Kamata Kuroyu Onsen, October 29th, 2012

When I first decided to move to Tokyo, I was considering living in a part of town called Kamata. Kamata is on the border of Tokyo and Kanagawa prefecture and is really close to Haneda Airport. I found a pretty decent and reasonably priced place and was pretty set on moving in...until I heard from my Tokyo-ite friends that Kamata is the shady part of Tokyo. Keep in mind that "shady" in Japan is about as scary as the Haunted Mansion ride in Disney Land, but still...something deterred me and I ended up choosing somewhere else.

Boy did I make a mistake!

Within Tokyo, Ota ward, the ward which Kamata is in, is famous for having excellent hot springs. The most interesting thing about the onsens located here is that unlike the many volcanic hot springs I have visited in my time, this one is fed by waters which are filtered through bits of leaves and plants buried a gajillion years ago. This gives the water a distinct 'green' smell and an interesting blackish brown color, similar to coffee.

The spa I chose was located in a run-down looking hotel right in front of the station. The hotel itself was built in the 50's or 60's and has been locally run by the same family since that time. The lobby is pretty small and looks more like an old man's living room than a hotel. There are colorful tiffany lamps all over and a big round kitchen table in the center with free iced tea. Soft music and lots of personal pictures make you feel immediately at home, and I had a hard time resisting the urge to hug the old couple who were running the front desk.

The fee for bathing was more expensive than I'm used to coming from Beppu, but it is quite normal for Tokyo. For 1,050 yen you get two towels, a toothbrush and toothpaste, disposable razor, comb, locker key, and an hour and a half in the bath. I had never been to a black onsen before, so I have to admit that I was a little freaked out by the murky color. You can't see the bottom of the bath and I was worried that it would stain me somehow.

After smelling the earthy, mellow aroma rising up from the bath, I was 100% fully convinced I had to get in whether it stained me or not. After a quick shower, I was pleasantly surprised by how lovely the bath turned out to be.

I was told once by another onsen enthusiast that part of understanding onsen is to understand their taste. Every type has a different taste, just as it has a different smell, temperature, color, etc. For those of you who wish to try, I cannot stress enough the importance of DRINKING FROM THE FAUCET not from the bathwater. This particular onsen had a very sweet flavor at first which quickly changed to a bitter and metallic taste that stayed in my mouth long after I was done. I guess the taste must be affected by one or both of these factors; ①Plants and fossils through which the water is filtered ② Rusty pipes from a rotting infrastructure. I hope it was the former!

After the bath, I felt so relaxed and warm from the inside out. My skin was silky smooth and the redness in my facial complexion seemed to have been reduced a bit. My aches and pains from a long night shift the day before were melted away and I felt nimble and light. I was close to Nirvana for hours after.

Kamata Kuroyu Onsen at Suehiro Hotel was WONDERFUL. My one complaint would be that I wish the water was a bit warmer. It was somewhere in the low 40s and I prefer a slightly hotter bath. Though it is a little pricey, I felt completely satisfied. I will be going again for sure.