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Where do you go for 1-2 day onsen trips?
Don't mind trains or cars. Sometimes the better onsens are only… Curious where you all go for 1-2 day onsen trips within a couple hours from Tokyo. It's me, wife, daughter and sometimes wife's mother.
Don't mind trains or cars. Sometimes the better onsens are only accessible by car. And since I don't own a car a rental is my way to scratch the driving itch.
We usually go to Shizuoka, like Ito or Izu. I like driving along the pinnesula. Even though I'm in a little Nissan Note rental car the curvy roads are fun and the ocean views pretty amazing. I'm partial to DHC Akazawa (now just Akazawa) because they have a day spa you can use before and after checking out as well as infinity views of the ocean from the rooftop rotenburo.
Hakkone is a semi-frequent spot as well but usually we go to Yunnesun since my daughter is the perfect age for that (although I think it's a PITA to get to).
We don't go north much but have been to Echigo Yuzawa and Fukushima a couple time.
If you haven't tried the Kusatsu area, it's worth the drive. The town itself is touristy but the onsen quality is legit, and there are some nice ryokan that do day-use if you don't want to stay overnight. The drive up from Tokyo via the Kan-Etsu is pretty straightforward, and once you hit the mountain roads near Kusatsu it gets scenic.
Another option is Shiobara in Tochigi. It's less crowded than Hakone and the river valley setting is peaceful. You can find smaller ryokan with private family baths, which is handy with your daughter and mother-in-law along. The drive through the mountains is pleasant and there's a good soba place called Iwao right off Route 400 that's worth a stop.
If you want something closer, Atami is easy by train and has a few older ryokan with decent ocean views. It's not as polished as Izu but the convenience is hard to beat. The ropeway up to the castle is a fun little side thing for your daughter.
Since you're already doing Izu and Hakone, try heading west to Yamanashi instead. The hot spring towns along the Fuefukigawa River, like Isawa Onsen, are mostly quiet and family-run. Stay at a place like Kukono for a decent kaiseki dinner and a private outdoor bath looking at the Southern Alps. The drive from Tokyo via the Chuo Expressway takes about 90 minutes, and you can stop at the fruit parks in Kofu if your daughter wants to pick peaches or grapes depending on the season.
Another spot is Kinugawa Onsen in Tochigi. It's touristy in the main strip, but if you book a ryokan tucked up the river a bit, like Asaya, you get a huge open-air bath right over the water. The Tobu Railway has a direct express from Asakusa, so you can skip the car entirely. The kids love the monkey park nearby, and the river rafting in summer is a nice change from sitting in a bath.
Where can I find crispy, pan-fried bacon similar to a certain international style?
if u have a costco membership the kirkland thick cut is the move, 4 packs of 500g for around 2500 yen and it crisps up proper in a cold pan. for smaller runs, precce in azabudai hills & the basement at isetan shinjuku both carry imported US & danish brands in the chilled case, just read the label for "thick cut" or "smoked" and not "loin". also worth knowing japanese bacon is often wet-cured so pat it dry before frying or it steams instead of crisping
kaldi coffee farm is hit or miss but their smoked bacon from denmark shows up pretty regular, the 200g pack runs about 600 yen. what actually works better for me is asking the butcher counter at peacock or life to slice the block bacon thick, like 5mm, they do it for free and it crisps way better than the pre-packed stuff. also fwiw cheap bacon crisps faster, the fatty supermarket kind at 300 yen a pack works fine if u cook it from cold in a dry pan and pour off the fat as it renders.
tbh the gyomu super store brand bacon is surprisingly decent for crisping up, its not thick cut but if you cook it low and slow it gets pretty crunchy. the key is the dry cure vs wet cure thing, wet cure steams. also check hanamasa if you have one nearby, they sell big packs of american style bacon thats actually smoked and firm.
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