The next day (September 30) we returned the car at the next larger city (Tomakomai). Jörg was quite relieved that nothing happened and we could switch back to taking the train to get to Noboribetsu.
This town is famous for its hot springs and not without reason! In Jigokudani (“Hell Valley”) every nook and cranny is bubbeling and steaming. You get used to the slightly unpleasant smell of sulphor suprisingly quickly and you feel like being transported to a strange planet.
The biggest volcanic lake here is 22 meters deep and features a bottom temperature of 130° C and a surface temperature of still impressive 50° C.
You can also take a warm footbath in a river in the forest completely for free – the water here feels extremely soft and the view into the trees is very relaxing. After being on our feet for so long, the footbath was especially effective : )
Because of the whole Hell Valley thing, Noboribetsu is filled with oni(devil)-statues. Typically, the oni come in pairs of a red (aka) and a blue (ao) oni, they are the mascot of the city. The guesthouse we stayed in also was called “Noboribetsu Guesthouse Aka & Ao”. Luckily the oni here appeared to be friendly and so we took quite some pictures of and with them!
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