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Suwa
April 13, 2007
Mood: Cool Calm and Collected
On Friday, I got up late and decided I needed a day off. The biggest problem was that I had changed my bike seat just before the trip, and never tried it out. Had I tried it out, I probably wouldn't have bought it, but such is 20/20 hindsight. Well, this seat was bought on Ebay, and LOOKED like it had some cushioning. It weighed the right amount for cushioning as well. But this seat does NOT have cushioning. It is simply leather on plastic. That's it. And it's a new design that they are trying out that I'm not used to. The shape is all out of whack. I knew that much when I ordered it, but the reviews were great. Anyway, the result is that ever since Gunma my ass has been in a bad way. It's like I have both tissue bruises, AND bone bruises. It hurts in the worst way. I decided to stay off my bike mainly in the hopes that my ass just needed a day of healing.
To aid it, I chose to go to an onsen all day. I've never spent more than 2 hours at one, but I wanted to see how long I could stand it. This one was pretty standard, but it had a couple cool features. They had an under water jet that's probably given its fair share of accidental enemas, but that works wonders on muscle groups and on the scalp. They also had an interesting way to waste water (as if any bathhouses are water savers). Basically you sit on a stone and a perfectly cylindrical gush of hot water drops down on you from about 5 meters up. It also was really nice for my back (but not my head).
I chilled there until I felt light headed, and then headed to the built-in restaurant, and literally fell asleep on their tatami mats. All tolled, I only managed to stay 3 hours before feeling like there were better things to do.
I did have time to check out the famous geyser, but gave the temple a skip. I just went back to Chris' place and did some emails before he came home and we headed out for dinner at his local ramen shop.
All in all, it was not only a relaxing day; it was exactly what the doctor ordered (the doctor being... myself of course).