Black water

My friend's parents (they were really nice) brought me to visit this onsen (温泉) near their place in Tokyo. Onsens are really big deals in Japan, and people can spend the entire day soaking in the hot mineral water.

The one I went to had separate areas for men and women, though they do have some unisex ones too. I obviously have no pictures to show for my visit, and anyway they'd just be of saggy men wandering around butt naked. What you're supposed to do is to first wash yourself really clean (apparently people tell you if you haven't done a good job), and then into the hot water you go. And then you sit there till you can't stand it anymore, then you come out and shower to cool down, then you go in again. Repeat as desired.

Curiously, the water is black. My guess is that's because it's so infused with minerals. Apparently some company decided to dig 2 km into the ground to find this water, in an area not known for having hot springs (this is somewhere in sub-urban Tokyo). Why they suspected there'd be mineral water down below is beyond me. Was it good for me? Beats me too.

I could only stay in for about an hour before I was bored to tears, and when I told my host I was going back first he gave me this incredulous look: only one measly hour? My friend's mum stays in there for 3 hours every night, else she can't sleep well.

I guess it's a good thing I didn't really fall in love with it; I'd have to fly very far just to get one.