Given yesterday's exertion on the slopes of Teine yama, I was really hoping for a day off from all physically exhaustive activities. I got exactly what I wished for when Ron chan interrupted my sleep with the offer of visiting the wholesale fresh seafood centre with Kira and the guys. I agreed to go though part of me was still pretty reluctant to get out of my warm and comfy mattress powered by a blanket warmer.

I managed to get up nonetheless and washed myself up. Mebae joined us for this trip to the seafood centre. But first we met up at a Curry restaurant for lunch. The menu did not offer a whole lot of variety but what was interesting was that the curry had spice ratings. And the fun part was you get to choose how hot you want your curry to be. The bemusing part though was that there was a negative scale too, i.e. from -3 onwards to the max level of 20! Don't really know why the negative scale, maybe its sweet curry?? Spice level up to 3 was free of charge while any higher would cost you more.

The Japs usually order level 0 or 1 and so did Ron chan and Kira. The 3 of us decided to go for level 3, the cheapest hottest. When the food came, we dug in as it smelled so good. The hotness was actually alright, Singaporeans can definitely take it without much issue. But if the level of hotness increases proportionally with the ratings, I guess few can take level 20. Kira's kids kept moving around throughout the entire meal and made it difficult for Kira to get them to eat. Haru, the most notorious of all had to be coax to finish his lunch. Guess the younger the kids, the more patient 1 has to be with them. Kira is definitely a role model for all mothers, her patience with her kids is incredible.

After settling the bill which the 3 of us insisted on footing, we set off for the seafood centre. It was bascially a market selling every sort of seafood available, fresh from the ocean. Giant Alaskan Crabs, Whole Octopuses Tentacles, Full grown scallops and fishes up to a few feet long were some of the more impressive items on display. I tagged along Ron chan to see how things are done there. It turned out to be relatively simple, no bargains went on. And so, the baskets are filled and we made our way out of the seafood centre.

I went back with Ron chan while Junlong and Wai Kit went back to their place. Back home, it was still pretty early and perhaps sensing I didn't know how to entertain myself, Ron chan offered to bring me to a nearby Onsen. PERFECT!! I thought to myself, something I actually wanted to do on this trip other than Skiing. I agreed immediately and we were on our way in no time at all.

Once there, Ron chan showed me where to leave my boots, where to get the ticket and how to get to the most important place of all, the Onsen. I was to call her when I'm done so that she can come back to fetch me. I assured her that I understood everything and will be fine on my own. THe Onsen entrance wasn't expensive, it was 480Yen which was pretty affordable.

I made my way into the changing room and scenes of naked men greeted me. I wasn't very surprised though. LOL. I undressed myself and stuffed everything into a locker. Then I made my towards the hot springs without further ado. There were 4 main places to bask yourself in the much enjoyable heat. One was the indoor hot pools, the other is the outdoor natural hot springs and then there was the sauna and a steam room. I didn't manage to take photos of the interior of the Onsen because, as I have already mentioned, everyone in there in NAKED and if you bring a camera in, I don't know what the consequences will be and I do not intend to find out. Furthermore, I didn't want to damage my camera accidentally with all the water around. I'm still surprised that Lindy and Miaoling managed to take a shot in an Onsen when they were in Japan earlier in the year. LOL.

I explored all 4 areas and probably spent about 1.5 to 2 hours in there. Then I decided to call it a day and went to bathe myself. Once done and dressed, I called Ron chan and she arrived in a jiffy to pick me up. I had time though to snap a few photos of the place from the outside.

I was informed on the way back that Junlong, Wai Kit, Kira and kids were already there waiting for me to start the seafood dinner feast! Its was certainly good news. I was in the mood for some great food. Once back, I immediately helped to lay the food that was prepared onto the table in the living room.

Fabulous sights of sashimi, scallops, ebi, tako and crabs decorated the table. The food were all fresh and raw which was how it is supposed to be eaten, the Japanese way. Its a healthier way to eat as well. The crab's taste was heavenly! I don't know how else to describe it! The rest were just as satisfying. The food were gobbled up us in no time. We then helped to clear up and then relaxed for a bit, chatting and watching TV.

A really pleasant and relaxing which was what I really needed given my sore knee and neck. The trip to the seafood centre was totally worth it as I found out during the dinner. The trip to the Onsen marks the 2nd and the last thing I wanted to do on this trip. Can't wait for tomorrow to come yet hoping that today won't end.