Kyoto Off the Beaten Path Tips by yukisanto

Near Kyoto, in Sonobe there is a Rurikei Spa. Not an onsen but same concept (See my sonobe page for explanation) You can take a 2D1N package, with dinner and breakfast thrown in and it's really good. They even have a shuttle bus service from the train station. For me it costs around SGD120.

Directions: Take a JR train from Kyoto station to Sonobe station. Once there, a pre-arranged shuttle bus will pick you up.

What to do for the spa area:
Go to the counter, they will give you a locker key, a set of clothes, a swimsuit, and 2 towels. Go into the changing room (separate for guys and gals from this point onwards), put your own clothes into the locker room and one towel into the locker. Walk into the pool area with the small towel, go to the corner where everyone is sitting along the wall on stools and fine one empty spot and do your own bathing. After you have bathed, you go to the warm pool to soak, then the hot pool, then the cold room, then the sauna if you want. no particular order actually.

No swimsuit needed unless you are going out into the outdoor pool area where both men and women are there. The indoor pools are separated. Everyone I saw was in the nude.

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From the lookout point at Mt Hieizan, you can see the whole of kyoto city and the mountains beyond, including the mountain with the word "big" in japanese etched on it. (no kidding) You can also see the shinkasen (bullet train) tracks. It was real cold when we went, 5 degrees, and the wind added to the slight rain. At another look out point on the other side of the mountain, you get to see Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan. Beautiful sight. When you go up the mountain, you'll pass by these two stops naturally. There is even a hotel up there.

Mt Hieizan is actually located between kyoto and shiga, so one moment you're driving on the part in kyoto, and the other moment, you're in shiga. Which accounts for those confusing road signs (I thought I was in kyoto? or in shiga?)

Do note too that you have to pay toll charges along the way to the mountain.

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Lake Biwa is the largest lake in Japan and among the top largest lakes in the world. It is actually surrounded by a few prefectures, one of which is Shiga. All the usual lake activities can be found there, like canoeing etc. The lake is also the place where they hold the national school rowing boats competition.

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Love hotels are usually situated along the freeway, so if you see a cluster of buildings with fancy neon signs and advertising for hourly rests, you're there. There are different kinds, check out the ones with themes like hello kitty etc. Makes for fun exploring. The hotels are totally operated with no human personnel. You drive into the carpark, adn each lot has a panel of a picture of a room. If it is lighted and the lot is empty, the room is empty. You park there and go up the door beside that lot. If there's another car parked there, the panel is darkened.

Other love hotels have the usual lobby with the lighted panels. They also have a loyalty card programme with points reward system, and if you go often enough, you can even redeem a Gucci bag. Hmm...

We never went into one, but judging from the pictures on the panel, most were quite normal, not the interesting rooms that i've heard bout.. lol

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