Beauty - no longer a daily-topic just for the ladies, men too, are getting more receptive towards grooming.

If you are going to Kyushu and would like to indulge into a holistic retreat (be it as a solo or a family trip), you will never choose to miss going to:
Ureshino Onsen Town in Saga 佐賀Prefecture (northwest part of Kyushu Island): 1 of the top 3 beauty onsen in Japan!!!
I did a day-trip from Hakata ward of Fukuoka Prefecture/ City (so simple! so convenient to a gaikokujin/foreigner who doesn't know Japanese language) and it will not take you more than 100 minutes to reach the onsen town from Hakata.

So what is so happy and wonderful/ureshii about Ureshino? Ladies and gentlemen, vain or not, read on!

a) Mind-rebalancing
To me, it is such a serene and cosy little town, though not as picturesque as some more renowned tourism spots in japan, this town is surrounded by enough-to-wow-you tea plantations and mountains. Be it strolling around, or staying overnight, I felt I was constantly snugged by pillows made of soft autumn leaves. Just by strolling at the town alone, doing nothing (okay, I was busy taking photos), I was totally mesmerized by the autumn colours and its river! The constant murmur of the river cleanses my ear and hence, my mind too…

b) Sports and healthy-living
I would advise renting a bicycle for 500 Yen and getting an onsen (hot spring) ticket booklet, (all from its tourism association 嬉野温泉観光協会, right beside the bus centre) with the bicycle it will be less taxing and time consuming. The onsen ticket booklet (costs only 1,500Yen) will come in economical when you are doing onsen-shopping. A bigger-sized onsen (in ryokans) or one with better facilities would typically costs you 6 coupons or 1,000 Yen if you are paying by cash. Hence, the ticket booklet is more cost-saving!
You can walk/cycle to the mini-water fall area in the park (which is near to the Kinsarankan-the tea facility) or towards the public bath/ onsen garden…time to time, u will slowly appreciate buildings and bridges of certain historical background too (especially if you understand the Japanese language) – read more in the e) “Learning” segment

c) Pampering
You are spoilt by many onsens/spa/ hot bath from private ryokans or the public bath type (like the one attached above)
For the public type:, there are free footbath around (with free wifi too!) and the Shiiboruto no onsen (about 400yen),
however I prefer quieter and more private setting hence I shall share one of the 3 which I have visited (to avoid making this blog overly lengthy)

~ Warakuen 和楽園 as its name suggests it is a balance of peace and harmony, the perfect ground for cultivating inner peace!

Similar to the same rationale of nourishing body, while many spas offering milk bath, you have the green tea bath over here. Mini packets of tea are provided by the outdoor hot spring of Warakuen, you are gaining the benefits of green tea compounds through head to toe, from external to internal…(see attached last photo at the end)

If you would to stay a night at warakuen, you can choose some of its special rooms and relaxed by its outside wooden plank, imagining gazing upwards (the trees and sky), punctuated with the chirping of insects and birds again, I wonder was I stepping into heavens? Definitely a chance to tap into our inner peace for our deepest-most reflection of life…

With a luscious silky and thick consistency in its spring water, it is no wonder that Satoshi Fujita, 藤田聡 a renowned critic/ expert on Japanese hot springs, selected Ureshino Onsen Town as one of Japan's three great spa towns for beautiful skin − together with the Hinokami斐乃上温泉in Shimane Prefecture and the Kitsuregawa喜連川温泉in Tochigi Prefecture.
Not enough foundation and pampering for your skin? Worries: No-no! There are near to 50 small-sized and large ryokans sandwiching the limpid Ureshino River offering you various choices of onsen and accommodation! Stay for a night or two to go for more onsen-shopping!
In addition, I bought back a cake of soap from the onsen resort to prove its waters’ (MORE THAN) skin-deep formula. It works effectively on my mother (who is above the age of 60 year old) too! After trying on rough skin areas like the elbows and kneecaps, they miraculously become softer, smoother and firmer after 3-day of use!

d) Palate-tantalizing
Maybe to a westerner, a tofu is not as fascinating, nevertheless it is a must-try at Ureshino
Tofu: beancurd definitely contains low calorie count and relatively large amounts of protein (women wowing- with eyes blinking NOW)It has a subtle flavor hence to be seasoned or marinated to form into another savoury or sweet dish. But trust me, the ones at Ureshino need no seasoning! It successfully became the “main dish” in Ureshino (Not the softie Silken Tofu type yet it is not as firm as those typical tofu block, why is that so? Read on)
As the Ureshino area boasts a discharge rate of 3,000 tons of water (17 spring sources) sources per day. It surely has good quality alkaline hot water which contains salt and carbonic acid. ). Since the alkaline component in hot spring water reacts to the salt in tofu, its texture becomes smooth and mellow.With the water as the soup base, and using the same water to produce its famous tofu, making the whole tofu dish creamy on the outside yet smooth on the inside, (equally delectable when you pair it with sushi or sashimi), this tofu is a winner! The specialty dish of the Ureshino Onsen area: Onsen Yudofu is a Japanese tofu hot pot (Yudofu) boiled with hot spring water. (equally mouth-drooling if cooked with meat, stewed with other vegetables in a hot pot or just eaten with chopped green onion and shaved dried bonit) If not, itself alone is a winning dish! This healthy dish is also popular as a breakfast in Ureshino and became a nationally recognized dish.

e) Learning (+ Hands-on)
A holiday trip is never completed with no fun and nutrients for the brain. Next, a must-try for solo travellors/ couples and especially for the whole family with kids!
Visit its Kinsarankan (the tea dying facility) and get to dye your own green tea towel or fried tea etc learning activities – about 25min walk from centre. The tea dying takes an hour. (Operation hours is 10:00～16:00, and the closed days are second and forth(Wed, Sat, Sun) and the New Year's holiday.)



Like a hidden gem, (similar to those Japanese old ladies realized that water from washing rice turned their hands so much smoother and this is how the “magic water” “SKII” is discovered! ) my trip to Ureshino allowed me to leisurely unveil the many more-than-skin-deep items…Ureshino- definitely a “mini-heaven” on the Earth for whole family and any type of travellors to explore!

I would like to end my trip experience with this little-known story:

Ureshino was first developed in the 8th century (over 1300 years by now), It is said that the name “Ureshino” came from the story of when Empress Jingu noted that her soldiers became reinvigorated after having a hot bath in the Onsen on return from battle. She was said to have exclaimed, “How wonderful! ” (i.e. Ureshiiうれしい” in Japanese). This was my exact reaction (when I first saw the autumn colours of Ureshino) too and I yearn to live a long life like the royal families who have had bathe and consumed products of Ureshino...

I want to come back to Ureshino again! but minus seeing the grossly populated tourists (like in Kyoto, Tokyo etc) , I hope no tourists will ruin the serenity that Ureshino has charmed me with.....

~JJ (a frequent traveller to Japan but going to Kyushu is my first!)