Spring back to a new, healthy you

It is dusk, a brief September twilight, when I approach the garden on the pathway to the roten-buro, an open-air hot spring bath perched on a cliff overlooking the Pacific.

The mountains change colour in the fading light as the sun sets over the city of Atami in Japan, famed for its hot springs. These springs offer curative mineral waters at some of Japan's best onsen or natural, hot springs. We have come to Hotel Suiyotei, a Japanese style inn, or ryokan, for a very good reason: to take a bath in the traditional Japanese onsen.

Variety of springs

The hot spring supposedly contains dissolved chemicals and minerals, such as sodium, magnesium and calcium which revitalise blood circulation, induce relaxation and detoxify the body. It is also said to be good for arthritis, rheumatism and high blood pressure.

As a volcanic archipelago, Japan is home to about 10 per cent of the world's active volcanoes. Throughout the islands, there are over 3,000 hot springs, and depending on the spring, different minerals in the water give different health benefits.

Hot spring baths come in many varieties — indoors and outdoors, gender separated and mixed. Many hot spring baths belong to a ryokan, while others are public bath houses, massive resorts and theme parks. From the moment I entered the roten-buro, its calming atmosphere embraced my senses and the lush, green setting, with its rock pools and Japanese garden trees, evoked a sense of timelessness in that oasis of tranquility.

Exotic silence

I slipped out of my yukata (cotton robe), wrapped a towel around my body and walked out the sliding glass door to the washing area outside. As a rule, one has to shower before climbing into the baths. Wallowing seemed a better idea, than swimming, in the tingling 40°Celsius water. Since there was no one else outdoors, I soaked in the exotic silence. I gazed out over the ocean and marvelled at the Atami mountainside, illuminated at night. There is an unbelievably sublime beauty here with the deep blue Pacific below, the starry skies above and the natural hot springs.

The Hotel Suiyotei, an 11-storey Japanese style inn, is set on a steep slope along the ocean coast, facing the Sagami Gulf of the Pacific.

Suiyotei, which means water (sui) and leaves (yo), is a hotel that offers ryokan with onsen. It was founded over 50 years ago in the town of Izusan, among older hot springs on the Izu Peninsula. We lingered for refreshments at the hotel lobby on the sixth floor (yes, the lobby is on the sixth floor) while admiring the soft, green mountains of Atami shielded by huge, rock tetrapods to absorb the powerful waves.

Atami is located in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan's Riviera, extending along the Pacific coast, south of the Chubu Region.

The journey

It also lies at the entrance of the Izu Peninsula (Izu Hanto), a famous resort area, popular for its scenic mountainous interiors, beautiful coastline, mild climate and magnificent views of Mt Fuji.

Starting out on our journey to this exotic setting, we had boarded the Kodama (meaning echo) Bullet Express Train going from Tokyo to Nagoya, for a short journey to Atami which took only 50 minutes. We stopped first at Shin-Yokohama, and then Odawara.

We started by exploring the city's bustling port and later walked the small alleys and byways, encountered a charming crimson-red tram and came upon the unusual sight of fish being dried on a quiet corner of an empty street.

Traditional rooms

Back at the hotel, we checked into one of the 100 guest rooms that open onto a welcoming landscape of warm sunshine and the bluest water as far as the eye can see.

I was particularly impressed with the Japanese style room called washitu, furnished with tatami mats made of straw, gleaming wood, panels of paper screens (shoji) and a porous sliding door made of wood framework and paper (fusuma). It lead to a private terrace that offered a panoramic view of the Pacific.

A petite Japanese woman, wearing a navy blue kimono with a white obi tied around her waist, visited me in my room. She turned out to be our nakai-san (lady-in-waiting), a person who is in charge of attending to the needs of guests.

