[Original Travel Date: 1/11/2014]
The long weekend in January seemed like a good opportunity to head to Kyushu. For this trip, I was accompanied by a kouhai from college and this was her first time at an onsen. I had often heard of the onsen town Kurokawa as being one of the best in Japan, and this trip was a great chance to see for ourselves.
We stayed at the onsen ryokan Yama-mizuki, famous for its rotemburo, outdoor hot spring baths as well as good food. The room we stayed in was beautiful, and the food was indeed amazing. We received a full course for both dinner and breakfast that made our jaws drop. Not only was everything delicious, it all was beautifully prepared.
The highlight of the whole experience, however, was definitely the onsen baths. There were several kinds of baths available to choose from, some were open to the public whereas some were private for guests. Normally the baths are also segregated by sex, but due to the female outdoor bath being under repairs, the male outdoor bath was made mixed gender for our stay. Despite this, however, we were able to enjoy everything. The indoor baths were made of either stone or cedar wood and offered a lovely view of the outside. The outdoor bath was large and a rushing stream ran right beside it, giving the place a wonderful atmosphere. If ever given the opportunity, I would love to stay here again!
Panda no Tabi パンダの旅 - A Panda's Journeys in Japan 