Dream Trip 2009

Great Travel Moment

In Odawara, my wife and I were invited to stay in a Japanese ?guest flat?. Leading us to the bathroom, our hostess explained the Japanese philosophy about bathing. "Westerners take a bath to get clean, Japanese get clean to take a bath." She patiently demonstrated how to turn on the hot water heater, scrub ourselves outside the large, deep tub and then how to soak Japanese style to refresh ourselves. My wife quickly peeled off her clothes and following the instructions, stepped into the deep tub filled with very hot water. It was my turn, after taking my happy photo. When I was told to ?put my affairs in order?, we embarked on a long trip to ?see the world? with whatever time I had left. The soak in this fabulous tub reenergized my flagging spirits. It was gloriously relaxing and just what I needed to continue the journey.