Rokko Hike and Onsen

A successful hike up Rokko-san and over the other side of the mountain to the town of Arima, famous for its onsen.  After about 3 and a half hours, numerous konnichiwa's, and a few onigiri, we arrived at the top where there wasn't really a victorious view.  In place of it, however, were some very friendly Japanese hikers who wanted to have their pictures taken with us.  Those pictures are on my brother's camera so perhaps I will futuristically abscond them.

We descended the opposite side of the mountain and followed another group of Japanese hikers, a bunch of retired gentlemen who showed us a shoruto cutto towards the town.  We followed them, but decided to give them their space when they started stretching at a break point.  We walked around the town, looking for food and found a free foot bath of which we made glorious use.  We had planned to do onsen there, but decided to go to a different one later in the evening near Takarazuka–we hadn't factored the sweatiness of our clothes and couldn't fathom changing back into them after a purging cleanse.

Some takoyaki and a soft serve later, we were on a winding bus through the country-side headed back to Takarazuka where we joined some friends for conveyor belt sushi.  Ben won a prize from all the plates we collectively consumed (a small piece of plastic food!), and we migrated to the miraculous Takarazuka onsen near Nakayama.  Onsen, one of the most beautiful parts of living in Japan.   Ben was the same as most people in being nervous to do his first onsen.  There are a lot of rules and rituals meant to keep the baths clean for everyone.  But when I saw him afterwards he was glowing.  There are few things that feel as good as a soak in the hot baths.

It's hard to believe that this was Ben's last night.  Has he even been here?  Tomorrow, he'll board the Salad Express.......

the beginning of the hike

mountain kittens, old friends from the last attempt to climb in January

Ben and Kobe;  surveying this new unsettled land  

a helpful ladder and a helpful Japanese man

up and up

going where nobody's gone before!
(hmmm, where did those wires come from?)

foot soak in the onsen!  (keeping the clothes on till later....)