BernieI decided to sleep at this cute minshuku that looks like it's straight out of an old #anime.
There is even a kotatsu in my room!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kotatsu
In rural Japan, you can stay in a traditional inn like this for very cheap.
But these places usually don't show up on TripAdvisor and booking.com. Perhaps the owners don't want foreigners, or perhaps they're just elderly and not very computer savy.
But these places usually don't show up on TripAdvisor and booking.com. Perhaps the owners don't want foreigners, or perhaps they're just elderly and not very computer savy.
But this particular place is like a caricature of all the others, having *all* the stereotypical features of a family-run pension, including the old grampa watching tv in the lounge, the gift shop with hand-made products and a small bookshelf of old manga available to the guests.
ケロケロ！
See that smoke coming out from the shack in the back? It's an onsen built around a pile of volcanic rocks steaming and pouring hot mineral water. It's all made of wood, and there's an outdoor bath with a small garden.
This is a truly priceless experience, but it's included with the 3200 yen room 😊
@jeeves have you ever been in Kyushu?
JeevesThere's a modest self-service kitchen for the guests. The kitchen floor is at a lower cleanliness level than the alley, so you must switch your flippers at the boundary. Note the courtesy fly swatter hanging outside 🤭
There's nobody so I could take some photos...
I shot some video footage too, but before sharing I must check it carefully for dick reflections 🙈
lefarfadet@codewiz they allowed you to go in with the phone ? Nice nodick pics btw 
@lefarfadet There was absolutely nobody this morning!
@lefarfadet Last night, as I walked in there was a family in the men's side. Like me, they probably assumed they were totally alone.
So I pretended the woman was invisible and gave her an opportunity to escape while I was shampooing... And when I turned back she had indeed vanished! 🙈
@lefarfadet Yesterday, I visited this giant covert onsen where women can cross to the men's side (while staying in the cloudy mineral water).
A few came while I was there, and they could clearly see the naked men entering the water from the opposite side. Didn't seem to be an issue for anyone.
@lefarfadet Bah, if they don't care, I don't care either. Modesty is a made up western concept.
@codewiz agreed. I tend to think the men/women segregation is more about not encouraging perversity than a statement about nudity acceptance.
Nick
Thomas Sturm@codewiz This place looks amazing! I've been to Kyushu a couple of times more than 20 years ago and loved it. Did some awesome hiking on my own on some volcanoes near Kagoshima back then (that area has been closed since then from what I understand).
Later spent our honeymoon around Mt Aso and Yufuin - that is a very pretty part of Japan.
Tagomago@codewiz That's beautiful!
@codewiz What's that wood structure over the table with like a gutter hanging? 
@tagomago It's to hang a tetsubin (iron kettle) over the irori (sunken fireplace). For some reason, many of the them feature an iron fish placed as if it was pierced by the hook.
@tagomago And behind the counter, we spot one of those kitsch octagonal pendulum clocks... ojiisan's favorite model 😂
@codewiz I kind of like it, I'm into grandpas' clocks 😅Did I say that I recently made a cronjob to play a midi with the Westminster quarters two times a day? I remember me you and Benoit talked about those a while ago.