Noboribetsu

Day trip to Noboribetsu, the town of hell and devils. It is a hotbed of geothermal activity that the locals have used to create numerous onsen hot springs and themes of hell. Spent the morning hiking around the hell pits photographing boiling mud and steamy mountains. Took lunch at a delightful little noodle shop called Dosanko. The name is what the locals call themselves; I enjoyed giving them a hard time about it. Rode the ropeway to the top of the mountain and the view of the Lake Kuttara was amazing. A bit touristy, but there is a bear park and a mock Ainu village as well.



Spent several hours at the famous onsen in town. Its impressive. Huge glass walls give boiling bodies a sunset view of the hell pits. Saunas or varying temperatures and scents. Back massaging waterfall pools. Cold water shock pools. Outdoor rotemburo. Its become a bit of a hobby to compare the different onsens and their varying cultures across Japan. Wish I could take photos inside, but its kind of hard to smuggle a camera into a public spa with a hundred other naked men.