Postcard from Takeo Onsen, Saga, Fukuoka

Takeo station

 A quick 'hello' from western Saga - I got the train here from Tosu, via a walkabout in Saga to find the castle there (details about that detour soon!), and arrived after dark. Unfortunately I had a lot of work to do in my hotel after a Cambridge session, but did manage to finish in time to see the famous onsen's gate ('mon') lit up before it closed. 

I enjoyed a late onsen at the hotel, with a view over the town from the 10th floor...and an early start next morning meant I could bathe in the real onsen as well, before catching my bus to Yutoku Inari Shrine (again, another postcard owing!).

Sakura mon (gate) Takeo onsen

Kanji isn't my strong suit, nor vending machine ticket dispensers, but I ended up in the super hot Motoyu pool - 45.5 degrees hot enough to inflict actual pain! Water itself  'smooth' and very refreshing with its sodium bicarbonate content.

I wish I'd had more time (or actually a car!) to explore the area better, but this glimpse was well worth the trip!

lucky dip