Today I was feeling a bit in a slump. I woke up around 10:30 a.m. after getting plenty of sleep but didn’t feel like doing much of anything. Eventually, I rolled out of bed and found myself some food—tonkatsu. For a meal that was less than $10, it was definitely a winner. 

Wandering and a Great Massage

After lunch, I walked along the strip of small malls near my hostel and ended up buying a leather belt and a cute cat bag. As I was exploring, I decided to try out a massage place that was offering 90 minutes for 5,200 yen, about $35. What a steal. 

The lady had really good pressure, and it felt amazing. So good, in fact, that I booked another appointment for Thursday before I even left. 

A Spontaneous Onsen Plan

After the massage, I was feeling a bit more energized and decided to message Hikari from the other night to see if she liked onsens and wanted to join me later. She seemed busy and hadn’t responded yet, so I took a nap in the meantime. 

While I was out getting dinner, Hikari finally responded—she was down to go onsening. Even better, she happened to have a half-price coupon we could use. Lucky.

A Small Gift for Hikari

Before heading to the onsen, I wanted to get her a little something as a small token of appreciation. She has two cats, and we had talked about how February 22 is Cat Day in Japan. 

I wandered through the strip mall and came across a small shop with a bunch of printed socks and hand towels. I found a pair of cute cat socks and a Ghibli hand towel with Jiji from Kiki’s Delivery Service. The design had a bow print in the middle, and I thought it was perfect. I wrapped the socks in the towel to make it feel a little more like a present. 

Three Hours of Onsen Relaxation

We got to the onsen and ended up spending three hours relaxing and chatting. I learned that she actually works in Osaka, which was a fun coincidence. 

That small detail has now made me lean toward going to WCS which is in Osaka on Wednesday. I had originally felt was a little too far out, funny how things work out. I plan to invite her to dinner and see if she wants to learn some WCS with me 🙂