The Immortal Vampire Chronicles: Pieces of Japan: Day 5

23rd December 2009

Noboribetsu, Hokkaido, Japan

Hell Valley: Silent Hill

Standing at the edge, I gazed out to the sight that laid before me, and taking in all that was around me in silent appreciation.

Smoke, clouds of smoke, rose skyward from the land below, dissipating into a thin veil of steam as they drifted towards the heavens. The lingering smell of sulphur too distinct and pungent to ignore. Faint hints of speech and laughter drifted in and out of my hearing, bringing about an almost-silence only broken by the occasional chirp of the bird in the tree.

Warm rays of sunlight slipped through the barren branches, as the sun made her last stand against the darkness, slow but surely slipping behind the mountains, making way for the night that was to come.

Last Stand

Looking behind out of curiosity, I saw her, back towards me, clumsily wading through the snow; one step at a time, each leaving a footprint that was at least ankle-high. Second day in and she didn't look any more orientated to it. The sight made me smile silently to myself, but that smile slowly became a smirk as I bent over...

Digging my hands deep into the snow, I grabbed a pile of it and started to clam them together in my hands, followed by the execution of a repetitive circular motion. Once I felt it was enough, I called out to her.

"Darling!" I shouted.

As she turned around, the snowball hit her squarely on the shoulder, shattering into smaller flakes and falling back to the ground.

She bent over and dug into the ground in front of her, getting ready for her counter-attack.

A sense of playfulness filled the air, as we had our snowball fights, tree-targeting games, and just rolling around in the snow.

Our constant laughter rang through the previously silent hills as the sun continued her march into the darkness.

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Dai-ichi Takimotokan: Fit for a King

Room with a View

A silence filled the lift as we waited for it to arrive at our designated floor, whilst the Kimono-clad lady held firmly onto the handle of our suitcases. Exiting the lift and gliding down the corridor, we came face-to-face with the door; the one obstacle that remained between us and a Life of Luxury - even if it were only for a day...

With spacious traditional Ryokan-style rooms, impeccable service and an in-room traditional Japanese dining-feast fit for a king, Dai-ichi Takimotokan definitely impressed us on multiple counts. Lying on the fringe of Hell Valley, the view from the room sure didn't hurt either.

Feast for a King

Yet, all these took a backseat when stacked against the main attraction of the hotel...

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Smoke on Water

I stood petrified.

My hand firmly grasping onto the door handle, as beads of water dripped off of my naked body. Steam was still being emitted from my body, with the faint smell of sulphur lingering in the air. My vision was blurred from all the steam and vapour.

I had already made up my mind much earlier, and knew it was inevitable and eventual; but yet when it came to it, my legs would not move; my body tensed up, as I needed that moment to brace myself mentally.

Taking a deep breath, I forcefully pressed my wrist downwards and swung the door open, taking quick and long strides out of the door.

The chilly winter night-wind greeted my face with a harsh kiss on the cheeks, before caressing the rest of my body, including areas too sensitive for comfort. Even though my goal was only a few steps away, each step I took felt so slow and so painful, and every second exposed to the cold winter wind blowing the drops off of water of my naked body felt too much like an eternity.

My feet sank into the pool first, sending an immediate numbing sensation upward to the rest of my body. My body followed shortly after, and I was quickly shoulder-deep into the Cypress-styled bath. The water was presumedly boiling - the second warmest of all the baths - and yet, for a few seconds too long, by body was still shivering - numb at best, before finally being able to regain a sense of normalcy and being able to feel the heat.

Ahhh, a sigh of relief; as I felt my muscles starting to relax in the soothing hot water.

With almost 30 baths, featuring 7 different types of onsens that were purported to have differing remedial effects on the body, the main attraction of Dai-ich Takimotokan was the gigantic common bath. I personally likened the place to an "Onsen Amusement Park" - with a variety of conventional indoor and outdoor baths, as well as some novelty baths that had you lying flat, hot and cold foot baths, and one of my personal favourites, the waterfall bath that helped to message the aching shoulders, neck and back; it was hardly any surprise that more than an hour was spent with each visit - with full relaxation and rejuvenation achieved at the end of every visit.

I waddled my way to the corner of the bath, being particularly careful not to expose an inch of my body below my neck to the biting winds. I huddled myself into the corner and closed my eyes, taking in the full experience of my first outdoor bath, as I felt the scalding water soaking through my skin and soothing my aching body.

Opening my eyes, I saw a little puff of smoke emitting from the water's surface on my left, as the vertical stream of vapour rise upwards.

Shortly after that, another one on my right.

And then another in front of me, and then another on the right, and another, and another...

I tilted my head to a 45 degree angle, looking out towards Hell Valley below. The night was pitch black, a kind of darkness that could only be had with a natural landscape with no man-made lights, and with nary a star in light and no moonlight to guide the wandering eyes.

But the light behind me was sufficient for me to spot little white specks falling graciously towards the water's surface, swaying and dancing to the effects of gravity -and their inevitable end; but yet in a manner that almost depicted them enjoying every last minute of the journey.

A little white speck fell onto my right shoulder, and sent a slightly chilly sensation around that area.

I tilted my head fully upwards, and saw the little specks of snow coming towards my face in an almost stereoscophic three-dimensional fashion. Each little speck touching my cheeks caressing them briefly.

I've heard many things about the wonders of the combination of Onsen and snow, and as my mind reached that realisation, it drifted off to an entire different place far away into the pitch-black sky.