AGE: Nozawa Onsen

We are currently in a town called Nozawa Onsen for two weeks. It is nestled in a dead-end valley that is surrounded by mountains. "Onsen" is the Japanese word for hot spring. The town is called "Nozawa Onsen" because it is an onsen hotspot with 13 of them. To be specific, onsens are public buildings with hot spring water. They are a very sacred part of the Japanese culture. They have separate sides for men and women, and you must rinse yourself off with buckets of water before you enter the hot spring. Once you are in the onsen (for rinsing and the hot spring) you cannot wear any clothing.

While it isn't the most romantic experience when you packed into a small onsen with a bunch of men, there is definitely something beautiful and sacred about it. Some outdoor onsens are even used for boiling food. Here's one that the locals use to cook freshly boiled vegetables and eggs:

The onsen water is also used in foot baths that are located around town. Here's Tom and Nick enjoying the experience with a local.

Nozawa Onsen seems like the perfect Japanese town. It has a huge ski mountain, a beautiful downtown, and a number of different outdoor activities. It reminds me of Church Street in Burlington a bit. Even though the main street is open to automobiles, it is mostly filled with foot traffic.
On the quieter, remote mountain edges of town are some ancient temples. We were unable to go inside, but just looking at the intricate woodcarving on the outside was amazing.
Here's a close-up of one of the designs.