Great

kz.thailand

Make #Hotsprings Great Again. ✌🏻🐅⛰

#chiangdao #chiangmai #thailand #请道 #清迈 #泰国 #mybodynotyours #photography #naked #nude#photography #温泉 #น้ำพุร้อน #น้ำร้อน

Times of Covid meant that many people haven't had the ability to move outdoors and explore. Nor have the English language tourists been doing their tourist hanging out thing. So that explains the dearth of images and reports of late. 

But let's just see how much there is to share.

New Strait Times (Apr. 21) reports on how Japanese tourism companies are eyeing up US expansion:

'Hoshino Resorts, a 107-year-old company famed for its luxury retreats in beautiful Japanese locales, aims to open its first location on the U.S. mainland in the next three to five years, said chief executive officer Yoshiharu Hoshino, whose family founded the business. The closely-held company has scouted locations and held discussions with real-estate developers and investors, he said. One ideal spot, in his view, could be Saratoga Springs, about a three-hour drive from New York City and Boston.

To build a new facility with a partner, Hoshino would seek out a location in the U.S. with such potential. The culture of visiting hot springs for relaxation and restorative treatments already exists in the U.S., although many of the most sought-after spots still remain wild, with no resort infrastructure around them. Hoshino designs and operates hot spring resorts, typically owned by real-estate developers and investors.

_stephaniemelanie_ visits sento bathhouses:

It was a super nice bathhouse 😞

Take no yu, Itabashi-Ku

竹の湯、板橋区

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#dokodemosento #publicbath#bathhouse#ig_tokyo#bath#batroom#sento#脱衣所#浴場#デザイン#アート#建物 #retro #レトロ#japan#art#design#art#construction#archilovers#archidaily#igers#ig_japan

#instagramjapan#コミュニティファースト#igersjp #温泉

#銭湯

Meanwhile, Singaporeans themselves seem to be craving a (Japanese) hot spring experience. Asiaone (Jul. 10) has some notes to share on domestic Japanese style spa's. Expect this:

'This one’s for Westies who’ve had to travel to the east for an onsen fix thus far. Slated to open its doors from end-July, Joya Onsen Cafe is a full-fledged Japanese bathhouse set in Jurong.

For a true-blue communal experience, plunge into their bamboo-roofed public baths ($38++) steeped with a rotating range of minerals and infusions – we hear that green tea and citrus baths are in the lineup. Private onsen rooms are also available from $40++ per pax for a group of five.

A popular post-onsen ritual in Japan is drinking milk, so head over to the rustic in-house cafe for sushi, parfaits, and Hokkaido milkshakes'.

Not quite the same experience I think. Coincidentally Traveller.com (Nov. 16) shares a bath at Kaga onsen, Kanazawa (Japan):

'I do love me an onsen, those bath houses built around geothermal springs in Japan. Ever since discovering the delights of Turkish baths in London in my 20s, I've always jumped at the chance to get hot and sweaty with a bunch of naked men – and onsens are among the most civilised places to do so.

I love the ritual and attention they apply to the pastime: the prescribed washing beforehand; the tiny hand towel which shouldn't ever go into the bath water; the polite injunctions to, essentially, shut up and relax. And in a country as volcanically active as Japan, there are thousands of onsens, indoor and outdoor, private and public. Bliss'.

khairudinovana

🌊🌿🐉 «Я Водяной, я водяной....»

Сижу там такая в горячей природной ванной с иловым пузырящимся дном 🙊 😅

И грязи и воды и сероводород, всё что хотите 😆

Спасибо @maru_ayurveda за чудесный мини ретрит в горячие источники. ❤️🙏🏽 Надо будет повторить 😃😘 #life #mylife #bali #balilife #love #balilove #hotsprings

More hot investment news. Vietnam Investment Review (Oct. 16):

'Thanh Hoa Department of Planning and Investment is calling for investors to join the mineral hot spring resort urban project with the total investment capital of VND6.1 trillion ($265.2 million).

...

The investor will be allowed to manage, trade, and exploit townhouses, detached villas, duplex villas, quadrangle villas, apartment buildings, management and administration houses, preschools, inter-schools, Japanese food centre, VIP Onsen area, event area, and theme park, after completion'.

maiphuong91_ at Yoko Onsen (northern Vietnam):

🅞🅝🅢🅔🅝 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣0️⃣

TravelDailyNewsAsia (Nov. 10) reports on other investment opportunities in Vietnam: the wellness sector.

Situation

Two lesser reports.

The Bangkok Post (Oct. 16) reports on an incident in which a child fell in a very hot spring (Pai) and whose parents wish to sue the company responsible for the inadequate signage.

