First stop of the day was Jigokudani (Hell Valley) just behind Dai-ichi Takimoto-kan, the creme de la creme of onsens! Jigokudani was very sulphurous; I could taste the sulfur on my skin after walking through on the boardwalk.
This photo shows the confluence of a yellow sulfury stream with a clear water (but still very hot: 80 degrees Celsius) stream.
And here are the boardwalk and the scenery:
That was the main hell. I decided to walk on further to see the lakes made from hot springs.
And then wandered further along the trail to the outdoor footbaths in the river. If you click on the photo, you can see some people soaking their feet.
After the hiking, I visited a couple of the onsens in town. The first was a local public onsen - about $4 to enter. It was nice, but fairly typical. The guidebooks all suggested Dai-ichi Takimoto-kan so I decided to splurge and pay the $20 entrance fee. It was so worth it! The place is how I imagine Roman baths to have been. Fifteen different baths - 15! Some inside, some outside, some hot, some lukewarm, some cold, a steam room, a sauna, etc. etc. etc. I tried them all!
After a long day hiking and soaking, I treated myself to this cheese and cranberry cookie. I thought they might have meant cream cheese. I ate it; it was alright. But I still don't know if it was cheese or cream cheese. I guess if I can't tell the difference...
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