Dear Tony: A Day in Asamushi-Onsen

Dear Tony,

I had to leave Tsukuba at 6am to assuredly catch a 8:20 bullet train from Tokyo to Aomori. In Aomori, I took a local train towards the Onsen “capital” in Asamushi.

Now Asamushi is a tiny town, the tiniest I’ve seen thus far in Japan. Toyako was at least attached to a sister town by Lake Toya. But Asamushi was merely one in a line of tiny towns that dotted the rail stations around Aomori.

I had no place to sleep, no hostels in the area, and all the spa-inns were either booked or way more expensive than my budget. [Think $150 a night. That would include a meal and spa access plus amenities]

Instead it was time for some improvising.

600 yen got me a 24hr locker in the train station. The music and speakers draw me into the little town. Their schoolyard is surrounded by cherry blossoms where two or three dozen people are celebrating the spring arrival. A handful of children are engaged with games and play. Families bring their elders into the celebration. The locals corral me to the great honor of meeting the mayor. He speaks only a little English but is extremely welcoming, if not a bit bemused why an American tourist has arrived at his tiny town festival. He beckons me to try the scallops. They are fresh pulled from the ocean, grilled on the flattop and importantly, given out for free.

I am floored. Floored! The scallops are sweet and salty and tender. There’s a little smokey char. The entire body is edible and I gobble this succulent morsel greedily. It’s simply the most delicious thing I had ever eaten, even given all my experiences over the last week. They keep refilling my plate and soon a stack of shells piles 16 high.

We play rock-paper-scissors with the children for prizes. There’s a MC, a flow artist dressed as a clown, two girls in anime costumes sitting on blankets with their boyfriends, local vendors selling boiled duck egg noodle soup, trinkets, toys. It’s actually incredible. The most fun. All as it’s raining buckets of cherry blossom petals every way the spring gusts blow.

After a few hours, I exited; full of food and good will, to find a place to sleep.

The dam was the most promising; the beautiful valley lined with cherry blossoms, the water was clear and a public area provided a water fountain and an overhang/table.

It wasn’t all perfect. I could not find the start of a hiking trail leading me to a terrible trek in the actual forests. Thank god the trees were numbered and I could Hansel and Gretel find my way back. The detour included a nice smoke/writing break on a tree that had fallen sideways. The twin trunks made natural bench seating.

I did eventually make it into the trail and promptly got properly lost. I was so anxious about sleeping arrangements/making the whole trail/not being in the forest for a buggy sunset/making an onsen, I completely missed the tree I wanted to see, and lost the trail 2 or 3 times.

Covered in mud, tired, and hungry. I made it back to town for a very utilitarian public hot spring bath. The water was good though and I ended up sweating and meditating, then getting more writing done.

Hunger drove me back to exploring even as my feet were tired and I still had camp to set up. I made it down to the beach, on a vague idea of looking for a restaurant on the boardwalk.

Look. I’ll be real. The town was tiny, and by 7:30 when I left the closed onsen, I had little hope of finding a restaurant. I was expecting maybe a 7/11 run for some convenience store food [Lawson chicken is better but 7/11 has more variety] before setting up camp for the night.

Still. I find that for urban camping, setting up long after dark is better to remain inconspicuous. So I figured I’d burn an hour or two by walking around the dark town, and maybe if I found a small local bar, getting a drink or hot meal.

Instead, in the parking lot by the beach, there were some people camping out of their cars; a couple in a modified van and an older gentleman in a rental with the back seats down. They’ve got lights, chairs, a table, and beer/liquor. On the table is a gas burner where a pot is filled with veg and meat and noodles.

When I passed the campers, their stew was boiling rapidly, and frankly my brain focused on one thing. I approached strictly with intention of getting a bowl.

And yet somehow, it ended up becoming the most magical of interactions I have had in Japan. A few hellos and gesturing the next thing you know, I was seated in a chair; wrapped in two warm blankets, cracked a cold beer, and given the greatest blessings I could ask for.

I found a warm world. That transcended language. A hot meal and cold beer under the stars was more than nice, it was pure magic.

I cried. I’ll admit it. I needed to pee after beer 3, trickling remnants into the ocean water, under the clear and flawless night sky. I thought about the fresh and free scallops. About how I had been given more than just food and friendship, but genuine kindness and concern, as they piled blankets on me to protect against the cold, skiing gloves, also to protect against the cold. They gave me full portions for seconds and thirds. Saitoshi would sneak extra pieces of tofu and chicken, the good bites, into my bowl. The next morning Saitoshi, Naoki, and Akiko bought me mochi from the train station giftshop and hung out with me in the public foot hot spring before my train left.

I slept that night in a hammock, under the stars, in the valley of mountains, overlooking the spring blossoms.

It was cold, I nestled under 4 layers, a down quilt and on top of a deflating air mattress that I would wake up twice to reflate.

My ankle was twisted from the panicked hiking earlier, chasing the sunset. My left big toe had been aching for a while now. And I was mostly fearful of someone kicking me out of the park.

But yet. It was the most magical day of my life. A high that I couldn’t replicate, probably ever.

I’ll finish with a Haiku.

Asamushi

Grilled scallops, fresh, free
small Japanese towns as if
pearls from the ocean

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Saitoshi. Naoki. Akiko. I will find you again. And I will continue to give generously, above and beyond to the people around me. Just how you showed me. The world is warm.

*ring bells* *clap* *bow* *pray*

Winston