northern exposure
After a week in Kansai, I headed for Matt and Chikako's house in Kitakami, Iwate. Not a prefecture overly popular with tourists, Iwate still offers beautiful coasts and mountains. After a few days relaxing around Morioka and Kitakami, Matt and I cycled up to Osawa onsen - about 30kms north west of Kitakami. He needed a break, I needed a break, and we were rewarded with all we could desire. Apart, that is, from beautiful concubines in the outdoor rotenburo bath.
Cycling always makes you appreciate simple hospitality more - it's one of the reasons I love it. Snow was evident around us and we had a wonderful room overlooking the river and said bath - a water mill and forest lay behind. We made our way around the various hot spring baths - one of which was made of cedar and across a bridge - after washing and then got the kotatsu fired up before going for dinner and having some beers in our yukatas. We went for more baths and drank more beers whilst catching up. It is a nice life in Iwate for Matt, Chikako and the kids - I could easily adopt it - long may it last. We finished up drinking 2 varieties of shouchu which was definitely a mistake - waking as we did with raging hangovers to the sound of very heavy rain and the prospect of the cycle home. We had another bath to heat up and limped back to town. Nothing would get in the way of a magical memory though.
