As time ticks away quicker and quicker I find myself wanting to leave less and less. Part of me keeps crying out "I'm not ready to go yet. There are still so many things I haven't experienced. There is still so much that intrigues me. There is so much that I will miss." I know that I can come back at anytime to visit, but it isn't the same.

Sunday I took the bus to Nagoya to visit my host family. They were taking me to an onsen which I assumed was in Aichi (you know that they say about assumptions). After an hour of driving I asked if we were almost there. Ha ha ha we still had 2 hours left (silly Carissa). It was worth a 3 hour drive though. We drove into the heart of Nagano prefecture (winter olympics anyone). I have never been to Nagano so I was rather excited. The onsen was incredibly spectacular. It is built up and down a hill and is the definition of posh. There were more people waiting on us than there were guests. There were people pouring tea and opening doors every few feet. We changed into our yukatas and went to a private bath when we first arrived (you get to lock the door so it is only your group inside). There were two large tubs, one inside and one outside. The outside one had a spectacular view looking out onto the mountains. It was raining slightly while we were in the private bath, but fortunately the inn had provided umbrellas so we could sit in a hot bath and not get our heads wet! We laid about relaxing and drinking tea (so much tea) for the rest of the afternoon. Then we went to dinner which was another beautiful experience. We were given a private dining room looking over the river and the bamboo grove on the opposite side of the river. All of it was covered with lights and sparkled. The dishes are all made from locally grown foods (even the sashimi was fresh-water fish). The steak was the best though- I have never had such an incredible steak. Ever. It melted in my mouth. Mmmm, I'm smiling just thinking about it. But this story only gets better and better. After dinner we went to the baths that this onsen is famous for. The reason the onsen is built on a hill is because inside the hill are caves with baths fed by a natural hotspring. It was like spelunking naked! The caves go on and on and we are climbing over rocks and sitting under waterfalls and splashing all the time buried in a mountain. It is the longest cave onsen in Japan. Saori (my host sister) and I climbed to the furthest point and scaled a waterfall and were in a tiny little back corner where the water starts. It was pitch black. All I could hear was the splash of water on rocks and I was perfectly content. It was one of those moments that you don't even need to think because everything is so good thoughts are unneccessary. We followed up the onsen by drinking a bottle of wine in the moon-viewing room and listening to the sound of the rain on the roof. The next morning we awoke to snow snow snow! Bamboo covered in snow is a breathtaking sight. After a scrumptous breakfast in a private Japanese style dining room I decided that I would be brave and go into the co-ed onsen. The cave onsen is a co-ed onsen during the day, but between 8 and 9:30pm only women are allowed in. You wear a towel, but they aren't thick towels, they are wet and I'm a gaijin-- so I was a bit nervous. There weren't many people inside so I didn't need to be worried. Saori and I snuck a camera inside and took a few pictures (when people weren't looking) but quickly realized that I had run out of film (drat!). I was ready to move into the inn forever! After a 3 hour drive back to Nagoya I got on a bus and braved a 3 hour bus ride back to Fukui. I wish I could describe the onsen, the whole weekend better. Sometimes (not often though) I find myself at a loss of words to adequately describe the amazement I feel at something.

On another note, the magnolia trees outside my balcony are blooming and filling my room with the sweet scent of spring. The cherry blossoms are just about to burst into bloom (tomorrow perhaps) and I will soon be swimming in pink petals. And as they begin to fall I will say good-bye. The Japanese always view spring as somewhat sad (perhaps even bitter sweet). I am starting to understand that better.