Izu Hokkawa Onsen Bousui: another place in Japan that brings you much closer to heaven

Japanese inns (ryokan) are the destination!

My first experience in Bousui was only 5 years ago and then the second was last month. In 2006 I was a newbie exploring the Hokkawa Hot Spring district, 2014 was my second visit as a devoted fan of hot spring perfection and I wanted to share this haven with my life partner and best friend.

We took the Shinkansen from Tokyo station to Atami station and then changed trains to a local train on the JR Ito line that took us to IzuHokkawa station. I wrote about this onsen and the perfect level of Omotenashi Japanese hospitality here in my latest book “33 More Reasons to Be Proud” and as one of Bousui’s clients had alerted them to my chapter, I was pleasantly surprised to see that part of the book. is prominently displayed on your website. More surprising was the VIP treatment they gave us from the moment we stepped off the train onto the aged wooden platform at IzuHokkawa station.

We got off the train and right there on the platform, our driver from Bousui was waiting to take our bags and take us to the vehicle for our short to one of my favorite corners of the sky in this beautiful Land of the Rising Sun.

A thin, winding path took us past fishing boats bobbing in choppy waves adorned with coiled nets, rusted and forgotten vacation homes built during the time of Japan’s bubble of affluence known as the Japanese “economic miracle.” , ice cream parlors closed waiting for the start of Summer and children smiling after the freshness of the delicious “Soft Cream” available throughout Japan from June to August.

Since ancient times, Ryokan was a place to rest. We need this more than ever.

Our visit was during the quiet and lazy times of early June, so we were missing out on the summer hustle and even happier with the silence and nakedness of this sleepy city.

Parking at the Bousui entrance, it’s hard to imagine that we’ve just walked up a hill and now I’m entering the Japanese Inn on the 7th floor. That is, until you walk past the sweet smelling wood-framed lobby, take off your shoes. On the cool tile floor, slip on your slippers and glide across the oversized beige rug to a glass-clad coffee room designed to jut out over the sea and give you a feeling of oneness with the ocean, sky, horizon, and wind.

On full moon nights, Bousui is one of the few places in Japan where you can see a “Moon Path” shining over the sea. In fact, the owner of the Ryokan hired a professional musician to compose a sweetly inspiring rhapsody of music to foreshadow the path of the moon and all the joyous nature in sight from here, his position atop the Pacific.

There is something special about a building of simple construction that has unity with nature as its main objective. The ceiling-to-floor windows are the gazebo over the expansive sea, the light greens, oranges and beige inside create a traditional comfort that will lull you into a deeper sensitivity to thought and intensify your attention to the outside view.

We sat there for 20 to 30 minutes drinking hot tea. With a friendly explanation of where the bathrooms are, the history of the building, and our menu for the evening, we again find ourselves looking out over the great Pacific from our room. We watched the fishing boats pass by, wondering what they had access to under this rich sea, we thought about how the rain over distant Oshima might be heading our way, we watched the changing colors in the clouds as the sun went down, we noticed the crows and the seagulls while flying. over the ocean in the afternoon and lounging on soft Zabuton pillows in our room loaded with the warm aroma of the tatami. It was a perfect moment of gratitude and reflection. How lucky we are to be alive and to be able to drink in the peace of this perfect day.

Japanese inns have a way of affecting you. The pace is easy … get there, go to your room, shower, eat your fill and sleep. There is very little interruption or canned fun in a traditional Japanese inn. Perhaps for a long time, since these places were not for entertainment but for rest, the act of gentle hospitality has been perfected. No one will pass you a complicated menu or ask you to transcribe your passport or address details upon arrival. The food is usually decided by the package that you have ordered in advance included in your rate and your accommodation will be perfectly prepared for the rest.

Comfortable Japanese futon on tatami floor. Ability to make the room perfectly dark, tea and water on hand to keep you hydrated and always, always the tranquility of a secret garden getaway to heal and revive.

I remember a similar rustic tranquility in the mountains of Wyoming during a family trip to a ranch, I think of the waves hitting the sand outside my tent during camping on the beach at my house, Hawaii and then, I think now of how I can access that same comfort. with a quick train ride to one of the countless Ryokan getaways in Japan. For me, an ocean lover, Bousui will always be my favorite.

When you look at the price, you can feel it high. You will be tempted to stay in cheaper accommodation to save money to explore the area and visit places of interest. But, the thing about Ryokan, the Ryokan IS the place of interest for that area. The architecture, the food, the room itself, the furniture, the futon, the various bathrooms, the cultured Omotenashi hospitality; there is no need to go out and find Japanese culture elsewhere. That is all. This is the epitome of a Japanese experience.

Pay the fee of 20,000 to 50,000 yen per person and believe me, you will see how this experience itself will stay with you as Your Japan for a lifetime.

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