At the ryokan, a long soak will work up your appetite for the delightful Japanese dinners served here. When I returned to the room, with my face flushed from the hot evening bath in the roten-buro, I was famished. In a little while, Yakoi-san, our smiling nakai carried into the room several seafood dishes and succulent local beef, served with appetising sauces.

Delectable cuisine

The beautifully arranged Japanese style dinner, featuring local specialties, such as sukiyaki, tempura, yakitori and teppanyaki, had as much to do with pleasing the soul as nourishing the body.

Next morning, I woke up early, just before the first light of day streamed through the shoji frames, slipped on my geta (wooden slippers) and walked out into the garden for a bath.

In the early morning mist, the outdoor hot spring was a place of dream-like peace and beauty. It is laid out like a landscaped garden of olden times.

— Christina Camingue Buo is a UAE-based freelance writer

Go there...Atami

From the UAE
Nearest international airport to Atami is Tokyo.

From Dubai: Malaysia Airlines flies three times a week via Kuala Lumpur. Fare: Dh3,200
Air India flies four times a week via Delhi or Mumbai. Fare: Dh3,000
Singapore Airlines flies daily via Singapore. Fare: Dh2,600
Cathay Pacific flies three times a week via Hong Kong. Fare: Dh2,560
Air China flies four times a week via Beijing. Fare: Dh2,500
Korean Air flies daily via Seoul. Fare: Dh2,480

From Abu Dhabi: Air China flies three times a week via Taipei. Fare: Dh3,700
Singapore Airlines flies three times a week via Singapore. Fare: Dh2,600
(All fares exclusive of taxes)

— Information courtesy: MMI Travels

Where to stay
Hotel Suiyotei: 190-1, Izusan, Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan 413-0002 Or log on to www.suiyotei.com (in Japanese only)
Guest rooms: Japanese style: 94 / Western style: Six
Capacity: Up to 590 people
Facilities: Ten banquet halls, Six council (meeting) rooms, Convention hall (for up to 800 people), coffee shop, souvenir shop, game centre, night club and swimming pool (open in July and August)
Bathrooms: 19 bathrooms, including Dynasty (huge bath room), sauna, private bathrooms, observation bathrooms and open-air bathrooms

Information

Bullet train to Atami:
How to travel between the Izu Peninsula and Tokyo
Source: www.japan-guide.com

By Tokaido Shinkansen:
The Japan Railway (JR) Tokaido Shinkansen provides a direct connection from Tokyo to Atami station (40 to 50 minutes, Dh13,773 one way, by non-reserved seat) and Mishima station (45 to 60 minutes, Dh14,287 one way, by non-reserved seat) at the entrance to the Izu Peninsula. The journey is covered by the Japan Rail Pass.

By local trains:
It is also possible to go to the Izu Peninsula in local trains, along the JR Tokaido Line.

The one-way journey from Tokyo to Atami takes about 100 minutes and costs Dh6,942. To Mishima it takes about two hours, costs Dh8,117 and usually requires a change of trains at Atami Station.

If you are based in Shinjuku, you could save a few dirhams by taking the Odakyu Railways from Shinjuku to Odawara and changing to the JR Tokaido Line there.

The whole journey to Atami would take more than two hours but will cost only Dh4,591. And to Mishima, it would take about three hours and cost Dh5,509.

Fees and schedules are subject to change.

Visit www.japan-guide.com for more details.

With special tickets:
JR and Odakyu offer various special tickets from Tokya for visiting the Izu Peninsula.

The tickets are a round trip from Tokyo to the Izu Peninsula and allow unlimited use of transportation on the peninsula.

By road:
Exploring the Izu Peninsula by road can be enjoyable and efficient.

Rental car outlets can be found near many major railway stations, such as Mishima, Atami, Shuzenji and Shimoda stations.

Tocoo Travel is highly recommended for low car rentals and an English reservation interface.

Local terms:
Onsen means hot spring or spa.

Roten means open air or outdoors.

Furo or buro means bath but for open-air bath, they say roten-buro instead of roten furo.