Come Away with Me

First hot spring experience-阿蘇の湯

So this is 阿蘇の湯, a little onsen ryokan which i discovered while researching for online. We were relieved when we finally found our way to the ryokan in the dark and were delighted with staff who greeted us warmly.

I was a little apprehensive before arriving as i had no idea what to expect from the place. I decided on Asonoyu mainly because it fitted the budget. For ￥8900 per person including dinner and breakfast, i thought that was quite a good deal as many others charge much higher. The difference in prices is due to food served during meals. Steaks, expensive fish and other exotic (read strange) stuffs stomach by Japanese definitely cost a premium. Also, I was hoping that it will serve as a base for us to explore Mount Aso the next day. As it was, the map proved deceiving and i severely under estimated the vastness of the land. Though located within Aso area, it still took an hour and half before we could reach the foot of the mountain the next day...

Distance aside,thankfully Asonoyu turned out to be this sweet little place with cosily decorated interior and a very homey feel. The room is more spacious than it looked on the internet and the amenities and facilities look clean and new. The only drawback was the common bathroom and toilet. In my excitement upon the discovery of a cheap place to stay in, i've forgotten to check for attached bathroom. Personally i have no problem at all with common bath but imagined the shock Alvin got when i told him he had to bathe with a bunch of strangers. As he sulked, i hastily explained to him the do's and don'ts in a Japanese common bathing area before darting into the ladies bathroom! Half an hour later, he emerged from the bathroom with a silly smile on his face as he recounted his first onsen experience! =P

Dinner was served at the common meal area. What a spread isn't it? Alvin had a great time grilling and eating most of those chicken himself while i helped him finished up most of his pickled stuff which he did not regard as real food ;p

Kaipai!

Me sitting back and enjoying dessert after a full meal. Alvin busy grilling his chicken :p

Breakfast the next morning. In true Japanese style, we had rice, miso soup with natto.

Alvin took the challenge and dugged into the smelly but otherwise harmless fermented beans that is a staple in most Japanese meals. Way to go! =)

After breakfast,it's bye to Asonoyu for now. It's a lovely place but if i were to come back again the next time, it will definitely be self-drive holiday rather than making the long long train journey.

posted by テレサ @ 3:04 PM