Iya Valley to Kotohira, Day 7 of 8

This morning I woke up and had breakfast, much as usual. Check-out wasn’t until ten and the tour group had a pre-arranged taxi for me at 10:20, so after breakfast I wanted to have another soak in the rotenburo. Though as I was getting ready, the front desk called. It had started raining last night and continued into today. I didn’t think anything of it since I would be taking the taxi to the train station and then onwards. But since we were in a remote section of the island in the mountains, whenever there are heavy rains, they cancel the local services due to landslides. And that included my train that I had purchased yesterday.

I called my tour company, who has been amazing with customer service and encourages us to call for issues such as these or if needing help with an impassable language barrier, etc. They said they would take care of it and they did. They arranged the taxi to pick me up at 10:20 as planned, but instead of merely dropping me at the train station, it took me all the way to today’s hotel.

In another city.

An hour and twenty minutes away.

But first, I needed to experience the rotenburo one more time. Since it was early in the morning and most people were in the process of checking out, and since I was in the process of hearing back from my tour company, I brought my phone up with me.

I definitely disobeyed the signs on this one, but as no one’s privacy was invaded, it felt worth the risk.

When the time came, I took a taxi for more than an hour, which racked up a hefty $150 equivalent fee. I figured oh well, what else could I do? But it turns out that the tour group was covering it. No complaints here! They really have been an amazing company to work with, and I’d have no reservations about going with them again.

At any rate, I arrived at my hotel, but four hours early. And it was still pouring. So my choice was either sit in the hotel lobby, or use an umbrella. Which goes against every fiber of my Portland being.

I ashamedly chose the umbrella. I had to go to the train station anyway to try and buy my ticket back to Osaka and off Shikoku island. And while my top half stayed dry, and my shorts are the kind that don’t stay wet for long, my sneakers were squelching with water after a few minutes. Less than pleasant.

But once again, the overly helpful Japanese came to my aid when I explained at the railway station that I wanted to buy a ticket (the ticket machines can be a bit daunting) and asked about the train ticket I didn’t get to use today. A guy come from behind the counter to assist me with the machine, and even went so far as to call the railroad customer service to get my tickets for today refunded and then helped me book my ticket for tomorrow. Such lovely people!

That accomplish and with time to spare, I started heading back toward the hotel as that’s where all the shops were. But the incessant downpour and already sodden shoes made it a less than ideal experience. Additionally, due to limited luggage space, and a something of a minimalist spirit, I didn’t find any of the typical souvenir trinkets being sold appealing enough to venture in, so I made my way back to the hotel to wait out the storm. Or check-in whichever came first.

It was check-in. I guess all that humidity had to go somewhere, and that somewhere was my shoes. And, sure, I suppose the surrounding environs, but that was hardly what I was focusing on. I made my way to my room, not upset to see a western bed though with the traditional tatami flooring, which was an interesting juxtaposition I hadn’t encountered yet. My experience thus far has been “tatami flooring = futon, carpet = western bed”. Not that it matters, just something of note.

Despite having already used the onsen this morning at the previous hotel, I opted for another soak here as well. I will admit the first time I experienced communal bathing on day two of the tour, it was something of a novelty as well as a “when in Rome” attitude. Now it’s no big deal, and in some small way, I think I’ll miss it. Mostly in a “oh, the Puritans never plagued your lands” kind of way.

Today’s hotel also featured an outdoor onsen, but nothing like the previous one, and I don’t think I’d go so far as to call it a rotenburo. There were two indoor tubs here, with a connecting door that led to the patio and the outdoor onsen, which had more of a western hot tub vibe, minus the jets. Still it was nice being outdoors, and the chilly rain falling from above was a nice contrast.

I was also happy to see a small cold pool at this location. Being overly hot in general, soaking in hot water does nothing to help that, and I find I continue sweating long after I’ve exited the water. Being able to sit in cold water for a few moments to lower my temperature was a nice change.

Given the rain, not much else occurred with what was left of my afternoon, and it quickly became time for dinner. Once again, the food was phenomenal. I will definitely miss how well I’ve eaten here. It hasn’t been cheap, as far as I can tell, but having pre-paid for all of this since February has definitely made it more palatable.

Tomorrow morning officially marks the end of this trip, which is both too soon as well as I’m ready to be home and not in a new location every night. Osaka was the bookend to this trip, so we’ll see what I get around to doing there. But for now, winding down it is.