On our recent day off, the whole family finally had a day free together — so we headed out for an adventure!
First, we went to do a final check on a retreat venue, and then — river play in Minakami!
The sky and breeze already felt like summer was winding down. I thought it might be too cold for river play, but kids show no mercy! (Ha!) Even while shivering, we played our hearts out.
My wife is sensitive to cold, so she only dipped her feet in. But she said the earthing effect made her tired legs feel so much lighter! She was thrilled.
You really do need to connect with nature every now and then!
Warming Up at the Hot Spring
After getting cold in the river, we headed to a nearby hot spring called “Suzumori no Yu” to warm up.
This place uses 100% natural flowing spring water, and since the river runs right alongside it, you can soak in the outdoor bath while listening to the sound of the water. Absolutely blissful!
My personal favorite is the cold plunge pool — it’s deep enough to sit and submerge up to your neck, making it perfect for full-body immersion!
I really wanted to do several rounds of alternating hot and cold baths (kogoyu — a Japanese bathing practice), but we had plans to catch a movie with our daughter afterward, so we reluctantly said goodbye to the hot spring.
Our day off schedule is always packed! (Ha!)
We watched a Crayon Shin-chan movie, grabbed our daughter’s favorite — pasta — for dinner, and headed home.
It was the perfect end-of-summer-break “daddy-daughter day,” and she seemed totally satisfied. I’m glad she had fun!
Before You Visit…
Fair warning: our English is a work in progress! (Ha!)
But thanks to the magic of translation apps, we communicate just fine with patients from around the world.
Your body speaks a universal language — and that’s the one we’re fluent in.
