As I have not yet fully recovered from the exertions of my most recent locum assignment, I have for the present refrained from wandering the streets of Melbourne in search of candid moments or sign photography. Instead, I turned once more to one of the albums from my travels in Japan. Among those recollections, the town of Ikaho Onsen stands forth with particular clarity—a place where history, culture, and landscape meet in harmonious accord.
Ikaho Onsen, situated upon the slopes of Mount Haruna in Gunma Prefecture, is among Japan’s most venerable hot spring resorts, its origins traced as far back as the eighth century. For centuries it has been celebrated for the therapeutic properties of its iron-rich waters, which flow in a deep reddish hue and were long believed to promote healing and longevity. The town itself is arranged upon a steep hillside, its heart defined by a celebrated flight of 365 stone steps, each said to mark a day of the year. These steps are lined with traditional ryokan inns, bathhouses, teahouses, and quaint shops, creating an atmosphere at once ancient and enduring.
In the Edo period, Ikaho became a favoured retreat for poets, artists, and travellers, and its charms were frequently recorded in both literature and art. During the Meiji era it attracted statesmen and writers alike, among them the noted author Rokusuke Natsume, who found inspiration in its tranquil setting. Even today, festivals enliven the stone stairway with colour and music, preserving the rhythms of a living tradition.
To stroll through Ikaho is not merely to visit a hot spring, but to step within a cultural landscape where the past remains palpably present—a place in which the slow ascent of the stone steps seems to mirror the centuries of devotion with which this onsen town has been cherished.
Panasonic G9
Leica 12-60mm f2.8-4
Linking Sign2
