What to do when you are relaxing at a wellness resort? Ride to Costco of course! We discovered that there is a Costco a few km away and we are curious to experience the Japanese version of Costco. We will have an interesting ride as the weather has turned cold with strong winds. We have had our fair share of heavy winds this trip. We no longer look at the predicted temperature, we go straight to“feels like” temperature”…more accurate.
Pretty cool. There is a large area dedicated to motorcycle and bicycle parking at Costco. We would love to see this in Canada.
Costco is set up much like it is at home, but there are also significant differences. The first thing we noticed is how clean it is and also that it is very quiet.
A rice cleaner is essential…we see huge ones which are used in some grocery stores. Makes sense to have your own, especially if you are buying your rice directly from the farmer.
We wonder if Canada is the only country where Costco does not sell alcohol. United States and Japan certainly do. This huge bottle of Suntory Whisky would be a challenge to carry on the plane.
Food samples here are just as popular as they are at home. There are fewer sample stations, but the quality was high. We loved this one featuring tender, tasty wagyu beef from Japan.
Another sample…salted Pollock roe, a popular culinary ingredient in Japan. People enjoy this while drinking sake. We have seen it used in a variety of ways… a filling for onigiri, a topping for sushi or on its own for breakfast. We often saw it in Conbinis as a topping for pasta. Sampling it on its own was a bit challenging for us due to its high salt content.
Salted Atlantic Mackerel is very popular. Despite hundreds of thousands of tons of mackerel caught in Japanese waters, the demands from Japanese consumers is for mackerel from Norway. Mackerel from Norway is popular and because the Mackerel is larger and fattier than the local species. The smaller, leaner fish caught in Japanese waters is exported at low prices. More than 40% of the mackerel exported from Norway ends up in Japan.
Karen PoretFYI. For the coca-cola lovers out there, Costco is switching back to their products instead of Pepsi, according to the newsfeed this afternoon. Price will remain the same..$1.50 deal is hard to beat! Reply to this comment 3 weeks ago
This is so tempting…the soft serve is ice cream from Hokkaido. We know it will be delicious, having travelled in Hokkaido, but it is too cold outside for ice cream. Imagine.
Below are a few photos of the onsen at our hotel. These are photos that are from advertisements as we obviously could not take photos ourselves.
Apeman Onsen has two separate baths…one for men and one for women. It is a very special hot springs as it originates deep underground at a depth of 6,000’ and comes from a 10,000 year old strata. No artificial heating or water is required. The high iron content creates a unique golden/brown colour in the water. As you can see from the photo below, the view is spectacular, a 180 degree outlook over the sea and the area. It is magnificent night or day.
There are several pools within each onsen. This round stone built pool offers a wonderful view. Each pool has a sign indicating the temperature of the water.
There are about 6 pools, each of which offer different experiences. Some are still, some have a current etc. As well, there is an area called Utaseyu where jets in the ceiling with a bench below (much like a waterfall), are used to massage the back and shoulders. There is a sauna and a steam bath.
The water contains ancient fossil sea water from the time when Ardipithecus ramidus, a type of Apeman was born. This is where the spa gets its name. Our experience here has been incredible and ranks highly for us among the Onsens we have visited. Mary Ellen’s knees are pretty sore at this point in the trip, and after spending time in the onsen she walked so much better.
After using the Onsen, it is good to cool down and relax for a bit. We appreciated this quiet area provided with recliners. We love the experience at public baths. It is truly therapeutic and helps you sleep, as you can see.
Barry BartlettThanks Steve. We were at Langford Costco yesterday and I have to say, I liked Japan better. And glad you haven’t given up on us. Sickness plagued us the last while on the trip and then jet lag woke it all up again. We are getting it done now. Reply to this comment 3 weeks ago
