15 September 2018 - Hakuba, Nagano, Japan - Part 5

I've always wanted to visit the Swiss Alps so when I heard that there was an alpine range in Japan I naturally wanted to see it. Turns out this place is mostly about ski resorts, so my visit in September is during offseason. Good enough for me as I just want to relax in peace and quiet. Maybe I'll do some hiking too. I decided to start with a good dish of Curry...it seems that my stunt at the start of the trip has not soured my love of this food.

Over the next few days, I would do some hiking around the resort areas and enjoy two of the local Onsens. I needed it as I was still sore from my epic hike a few days earlier.

The small town feels here was fantastic and reminded me of the small town I grew up in. On my way to one of the onsens, I found a Buddhist graveyard and temple along the edge of the woods.

The first Onsen I visited was more of a place for the locals, hidden amongst the back part of the town. It was small but met my needs. I did luck out however because as I was leaving from my bath, an entire high school tennis team showed up (noisy teenagers...oh crap...I'm old).

Here is another Onsen I visited the next day. It was more of a roadside rest location for tourists. While larger and nicer quality, it lacked some of the rustic charms the other location had. I enjoyed my hot bath nonetheless.

Off to Kanazawa in a few days...