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Over these past six months, I have been exploring various onsens in my area. There are a lot to choose from, and each one subscribes to either an older or newer feel, and has its own aesthetic.

That being said, I have decided to rank each onsen, depending on my experience there, from lowest to highest, purely in my own opinion.

Number 6: Dogo Onsen
Don't get mad at me. I know that this onsen is the oldest and most famous in Japan, and has a lot of history. That being said, this is purely my experience of it. When I entered into the building, it truly was a beautiful, old fashioned Japanese building, and the pool itself was actually in a basement, which I enjoyed due to it being unique. The water in the pool was warm and soothing, and a very nice experience. However, there was only one pool, and I was looking forward to trying multiple. Also, I was already hot and cranky from walking so much that day, and was hoping for a cooler pool than the one that was there.

Number 5: PokaPoka Onsen
This onsen is 5 minutes from my house and is considered a "super bath". In amenities alone, it is unmatched. There are restaurants, saunas, a small library and relaxation pods, among other things in the complex, which is the main reason that I frequent the place. The baths are nice. There are many of them, some with jets, one with a TV and even one with an electric current (It took a while to get used to that). What I think the baths are missing are a cool pool. After coming out of a hot bath, it is a great feeling to go into a lukewarm pool and cool off. The only colder pools that they had are ice cold, and are too cold to go into without shocking yourself. If this place had a cool pool, I would probably rank it higher. But, I still enjoy going.

Number 4: Naoshima I Love Yu
On my first trip to Naoshima, I was determined to try the cute little bathouse really close to the ferry port. The building has a very artsy, eclectic style, with neon signs, mosaics and an elephant statue all somehow coming together into a magical, bohemian aesthetic. It reminds me of some of the buildings and interior design that I saw in Austin, Texas, which really makes me happy. The reason that this bath is lower on the list is because, again, it only has one pool, which is hot, and leaves me wanting for a pool where I can cool off. However, I think it is worth it to go to this bath for the artistic experience, alone, and to support a small, local business. The owners are really nice.

That is it for this week. I will be back next week with my top 3 onsens, which will be my final blog post. See you!