We have just come back from a week at Sukayu Onsen in Aomori, all is well and the snow is dissapating slowly. The onsen is thriving with many guests enjoying it's wonderful facilities.
We enjoyed the konyoku bath, indoors was very nice for a change. the other guests were quite welcoming of the hadaka gaijin, I think we even made it onto a tv Tokyo, program. So if you get a chance come and visit Sukayu Onsen

BeachHopper

Hello beachhopper,

Thanks for your comments. Sukayu Onsen is really one of the most famous onsen in Japan. But there are also amazing onsen in that area... although it is very difficult to travel around before all roads are open.

Do you have any comment on your journey to Kita-Tohoku? Did you travel by train? Is there any disturbance left from the March disaster?

H Hello Sanji & all
We travelled the longer distances between Izu penninsula and Aomori and Aomori & Kumamoto by Shinkansen, then hired car at each destination (www.toocoo car rental) as we have spent the last 3 weeks doing the konyoku onsen trail. Whilst travelling to Aomori we only felt one earth tremor at Ito city, We could not see any discernable difference to daily life as we passed thu Fukushima, except maybe there was less traffic around. We didn't see any of the destruction as seen on the media,but that was probably due to the JR shinkansen line being well inland away from the coast in Tohoku and Fukushima prefectures. Overall in our travels we have not experienced any negatives caused by the tragedy befallen Japan. This is a great credit to Japan and Japanese resilliance to natural adversities. Over all we have travelled by Densha, Shinkansen, Car and Sunflower ferry and been very impressed with the service and effeciency. We travelled from home base Nara to Izu Penninsula- 2 days, Aomori - 4 days, Himeji -2 days, Kumamoto - 1 day, MinamiAso Jigoku onsen Seifuso 4 days, kurrokawa onsen 2 days, Beppu for a rainy afternoon in Myoban Onsen before boarding the overnight ferry to Osaka, back to Nara for a few days then car to Tokushima
(Very impressed by the Engineering in Japanese bridges Akaohashi and Seto o hashi) then onto a really wonderful stay at Yubarra Onsen. If going to Yubarra Onsen you really must check in and stay at the hanayashiki hotel, run by a very beautiful, young Okamisan who speaks perfect English. Check them out on the web, they are a 3 min stroll from the FREE 24hr Konyoku onsen
Thats all so far
Cheers
Beachhopper