After a very relaxing bath at the Hotel Green Plaza onsen, I moved on to my next stop — the host springs of Ōwakudani. But these hot springs are not safe to soak yourself in due to high sulphur content.
Lake Ashi, from the ropewayŌwakudani station was the very next stopThis was the view from the ropeway stationThere is a lot of volcanic activity deep undergroundBut they are making the most of itThis was a hiking trailBut I did not venture far as I saw no one trekking… plus I had no time for trekkingSo I walked towards the hot springs1050 metres above sea levelThe sulfur content is too high so there were signs asking people not to touch the waterBefore walking towards the sulphur springs, I went inside the building housing the restaurants and souvenir shopsI was curious to find out the significance of this black egg wasInside, you can buy eggs. You take the egg and boil it in the sulphur-rich water and the shell turns black it seems.You could feel the heat as you got near to the sulphur pools… and you could smell it too!Sulphur-rich water was murky and bubbling hotThe other reason why Owakudani is a popular draw is for the viewpointA view of Mount Fuji being the main draw, of courseI swapped lenses to catch these two airplanes flying over Mt. FujiUnfortunately, from this distance, you can’t really get a good photo of yourself with Fuji-yama in the background especially with clouds in the way
One thing I have experienced time and time again on my travels is that, when fellow tourists see me with a DSLR, they assume that I’m better at them at photography and ask me to take their photos using their cameras. I oblige sometimes but the problem is, when one reacts positively and compliments me for taking a good photo, then other tourists hear that and approach me with the same request. This went on for a while here. Continue reading “Japan: Ōwakudani sulphur springs, views of Mt. Fuji — and last night in Tokyo” »
