Atami, Atayou

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Japanese rest stops are better than English ones. Not only do the toilets not make you feel like you need a chemical shower after using them, but the entire entrance way is filled with sweets, snacks, drinks and all kinds of Omiyage (souvenirs), which would probably be quite handy if you were driving to see a friend or family member and forgot to get them something. Suck on that WHSmith.

So this week I went to Atami, a vibrant coastal town southeast of Mt. Fuji, for two days with my friends and, despite being beyond exhausted when I got back, I had a really great time. Before we checked into our guest house, we stopped off at the Atami Museum of Art, which is quite possibly the most picturesque museum I've ever been to. Located some way above the town, MOA provides you with a sweeping panorama of the ocean and subsequently, great photo opportunities (I was particularly excited because I could see a large plankton bloom just off the bay). Unlike many art museums that bombard you with as much art as possible, MOA had a relatively small collection of traditional Japanese and Chinese art, meaning that I could really take my time with each and every piece. Honestly, this museum made the whole trip worthwhile for me.

Our next stop was the guest house, where we dropped off our belongings and promptly headed out to Atami Seaside Spa & Resort for my first experience of an Onsen. Having been to the baths in Budapest, I knew what to expect in terms of naturally heated spring water and getting insanely pruney, but I was a little nervous about the whole nudity aspect of it. Traditionally, Japanese baths are split by gender, and you have to be completely naked for the entire time you're there. The funny thing is, I was more nervous about seeing my friends without clothes than I was about being naked myself. Of course I was overthinking it all because, when we got there, everyone was naked (obviously) so it didn't feel in the least bit awkward. It was actually an incredibly relaxing experience, and it was so nice just sitting in the hot water, chatting with my friends. Not to mention the fact that my skin was unbelievably soft when I got out. What surprised me was how quickly the time passed whilst we were in there. When I take a bath at home, I'm lucky if I can spend more than 15 minutes in there before getting out because I'm too hot and pruney, but we managed to while away 2 hours just sitting and chatting before we had to get out to go to dinner!

The next day we were all completely knackered, but we took a detour on our way home to stop off at Fujinomia, as small town at the base of Mt. Fuji. Obviously, I took some obligatory photos of the snow-capped volcano, but let me just say this - I totally get why it inspired so many works of art. It may be an over-used motif of Japan, but in person it's absolutely stunning. Not only that, but it's much colder there, so the cherry blossoms were still in bloom, which simply added to ambience of the place.



I am so grateful to Akiko for inviting me on my first trip outside Nagoya, I had an absolute blast and I can't wait to see more of Japan!

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