194 degrees

According to my calculations: (90C x 1.8) + 32 = 194F. I think the oven starts at 175F. That means that sitting in a sauna is literally like sitting in an oven. Only you can't cook anything at that temperature, it's just the warming function. Good news.

Visiting an onsen is a time-honored Japanese tradition. An onsen differs from a sento due to the mineral properties found in the water at an onsen. Following the requisite scrub down, a cornucopia of choices are presented. Multiple baths with different water temperatures, mineral properties, with or without jets, in or outdoors. A steam room and showers with misting or tornado features. My fav has to be the sauna.

I love that feeling of slow roasting until dizzy then jumping in a pool of cold water that first steals your breath then feels cool and comforting. Take a sip of water and do it again.

Tammy was a little nervous as we checked in and picked our polyester outfits for the day. She thought there might be something like a most wanted list behind the counter. Her last visit ended with her expulsion due to her tatoo. Turns out tatoos are associated with the yakuza, Japanese mafia and are not allowed in most onsens. Fortunately, no one ratted her out on this turn.

This particular onsen in the Tokyo dome was massive and modern. The locker room held over 1000 lockers on the women's side alone and spanned 4 floors. An electronic wristband, the ONLY thing you are wearing, grants access to lock and unlock your belongings, order dinner, get a massage and any number of beauty treatments. The bill comes at the end at check out and I can see it would be easy to rack up the charges. We were there for 7 hours and only because Tammy forced me to go home.

My other two favorite Tokyo adventures were the sculpture garden in Hakone (not actually in Tokyo) and the Tsukiji Fish Market. Both of which reminded me of Seattle.

Hakone is a get-a-way for frazzled Tokyoites, where they all go together to get away from the hustle and bustle and crowds of the big city. The trip out to Hakone featured a dazzling view of Mt. Fuji as I picked a sunny day. I was stuck by the verdance and lushosity of the vegetative life. Hakone is more a region than a town. It features a mountain lake to be viewed by FUNicular, steaming mountainside of volcanic activity, a cable car, a sweet little train and the sculpture garden. Sorry Seattle, Hakone has you beat. Although both gardens have pieces by Alexander Calder and Seattle has the advantage of being free, Hakone has fried egg benches and a sculpture that takes you underground through narrow, winding and dark passageways to sit on a tiny stool and gaze through a tiny hole showing the sky. It was rad.

And sorry Seattle, I love you, I really do, but the Japanese are way serious about their fish. None of this kitchy fish throwing business. We're efficient. Visiting Tsukiji Fish Market is an exercise in being aware of your surroundings lest you find yourself run over by a cart zipping around to deliver all manner of fish in their stages of preparation, simply stepping in fish guts or find yourself impeding commerce. I really can't understand how they let tourists visit. We are a danger to ourselves and others. Motorized carts move fast, are many and navigate narrow aisles. Then with our gawking and incessant photo taking, it's hard for the people who actually
come to buy fish to actually buy fish. It was amazing to see a Steinhart Aquarium of fish there and to think that was just a Wednesday. They start with whole frozen fish on one end of the market and serve it up for brekkie on the other end.

I'm a little behind with my reporting as I am now in Bangkok and have already spent a week in Kyoto. Next stop, Sri Lanka in two days.