Hokkawa Onsen in Izu

Thee days so much information is available on the internet it almost seems silly write an in-depth review of a location… but here’s a onsen in Izu called Hokkawa 北川 that I recommend.

Hokkawa Onsen location on Google Maps

It’s right on the ocean and super basic.

Here’s some tips:

  • Leave your valuables in your car or hotel because there are no lockers.
  • If you don’t have a towel, you can buy the usual long thin Japanese onsen towel for 200 yen from the ticket salesman.
  • The baths for men and women are split (only recently it seems). The men’s side has two baths, one hotter than the other. The women’s side only has one bath.
  • There is no toilet. Take care of it first.
  • It’s a super basic wooden shelter with some plastic baskets for your clothes and a shoe rack. Just get naked and get in the water. That’s it.

if you’re in Izu and looking for a great unique onsen experience, check it out! Might be fun.

Japanese Lesson from Radiant Historia

I finally started properly playing Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology on my 3DS. It’s fully voiced which is always a huge bonus in a game that you’re trying to learn language from.

I didn’t know this phrase, 差し当たり。 it means, for the time being…

そうだなー差し当たり「お守り」だと思っておけ

He says…

そうだなー差し当たり「お守り」だと思っておけ

For the time being… think of it as a good luck charm…

Cool phrase. Can’t wait to try this expression out and see what kind of reaction I get. Not sure if it’s commonly used, or some weird flowery language that only shines in literature and video games.

Give it a shot, might be fun!

How to clean brass – ketchup?!

So I have a brass belt loop key holder and it was starting to loose it’s luster. I Googled “how to clean brass” and was surprised to learn that one of the recommended home remedy methods was ketchup!

Let’s give it a shot. Might be fun who knows.

To keep this scientific, here is the before photo. This is a brass key holder that I wear on my belt loop regularly.

Following the steps on the interwebs, I slathered it in ketchup. You’re supposed to let it sit for about one hour to let the natural acid in ketchup do its thing.

I was only able to really cover one side, because ketchup, so I rubbed it around with the paper towel before moving on to the next step.

The next step is to wash off the ketchup! Wipe it down and then wash the entire thing off with soap.

See, more clean. But… did the ketchup do it… or was it the soap???

Apparently you can also clean brass by soaking it in a vinegar and salt solution. I can see a hint of pink on the bottom of the last image there… is it ketchup residue or something else? Who knows.