2023/07/10 [Mon]
Hi friends, June here. Last week, I took off work for a few days for my birthday and headed to Shima Onsen in northern Gunma. It’s one of the last places in Gunma I haven’t been to yet, and it did not disappoint! The most famous part of the area is the red bridge to Sekizenkan, a traditional bathhouse. Both the bridge and the bathhouse are said to have been one Miyazaki’s inspirations for the movie Spirited Away.
The whole little resort town is fun to walk around and check out the life cafes and souvenir shops. My partner and I found dried gourds that you can poke and carve designs into to make lanterns–kind of like a Japanese style jack o’lantern. Past the resort town is a big lake called Lake Okushima. It’s the bluest lake in Japan! It’s so blue that it inspires products all over town–blue soda, blue ice cream, you name it.
