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Dear Customers & Friends
Hello from Japan! This is Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.289.
At last, cherry blossom season comes! Recently we hear cherry blossom blooming at places of Japan everyday. It is warmer than usual year, so the blooming is more than 10 days earlier than usual.
We must write about cherry blossom again as usual, but in this letter, we would like to write about our family trip to Dogo Onsen and Okouchisanso(by Yuka).
My(Ichiro's) mother Michiko was born in Showa 6, so she is 78 years old (my father is 2 years elder than her). And she has some complaints(in eyes and feet), and Yuka strongly recommend me to bring them out for a trip. We are sorry but recently we close our store on Saturday, Sunday and national holidays because of depression, so we could take 3 days holiday on last weekend(sorry again for your inconvenience!). We decided to take our parents for a three days trip to Dogo Onsen.
I have been there when I was a buyer of department store, and was strongly impressed by the nostalgic atmosphere.
And when I saw 'Miyazaki's anime movie - Spirited Away, memory of Dogo Onsen revived vividly. Dogo onsen had the very similar image as onsen of the movie. If you like to experience RETRO type onsen- we recommend Dogo onsen.
If I have to select only one onsen in Japan, I have to recommend Dogo Onsen(if you like modern and neat place, we may not recommend there). And I asked my mother whether she had been there, and got to know she had not been there yet.
We called my sister (my younger sister, 'Secchan') and invited her family too.
Dogo Onsen is in Shikou Island, and we had to drive more than 6 hours from our house. Between Shikoku and Hack 2 giant bridges are spanned, and the toll fare is very expensive (4100yen for a car). We didn't know till we reached Dogo, reduced rate for the holidays began from the day we left for Shikoku. For the economic stimulus policy, 4100 yen reduced to 1000yen. Because of this reduction, news said the traffic became double compared to usual year, and service area was crowded. Dogo Onsen Honkan was also very crowded, and it also had to be because of it.
Our Photos
We stayed Dogo Prince Hotel, which was the only hotel we could reserve. Both our daughters and Secchan's daughters also went with us, so we became a large party(9 members). Hot water of hot spring are gathered and divided to some hotels in Dogo, so we could enjoy the hotel's onsen(they are wonderful!), but Dogo Onsen Honkan ( public bath ) is the special place.
Hot springs of Dogo Onsen was said to be used from 300 years ago. Dogo Onsen Honkan was built around Meiji 30( 1900 ), and Emperor also visited and took a bath there. Its wooden building is as it was, and each rooms there also have very nostalgic atmosphere The building is designated as a nationally important cultural property. We can take a bath, but also can take a rest on the second floor of the building wearing yukata!
It is really a special kind of gorgeous experience, which I couldn't forget for more than 20 years.
There are two kinds of baths - Kaminoyu and Tamanoyu. Two large main baths for both male and female are called Kaminoyu, which local people and repeaters like. Tamonoyu is smaller than it, and the bath and wall are made of granite. It is calm and visitors often like it.
On the second floor, there are couple of large tatami rooms, and we can take rest there ( you need ticket as below). Yukata and towel is prepared in visitors' each basket, and after the bath, Japanese tea with samba sweet is served. This rest time was the one of the best onsen experience of mine.
Taking photos is not allowed, so we can't introduce inside part by photos. However, there are some photos in the official page.
Emperor's special bath and room(and toilet!) are named Yushinden, and visitors can see gorgeous interior.
Here is the photos of Emperor's bath.
Click Here
Taisho and Showa Emperor came here, and took a bath but without undressing-that is their tradition, and sit on bathtub and soaked only their under body, and follows poured hot water. We are astonished by the gorgeous interior, but at a time, we felt slight sympathies that they had not to be able to be relaxed with such way and in this special bath tub.
When our family went Dogo Onsen Honkan in the evening of the first day, it was very crowded and we could only take a bath at Kaminoyu, and couldn't take rest in the second floor. Next day, it was still holiday, so we went there very early in the morning, and went to Tamanoyu and took rest in the second floor.
It was the same as I experienced more than 20 years ago, and of course, Michiko and all members loved it!
Also for the other visitors, we would like to visit Dogo Onsen Honkan in the not-crowded time, and enjoy their atmosphere enough.
There are several kinds of tickets.
Ticket of Kaminoyu
(1)bath only 400yen(child 150yen)
* 6:00 - 23:00 ( last entrance 22:30)
** within 1 hour
***Soap and shampoo are not prepared.
(2)bath and rest on the second floor(includes rental yukata, towel, Japanese tea and senbei sweet ) 800yen(child 400yen)
* second floor 6:00 - 22:00 ( last entrance 21:00 )
** within 1 hour
***Soap and shampoo are not prepared.
Ticket of Tamanoyu
(3)bath and rest on the second floor (includes rental yukata, towel, Japanese tea and senbei sweet) 1200yen (child 600yen)
* 6:00 - 22:00 ( last entrance 21:00 )
** within 1 hour
***Soap and shampoo are prepaired.
****Viewing of Yushinden is free.
(4)bath and rest in the private room on the third floor (includes rental yukata, towel, Japanese tea and Bocchan dango sweet) 1500yen(child 750yen)
* 6:00 - 22:00 ( last entrance 20:40 )
** within 1h. and 20 m.
***Soap and shampoo are prepaired.
****Viewing of Yushinden is free.
Yushinden
(5)250yen(child 120yen)
Because of Michiko's feet problem, we only went Dogo Onsen Honkan and zoo during 3 days stay. However, it was VERY happy time for our family.
