My timing with trains was lousy - I had to wait 40 minutes for the train to Yumoto, and almost 50 minutes to get back to Iwaki. Fortunately, my luck was much better with the free shuttles between the station and the resort; I waited about 15 minutes for the shuttle there, and there was a line of shuttles ready to take people back when I left. The entrance fee changes depending on when you enter (later is cheaper,) but I got there pretty early, so the fee was 3150 yen. As it was after noon by the time I arrived, I decided to get lunch first and change into my bathing suit afterwards. I poked through some souvenir shops, noting the long lines for overpriced food and drinks, and finally settled on some half-decent miso ramen. I was really looking forward to relaxing in the hot, humid air in the main area, since my throat had been killing me all week for no reason I could decipher.
Next, I found my way to the changing rooms and put on my swimsuit. I had to pay 100 yen to take my key and wristband from the locker, and I wound up paying twice because I forgot to put my coin purse away the first time. The whole facility was very crowded; just about every pathway was lined with towels and plastic mats full of people eating, drinking, talking, and sleeping. There was very little swimming to be done in the swimming pools - mostly a lot of wading - but I got to swim in short bursts when larger gaps opened up. There were so many kids with their parents that I couldn't tell at first if they were general pools or kiddie pools. They were all packed with water tubes - some small and some enormous - and many people were playing water volleyball with beach balls.
My favorite was a long and relatively narrow pool with a current that moved people along at a fairly brisk pace. Because of the shape of the pool, the current was stronger in some places and weaker in others, which caught me by surprise more than once. It also passed through a 'cave' and under a bridge, and in both places water would sometimes fall from above on unsuspecting bathers. I went around that one several times! There were slides as well - one where people rode down on tubes and one without - but the lines were so ridiculously long that I didn't bother.
I guess going swimming right after eating wasn't such a good idea, because my stomach started bothering me pretty soon after I got in the pool. I took it easier from then on, and spent a couple hours in various pools. The muggy air didn't feel so hot after getting out of the slightly cool water, and I was actually quite chilly between pools. Later, I wandered into another area where the water was warmer. This part of the facility also had several outdoor pools, jacuzzi tubs and an 80 degree C sauna. The last area I visited was the Edo-style open-air bath, which is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest open-air bath in the world. It also had a sauna, and I don't know what they were burning, but it smelled amazing.
I finally had enough water and got dressed around 4 pm. I bought a bag of black figs (from California, if I understood correctly, which I find funny) and a small jar of peanut butter. I also caved in and bought a coconut (with holes drilled in it and straws added so you can drink the fresh coconut water directly from it) for 980 yen. A tourist trap, I know, but it was novel and tasted pretty good besides.
I caught the shuttle back about 4:45 pm - it had really cool fold-out seats in the aisle that let passengers sit down instead of having to stand - and got back to Yumoto Station at 5 pm. The train got me back into Iwaki around 6:10 pm, and I was home by 6:30 pm. A worthwhile and enjoyable adventure!
One small snag was that I brought my umbrella with me, since the forecast was for rain in the afternoon, but I somehow managed to leave it on the platform at Iwaki Station. I asked about it when I got back, but no one had turned it in. As it so happens, there was no rain that day - it was cloudy in the morning and then turned sunny in the afternoon. Oh well, time to buy another umbrella.
