An evening at the spa

At the end of our prefecture visit we spent one night at Ibusuki Hakusuikan, a Japanese ryokan, which is a traditional Japanese inn and the only one in Japan with hot sand baths.   After our official greeting, we were given tea in our rooms.

Located on the southern tip of the Satsuma Peninsula, the hotel was designed according to the traditional style of Japanese wooden buildings.  After tea I took the hot sand bath, which cures all ills and relaxes the body.  After the hot sand, the cool baths felt great.  And when I got too cold, there were the hot baths and the sauna.   The Genroku Baths are reproductions of typical Japanese baths from the Genroku period (1688-1703), and include many different baths in a variety of temperatures.

After a relaxing afternoon in the baths it was time for the banquet.

Course after course of delicious food, from sushi to melon.

After dinner, Chinese musicians played in the lobby.