Spring at Huis Ten Bosch & The Golden Bath Onsen Experience

After a teacher workday on Friday, April 22, Bryan surprised me with an afternoon at Huis Ten Bosch! Spring has officially sprung here in Sasebo, so we thoroughly enjoyed walking around and taking in the springtime flowers and colors in the Dutch park!

This was the first time we attempted the Dragon Maze in Huis Ten Bosh- and I won't lie- it was harder than we thought! Made out of 2x4s, this intricate maze challenged us. (Ok, it mainly challenged me- the one who is already directionally challenged!) I simply followed Bryan up the steep stairs and under way too many low archways, and we successfully made it out in 20 minutes!

To end our great afternoon, Bryan booked us an hour in a private onsen at the Huis Ten Bosch spa! You may remember the private outdoor onsen we enjoyed at our AirBnB in Beppu, but Bryan sure hasn't forgotten how much I loved it! Soaking in hot, mineral-rich waters? Nothing beats it! This onsen, though, was a totally different experience!

So what was so unique about this onsen experience? We got to soak in a private, 330-pound solid 18K gold hot tub!

At 130cm in diameter and 55cm deep, the tub is large enough to fit two adults comfortably. It took goldsmiths in Tokyo eight months to build this hot tub and it is valued at about ¥800 million, roughly $7.15 million US dollars, and is currently the largest pure-gold bath in the world!

Japan is a country known for its love of public onsens, but getting buck ass naked with strangers and enjoying a soak doesn't sound like the most relaxing experience for us. Instead, a private bath with our own private dressing room is more up our alley- and I would argue totally worth the ¥2000 bill we incurred! (That's less than $20 for those who aren't good with a quick yen conversion!)

If you look closely, you can see the beads of sweat dripping down our faces; with water temperatures set at 46℃, it was quite toasty! We both agreed this was a great detox, ironically as I enjoyed a chu-hai during our bath, and we would totally do this again in the winter when it cools back down outside!