, it was the right decision. A huge crowd had gathered in front of the museum, waiting to enter. The museum itself was very impressive. I won't say much about the Studio Ghibli films here because I love them. But the museum felt very lovingly designed. Beautiful stained glass windows were everywhere, and as a bonus, there was a short film to watch. It was about a little dog going on a journey to find its owner and experiencing many fantastic encounters. I had tears in my eyes because it reminded me of my own dog. The museum is a declaration of love to the art of film as a medium of conveying emotions. When I get back home, I will continue watching the films with my son.

And then, I went on a search for the "onsen of the east" with black water. It was a little odyssey, but it was totally worth it. First, I waited at the bus stop for my correct bus to arrive, but the bus driver kept telling me that this might be the wrong bus and gestured for me to leave. But I was 100% sure that I was on the right side and on the correct bus line. Well, I decided to walk then, it's only an hour! But first, I needed something to eat because I was getting a bit frustrated. I got myself a Snickers bar and some Japanese dark chocolate. I can say that the Snickers tasted just as good, but the dark chocolate was too sweet for my liking. Okay, let's continue. After half an hour, I wanted to give it another try and guess what, the bus came and offered me a 25-minute ride to the onsen for only 1 €. Then, I entered the onsen bathhouse, and of course, I made another mistake right away. A Japanese woman screamed at me and pointed at my shoes. I looked down and saw that I had accidentally stepped on a small threshold with my street shoes. So, I took off my shoes and deposited the key at the counter so that I didn't have to carry any money during my onsen visit. Then, I went through the blue door for men and opened another door, and bam, my glasses fogged up. In a small room, there was a large pool with stones and steam was rising from it. First, I washed myself thoroughly, using a small towel for about ten minutes, rubbed myself with different soaps, and then rinsed off. After that, I entered the hot steaming pool, and at first, it felt way too hot. But after a while, I realized that my body was getting used to the heat, and it was very pleasant. I felt relaxed, then I showered again and could either go to a resting area or to a steam bath. I chose the steam bath. But what made this onsen special was the black water that I could rub onto my body. I can't quite describe how it smelled, but it was a lot of fun, especially because there were rubber ducks floating in the black pool, and the Japanese people were happily playing with them. I will write more about the onsen later. Afterward, I went back to my room feeling nicely warmed up and fell asleep relatively quickly.