Fukushima is a famous place in Japan, but for unfortunate reasons. After the earthquake hit in March 2011, it caused a chain of events that led to a tsunami seriously damaging a nuclear power plant on the coastline of Fukushima. Since then, there have been problems with radiation, affecting not only the people living near the power plant but also the fish, fruit, and vegetables in the surrounding area.
I’ve never been to Fukushima before, and I must admit I had a certain stigma about the prefecture. However with a few sudden days off, I thought I should go somewhere I’ve never been to before. I enjoyed my hot spring trip last time, so I wanted to do something similar. I researched a few places and realised that Fukushima wasn’t too far away and it had some amazing hot springs. I quickly glanced at a few, and after finding a place that overlooks the mountains and a lake, I booked my bus and hotel.
I didn’t really have any idea about what it would be like but was excited to escape the city for a little while. The bus was a little longer than last time but I’m used to travelling uncomfortably. I finally arrived at Fukushima station where it would be a train ride and another bus ride to the hotel. During winter, most people in Tokyo wear masks to avoid catching colds on the train, but hardly anybody was when I arrived. I couldn’t tell any distinct dialect, unlike Osaka where it’s a huge difference. People seemed friendly, but just like in Tokyo people keep to themselves.
As I waited for the bus, nobody else was at the bus stop so I was a bit unsure this was the right place. When the bus came, there was only me and a local school boy, who got off the bus halfway. So it was just me going up through these mountainous, snow-covered roads. Only just a couple of hours before I was dodging my way through Tokyo. Now there wasn’t a soul about. I love the remoteness you feel in these places. It’s an eerie kind of isolation.
The hotel was nice, and it looked out over the mountains and lake. It was nightfall so I couldn’t make anything out, but looked forward to the view in the morning. Even though I came for the hot springs, it’s more an excuse to break from the routine and just sit and read and do nothing. I wandered about and enjoyed the silence. Again there was only one or two people in the hot springs.
I had some time before my bus back to Tokyo so I wandered around Fukushima and visited a temple for the Buddhist goddess Kannon. After killing time in the station, I started to make my way to the pick-up stop to find I had missed my bus! I thought it was coming at 15:30 but it was scheduled for 15:10... I’m quite scatterbrained and haphazard in most situations, but I get anxiety about travelling in case I miss my flight or train so I was shocked I hadn’t realised and double checked the time! I had to fork out for a bullet train ticket back to Tokyo. It was super quick and much easier than the bus but I hate wasting money like that. It’s a good lesson to make sure I double check everything now in future!