While Philippines News reports (Jul. 6) on a unclear incident in which a man is reported to have drowned in a hot spring.

miriam_ever

HOTPOOL

Spending some time in nature is one of our favourite things... This was an incredible place: a hotpool in the middle of nature. No one was around. And you might think: why going to a hotpool in ‘hot indonesia’? The answer is: traveling in Flores is sometimes cold and rainy. So going to a hotpool was a nice and welcome experience. We enjoyed it and after an hour we were ready to go again.

#malanagehotsprings #bajawa #travelindonesia #ig_indonesia #indonesia #visitindonesia #instatravel #travelgram #travel #travelphoto #travelcouple #neverstopexploring #reisverslaafd #travelling #backpack #placestovisit #travelbuddy #borntotravel #travelwithme #weliketotravel #justthetwoofus #travelwithlove #traveladventure #exploringtheworld #lifeofadventure

#coupletravel #couplelove

#travelgoals #ourtasteforlife #epicwanderers

In other news, a Singapore-based influencer from Taiwan faces internet derision (Asiaone, Apr. 28) for using Singapores Sembawang hot spring waters to cook chicken.

'NParks said in a statement: "The egg cooking station at the Sembawang Hot Spring Park is meant for collecting water and cooking eggs. As the water at the hot spring park is channelled to our public waterways, cooking of other food is not allowed as this may pollute the waterways'.

An interesting article (Nov. 15) from BBC on Taiwan's under-ocean thermal hot acidic springs:

'Nicknamed the Milky Sea, it is both a beauty and a beast. The alluring hue attracts photographers, but under the surface the water is hot and acidic, its pH value one of the lowest naturally occurring in the world's oceans – something not yet fully understood by scientists. Dozens of hydrothermal vents, like small chimneys, called fumaroles, litter the ocean floor, pumping out toxic gases and heavy metals. Turtle Island's vents are like a natural laboratory because not only are they close to shore, they are also shallow, many lying less than 14m below the surface, making them accessible sites for study by marine scientists'.

sacrum60s

#hotsprings #taiwan #tarokonationalpark

Bombs, nuclear bombs, eve, jokes and belief: an update

Soaking in Southeast Asia has added another couple of last hot spring reports, just a few more left ...

A potential terrorist threat?
Meanwhile, it's not often that a hot spring / wellness issue hits the front pages, but Britain's the Sun news(?)paper lead story on the 18th of October concerns the

'virus bombs'

that are fish foot spa's, aka Dr Fish. Luckily the story actually determines that the risks are

'extremely low'.

Energetic discussions

Not only are soakers cautious on geothermal energy development, headlines by bloomberg (September 18, 2008!) suggest that naked bathers are staging protests in Japan! Not a handful, but

'millions of naked bathers'.

However the article does little do substantiate the claim of staging protests and why specifically naked bathers are opposed to geothermal energy (are textilites pro?). The article does once more highlight the difference in interests concerning thermal waters and the lack of possible consequences that geothermal power production may well or not have on other uses.
Better documented is the Guardian's reporting from 2009, though now the soakers are in a lather!

'Geothermal developers insist that power plants and Japan's thousands of spas - or onsen - can happily coexist. But the 7,400 people of Kusatsu, more than 90% of whom depend on the tourist trade for their living, are not convinced. The fear that energy development will rob the town of its precious supply of hot, mineral-rich water has propelled them to the forefront of the anti-geothermal movement'.

A case in hand is just a snippet of very recent news from energybusinessnews.com.au which actually misleads readers in thanking that developing the Innot hot spring into a geothermal plant will create a spa resort, despite Innot hot spring already being a well-visited tourist site (see onsen soaker's review)!
And then back to what this blog is about, the current day. The Daily Telegraph runs a blog (October 28, 2011) on how geothermal energy will be the answer to Japan's nuclear problems.

'Such a measure would invariably face opposition from the powerful “onsen” lobby – but would clearly mark a step in the right direction in terms of Japan finally tapping into the potential of one of its most powerful but overlooked natural resources'.

Surprisingly more than 70 persons comment on the blog.

Another two days earlier none lesser than the Wall Street Journal (October 26 2011) again looks at the issues at hand, but with reference to Indonesia. Poor regulation are hampering the investment in geothermal energy. And then there is this:

'Some projects have been delayed by local politics. Geothermal start-up Bali Energy, on the resort island of Bali, started exploration close to 15 years ago and received most of the necessary approvals in the 1990s. Its plans to rev up production several years ago hit a bump when some groups expressed concern that tapping geothermal wells would drain a nearby lake. Hindu leaders, meanwhile, worried that meddling with nature’s pressure points could anger the gods'.

And pointing to the Lapindo mess (see below), the Hindu leaders may have a point ...

