リシタさんが冬休みに草津温泉に出かけました。母国のインドには温泉がないとのことで、温泉を初めて見て、初めて入ったこととその文化への驚きを綴ります。
Kusatsu Report
Kusatsu is situated at an altitude of 1200 meters above sea level in the mountains of Gunma Prefecture. The place is quite popular among the tourists and the locals, alike. It is known for naturally occurring hot springs , called Onsenn.
I had the chance of visiting the place during my winter holidays. The place was completely covered with snow. For the first time I experienced snow fall.
First of all we visited the famous, hot springs the Kusatsu. The source of these hot springs is the Kusatsu-shirane mountain. The temperature of the water was about 54°C. It was amazing to see the snow all around, while I stood next to such hot water source of 54°C.
I then realized that the onsenn had a very strong smell such that, It was difficult to stand near there without a mask. Later, I got to know that the water of the onsenn is acidic and sulphuric . This water well known and it is said to help cure – sprains, arthralgia & burns. But this water is so hot that it is impossible to take a bath in it. Therefore, a cultural way is used.
I had this opportunity to visit and witness this cultural practice show, “Yumomi”. I visited Netsu-no-yu hotspring and saw Yumomi. It is a kind of dance which the women of Kusatsu do while holding a large wooden plank ( 1.8 meters long) . They bash the water and sing Japanese folk song. This is actually centuries old way of bringing down the temperature of the onsenn, without simply adding cold water as it would destroy uts healing powers. Later, we had a walk through the amazing omiyage shops of Kusatsu.
And the next day, I finally had the chance of experiencing the healing power of hot springs by visiting onsenn. It was an all new experience for me because Indian culture does not have the concept onsenn.
I enjoyed this trip and learned a lot of things . I thank Handa Sensei for taking me to Kusatsu with his family. Thankyou so much.
