Sand baths and onsen in Ibusuki

After a slightly rough night camping in Kamikawa (complete with mosquito bites, traffic noise and gardeners mowing the campsite lawns at 8am), I pack up, eat a melonpan and make plans for the day. It seems as though the forecast has shifted, with two days of heavy rain predicted. Since it’s only the second day of being out on the bike, I could embrace this and continue camping, but I’m coming up to a relatively remote and hilly area, without konbini, hotels or other amenities. Before he heads off north, Matt the Aussie mentions Ibusuki, a resort town across the bay, less than an hour by ferry. Sleep deprived and interested to see some more of the region before I head east, I decide to ease myself into things. Heading south to the crossing, I hop aboard a ferry, book a nice hotel room for the duration of the stormy weather and cycle several kilometers to the resort.

Black sand beaches of Ibusuki

Ibusuki is a peaceful place. Black sand beaches with palm trees lining the roads. I decide to grab a bowl of kurobuta ramen in town, a regional specialty. As I finish up, it starts to rain and I cycle over to the hotel to check in. The hotel is a little old and run down, but the view from the room is fantastic and worth the price. I imagine it’s a more popular place in the height of summer. The hotel also has an open air onsen, and regular shuttle buses to restaurants and other onsen in town.

After some much needed sleep and using the coin laundry, I book in to try the suna-mushi, or sand bathing, something the area is known for. Wearing a yukata, you lie down as attendants shovel steaming hot black sand on top of you. Buried up to your neck for ten minutes, the sensation is like having a very heavy, warm duvet pinning you down. A fun experience, worth doing once, but I didn’t particularly enjoy being buried alive. Immediately after is the bathhouse, with hot spring waters and a sauna. For dinner, I try out kurobuta-soboro-don, which is donburi with black pork and an onsen-steamed egg, another local specialty. As the storm sets in properly, I head back to the hotel for a good night’s rest.