Finally another threat, mentioned from the Borneo Post (November 1). Melaka's chief minister is eying up the potential of his state's two hot springs for commercialization as spring water. It would even

'generate good income for the people'.

Stuff the soakers?

Risk management
Though geothermal mud usually has medicinal qualities, the case of Lapindo in Indonesia illustrates how the lack of geological know-how and a gun-ho mentality can have severe adverse consequences.
The human tragedy is yet to be addressed, but the Indonesian government is reported to be lining up $2 billion as compensation.

Back to nuclear and geothermality.
Revitalizing Fukushima's onsen's is highlighted by the need to get Hula girls to the front. A past ploy to stand out from the crowd was to use Hula girls to attract customers to the spa town of Iwaki. With the re-opening of the local soaks imminent the Hula girls will need to attract previous customers and somehow let the visitors forget how close they are to Fukushima ...

Claims to fame
The Dead Sea, though not geothermal, has it's own medicinal qualities due to it's high salt content and it's mud. Less well-known are China's own versions of the Dead Sea. Highlighted by a recent posting on factsaboutchina.com there is Daying in Sichuan (a multi-million $ resort pumping salty waters from 3000m depth; a great success as it is now granted the accolade 'world's most packed swimming pool'!), Yuncheng in Shanxi (or Salt Lake City, apparently a lake with medicinal mud) and Shouguang (Shandong, a 'don't sink lake').

Planet's most incredible and exclusive hot springs contains a few Asian inclusions (Kamuiwakka, Beppu, Yangbajing, Oymyakon and Betiou) but none from Southeast Asia. Asia's strangest spa therapies lists durian rubdowns and Buddhist massages though why the latter is included is unclear. A list too far? Twenty truly odd relaxation techniques has hot stone therapy (seen in Ranong), cupping and Dr Fish.

And on October 31st Getty Images runs a picture of 14,325 soakers in Chongqing China.

Bloggosphere
Malaysia

• Another condemnation of Bentong hot spring posted by Leven Woon:

  'The spring has gone to seed; it was filthy and several used condoms could be seen on the ground'.

  He asked the local council why so? As always they deflected responsibility and looked at the bright side:

  '“But beginning last year, the state awarded the management contract to Suria Management Berhad,” he said. He [Bentong Municipal Council urban planning department head, Affandi Razali] added that the company is now surveying the land and will soon clean up and revamp the place. “They will build a resort and a conference room at the place, and start imposing door fares at the gate,” he added'.

  Oddly enough, on the internet just the one link to this company. Now two ...
• So instead visit another nearby hot spring, like ummmm ..., Selayang. Kenneth says reports that the third well is least hot but the reason for its' under usage is as follows:

  'We were told that people normally urinate in the well while soaking in it. Didn’t feel the need to find out for ourselves, so we avoided that one like the plague'.

  Despite this he manages to have a good experience and makes mentions of the possible positive attributes of this spring. He likes it so much that the next week Kenneth makes another pleasant visit.

'Les pieds dans l eau et le souffre, 45 degres !'

By Tonio et Marion, Dieng, Java Indonesia.

Indonesia

• Bali soaking goes upmarket with the Ayu Kintamani Hot Spring Private Villa, eight suites (some?) with hot spring jacuzzi's. tripadvisor?

  'The hotel is a joke'.

• Visiting hot springs can turn deadly. On their way to Ciater a traffic accident killed 4 potential soakers.
• Despite Indonesia being a densely populated country, there are still hot springs to be discovered. This blog, based on an off-chance of encountering a Sumatran Tiger near Kerinici ends up in a very undiscovered and unnamed hot spring:

  'There I am alone in the jungle with nothing but the sound of running water and the melodious chirping of birds. Something about standing naked in the Sumatran jungle makes one feel a bit like Adam in the garden of paradise. Unfortunately, Eve was nowhere to be found'.

  And no tiger either, a very enjoyable read.

Singapore

• In Singapore more of the same. Wildshores blogs on a rare plant trek by involves the off-chance of discovering the

  'fabled hot spring'.

  Alas?

  'I managed to reach this series of pools with white stuff on the ground. The water in most of the pools were cold, but in this one, the water was quite warm! I didn't smell any sulphur though. Is this the hot spring that Dr John Yong told me about?'

Thailand

• Another newish find, Phra Nang Waree Raksa, a private resort near Klong Thom hot spring, Krabi. Bangkok Post (24 September 2009) has a nice write up of a visit there.

Philippine

• Soaking is healthy science tells us. In Los Baños there is also the belief that the waters can heal.

A final note, though Asia prides itself on hot spring eggs, Italians are reknown for hot spring spaghetti ..