Good Sights, Good People and an Onsen

Today was my last day in Beppu. I decided I would go see more hotsprings (because hotsprings are awesome). Yesterday I met a 24 year old named Yun. He was from Korea. He came to Japan because he wanted to practice his Japanese. Yun told me that his initial plan was to simply stay in Tokyo but then a Japanese friend had convinced him to come to Beppu. But his friend was busy today. So I invited Yun to come with me to the hotsprings. It was really funny talking to him. He told me wanted to experience and "American party". I told him he saw too many movies. I did share with him a few college stories to heighten his interest. I'm sure these stories only perpetuated the stereotype of the American party.

We went to a nearby town called Kannawa. We saw one hotspring that shot out water from the ground. It was cool. The water was about 250 degrees and was shooting out of the ground at ridiculous speeds.

Yun and I in front of the hotspring before it erupted.


A distant view of one of the hotsprings.

Next we went to a hotspring that due to it's temperature creates a perfect breeding ground for crocodiles. So we got to see lots of crocodiles. It was cool. They were way less agile then I expected.
A crocodile

We then went to an awesome onsen. It was at the top story of a hotel. The onsen was outdoors and overlooked the entire city of Beppu. In the distance the ocean could be seeing. It was great.

Then when we got back to the hostel there were some people going to dinner so we went with them. I like meeting new people. I especially like learning about their culture and sharing stories about my own culture. I met two guys from Holland. I liked talking with them. The most interesting thing is that as we talked more I realized how much we had in common. They are a western culture. Of course, there are some differences (just like there are differences in the United States) but on larger concepts like individualism our cultures were on the same page. When I meet new people that I enjoy I always give my contact information and tell them if they are ever in California I'll show them around for a few days. They then always extend the invitation to their country. I love this. I think the best way to get to know an area is to experience it with a local. I have met people from Holland, Germany, Israel, Korea, New Zealand, Denmark and many other countries. The more people I meet the smaller the world feels.

Left to right: Alex (from Holland), Me, Tor (from japan), Danny (from Holland), Ayumi (from Japan), and Yun (from Korea) with his eyes closed.
Left to right: Alex, Me, and Tor