Around the Dogo Onsen, there are many sightseeing spots. Tobe is famous for their Tobeyaki pottery ( beautiful ai color sometsuke porcelain), and Matsuyama Castle's tenshukaku(main building) was built in Edo period. One of my friend opened antique kimono shop recently in the second floor of Dogo Onsen Station, and you can rent a kimono for walking this onsen town.
Dogo Onsen is really worth to visit though it is little bit far from Osaka. ( If you have some information about and around Dogo Onsen, please let us know. We would like to introduce them on our blog site.)
Google Maps link
Click Here
Official page top: Click Here
Outside of the building:
Click Here
Photos of Kaminoyu(upper ones) and Tamanoyu (lower ones)
Click Here
Photos of Yushinden ( Emperor's bath room)
Click Here
*By the way, there are many onsen all over Japan, and there were some troubles about medical and sanitary affairs( fatal accident by Legionella). Many visitors soak in the same bath tub, so hot water must be carefully clean.
There also is a different kinds of problem - owners of ryokan and onsen want to advertise their bath as 'onsen', but 'What onsen is?' If 'cold ' water springs,can it be still called 'onsen'? If it can be, from what temparature can it be said as onsen? If the water is very pure like almost tap water, do people think it still onsen?
There is 'Onsen Law', and its definition allows to call 'onsen' even if temparature is not hot, but the water must springs and includes some material touch.
Even though the 'Onsen Law' was made, but debates about onsen conitnues. And now Japanese people think 'gensen kakenagashi' onsen is the best.
'Gensen' means 'pure discharge water', which is not added water from different place. 'Kakenagashi' means 'hot water in the bath is not circulated'. Many onsens without enough hot discharge water add water, boil it and circulate the water, which is sanitized.It was very reasonable that people noticed it, and began to select genuine 'onsen'.
Hot water of Dogo Onsen is 'gensen kakenagashi'. However, after the affairs,they began to add chlorine to their hot water. Onsen mania are sorrowful about it, and say "chlorine slightly smell in the bath!", although I didn't notice it.
We imagine that amount of discharge is not enough to keep clean for too many visitors.
****An accidental actor- who devoted his life for garden and architecture****
In our last newsletter, we introduced Sagano and nobotoke-stone Buddhist image in fields.
On the same day, we went to a famous mountain villa. It was a charming place for a stroll and we really want to recommend to visit the
villa with the garden- I want to share the little information about the founder of this Sanso(villa with the garden).
Okouchi(Okochi) Denjiro(1898-1962) was a famous actor. His representative work `Tange Sazen`(1929)(One-eye Samurai)has been a very popular film and the remake of the film were made couple of times afterwards.
Click Here
When we were in Sagano, we decided to drop by for we heard a good reputation about villa. I am not confident to call this home(his second home) as villa for I am not confident about image of villa- his place is like `zen cottage in a huge property well-cared garden.
The garden was about 6000 tsubo(approx 2000 square meters)- with different type of traditional architecture,
He was born as a son of a doctor's family in Fukuoka in 1898, and came to work with his brother in Osaka, but because of
The Great Kanto Earthquake, his brother's company went bankrupt, so he seeked for job as a scenerio writer.
However, somehow by chance, he has become an actor and turned out to be a main character of many movies - an effective film director Daisuke Ito
found his talent as an actor and made a lot of films with Denjiro. His strong dialect turned out to be `very charming` and unforgettable, and brought him to stardom.
Also he had severe myopia and had to become so close to see people- people thought his look was charming and his glorious career as an actor happened to begin.
With his parent's influence, he has been an enthusiastic buddhist and he obtained the huge waste land near famous Ogurayama(which appears in Hyakunin issyu) and used his all money he earned by film to complete this huge project of making gardens and architecture
After the day's work of filming, he hurried to this land by his horse and worked for this garden with famous gardener and architect.
At first he made this small cot called Jibutsu-do :
Click Here
He used to sit on the step and tried to memorize his lines.
He spent more than 30 years for this huge garden making project- the garden has uphills and downhills
and have charming spot all over- from one side, the town of Kyoto could be seen and the other side is facing to famous Hozu river and Hieizan mountain.
What a charming place for a stroll! Denjiro was an actor but he did not intend to become an actor.
In this sanso there is small gallery which shows his photos.
You can see both Denjiro- as an actor and also a man with benign smile standing at the side of his rolls roys.
It is interesting his passion was for completing his garden. After he died his family completed this mountain retreat lodges and keeping the
enchanting garden. They serve green tea and sweets - and you can sit and meditate at several points in the garden.
Click Here For More Information
*Okochi sanso - open throughout the year(9:00A.M.-5:00P.M.) admission 1000YEN PHONE 075-872-2233
Google Map;
Click Here
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