The main thing of the last days was the very strong wind we got. We had gusts of often above 30 KN in rare cases wind speed of 40 KN was displayed. We spent most of the time inside.

However, we also could go for a drive at the island. Shigeo found some spots at which we looked.

First we went into a botanical garden. Typical Japanese with well prepared narrow roads to walk on. The plants along the small roads cut back. “The park is treated like a bonsai”, was a thought, which came to my mind.

On a nice view point higher up giving a great view over a bay, we ate our typical Japanese lunch boxes. We bought them along the way at a supermarket. All of us bought the same. Sushi with marinated tuna, an island specialty as we leaned. The taste was good and the stomachs filled. But when I looked at the amount of garbage, which was left over I felt a bit sad.

When we continued our walk to the Visitor Center, the well prepared road was suddenly blocked. The way ahead was not yet so well prepared, thus we should not walk on the for us perfectly fine. We didn’t care and walked down this more natural way to the Visitor Center.

The Visitor Center had a lot information on all local creatures, plants, and things, which could be of interest.

A staff was watching us and gave additional brochures. We felt cared and I felt back home in Japan.

When we entered the next door greenhouse, Tobi commented, “Like in Pohnpei!”. Indeed the temperature and humidity was like 2000 NM further south where left only a few weeks ago.

The plants we saw in the greenhouse were the ones we saw on all the islands of the Southern Pacific. For me it was a nostalgic feeling, a kind of ḥomesickness to these wonderful island I could visit in the last years.

Then we took off by car to go to an onsen, a hot spring.

There are several in the same area of the island. It seems the access to the natural, volcanic heated water is just best in this area. Shigeo had already in advance selected one, so we went there. Tobi entered with curiosity and I felt again home. All was so familiar to me.

The building from outside and inside. The reception corner to pay the entrance fee, and to buy a towel. I needed one because I didn’t bring one along; it became a memory item and i will use it on board. I like these small these small towels.

Next shoes off and place them in the shoe shelf along the wall.

The final entrance was indicated with a “noren” a typical Japanese curtain to block the sight to inside. A big “ゆ” (yu) character on the curtain says that is the way to the ゆ, the hot water. The blue curtain for men, the red one for ladies.

Inside the room with the typical Japanese lockers, we put our backpacks and clothes into a locker.

Then into the bathroom. Through it’s glass wall, I saw already my favorite bath, the one outside called “rotemburo”.

However, first cleaning the body at one of the plenty “sitting-showers”. When I opened the tap and saw the huge amount of warm water coming out, I had to think about the showers on board of MaRe. There we get enough water for a comfortable but it is only a runlet compared to the water coming out of this typical onsen shower.

With a clean body I went outside in the “bathtub” build with natural stones and great few over the bay below. In one corner the hot water came out of rather thick pipe to fill the basin.

The first step I did carefully because I know how hot the water can be. Slowly I sat down at the lowest level so the hot water was on the level of almost my neck. Gosh, it felt good and so nostalgic for me. After sitting like that for a few minutes, I got up to the higher level where the chest was out of the water and enabled a bit of cooling. At the end I was sitting on the highest place where only the feet and lower legs were still in the hot water. The view over the bay was magnificent and the feeling of the well heated body was just great. One feels the cool wind on the skin which is heated inside from volcanic hot water.

After changing the sitting levels several times, I left the outdoor bathtub, took another shower, dressed, and went into the room to rest and relax on “tatami”, Japanese rice straw mats. Five years I could not sit or lay on tatamis. I laid down and enjoyed the comfortable feeling of having been in the hot water for a while and relaxing now on the tatami. What a wonderful end of the day.

Back to MaRe we had another Japanese meal for dinner. After the typical dinner conversation we went to bed.