So like other excitingly volcanic regions of the
earth, there are various places in Japan where hot, mineral-laden
water bubbles up out of the ground, and spas have grown up around
these places over the years. The traditional ones are called Onsen,
and here I am eating dinner in the one we stayed at, whose name
completely eludes me. In the bottom right corner of the frame
you can see the charcoal pit heating the soup pot, and the grill
where we cooked our own raw sea creatures. What you can't really
see is the delicate Zen garden pattern traced in the sand, which
I did my best not to drop hot tea cups etc onto. Note, of course,
the traditional garb, the sitting on the floor, the tatami mat
on the floor and paper screens as walls, and other trappings of
medieval Japan. This was out in the woods, far from the big city,
and there was this awesome thick sonic carpet of unfamiliar birds,
frogs and insects.
