Kusatsu Hot Spring

I did mention that my trip was on motorcycle right? Anyway after seeing another rider take a picture of his bike, I thought that I should do the same. I just wish the back ground was a little better.

Over the mountain just 20 kilometers away was Kusatsu. I went with my friend Hitoshi here last year, so I really didn't need to stop, but hey. I had to steal a picture because in my hurry I forgot to take one of the public free bath on the square. I really wanted a picture on the inside but it is so small and it is hard to find the right time to get a picture. The best time to bathe here is when it is freeze your butt off cold. The water is so hot that it is really difficult to get into. There are two baths and one has to be at least 45°C, and the other is probably 44°C. I did manage to get in both but the hotter one for only about a minute. When the Japanese man came out beet red I can just image how red I must have been when I got out. At least the drive had been cool but I would have prefered to have been freezing cold before I got in.

Then I was off and headed back to Tokyo, I promised myself that I would take some pictures of the rice fields that I had seen on the way up. On Friday there were alot of old people putting the rice out to dry. This is very labor intensive work, and most of it done by old people.

Below is how the rice is stacked and left to dry.
I saw some places had but plastic over the top to protect it from rain.

The fields were beautiful, and I passed many, mostly small and probably all run by families that have been doing this for generations.