Sleeping on sand or dirt is one thing, sleeping on wood is another. Funny thing is, I'm getting more and more used to always being on the floor, it's part of Japanese customs. I still prefer the western way though. My point is, our bungalow was nothing but a hut with a light. The campsite was surrounded by mountains, rivers and trees. A part of Japan probably 95% of tourists don't see. We hung out for a bit after we packed our bags because it was still raining. Apparently Gero, where we are going, is famous for its hot spring but that wasn't the reason we were going there. We wanted to see the gorge and waterfall that Rocky had talked so much about in Niseko. We figured it would never really stop raining so we decided to leave when it slowed down. About halfway there, we stopped for about 2 hours to do laundry, buy some groceries, and Rocky a gift (bottle of wine).
We arrived in Gero at about 16:30 and gave Rocky a call. He told us to meet him a bit further up the road. His wife came out to greet us. They were at her parents house preparing fish for a BBQ the next day for his guests. He was wearing a butcher's apron, had fishy hands, but I was happy to see him. We finally fulfilled our promise to visit him. After that, he needed some more groceries, then we went to his house, dropped off his stuff and went to an onsen. Yikes!
I avoided going to onsens while at Niseko because they're separated genders, you're surrounded by stark naked guys, and mainly, I'm a little uncomfortable walking around balls out. Rocky gave us a dinky little towel so to speak to cover up my dong. There were several baths, some were different temperatures, some sauna rooms, a mist room which was my favorite, couple outdoor ones and one very interesting one where you sit in a cubicle and your head is the only thing sticking out. It ended up being a fun experience. I'm not eager to do it again but I'll be more willing.
