Take a day off to enjoy the hot springs on the Ikaho Onsen mountain, which is very fun, and stroll along the Ishidan Street

The day before May Day, I went on a spontaneous trip with my friends. At 10 o'clock, we took the JR Limited Express Kusatsu Shima No. 1 from Ueno to Shibukawa, and arrived at Shibukawa at 11:36. I highly recommend this hot spring express train. It passed Ikaho Onsen, Shima Onsen, and finally arrived at Kusatsu Onsen. The return trip is even more convenient. You can take the JR from Shibukawa to Takasaki, and then take the Shinkansen from Takasaki to Ueno. The whole journey only takes 1 hour and 15 minutes. Ikaho Onsen is really the closest hot spring resort to Tokyo. The famous Yumachi Ikaho Onsen was mentioned in the ancient classics Manyoshu and Kokinshu. The core Shiduan Street also has a history of more than 400 years. It has been a hot spring town full of hot spring emotions since ancient times. Both sides of Shiduan Street are lined with hotels, souvenir shops and restaurants. This is also the birthplace of hot spring manju (Yuhana manju). There is also one of the three major udon in Japan - Shibukawa udon. Unfortunately, after eating the eel rice, I couldn’t eat any more udon. I had eel rice near Shibukawa Station to replenish my energy, and then took a 20-minute bus ride to reach Ishidan Street in Ikaho Onsen. Ishidan Street is the most representative attraction of Ikaho Onsen. The street is located on a slope, with a total of 365 steps, full of traditional Japanese style. At the top of the steps is the Ikaho Onsen Shrine. Because the famous modern Japanese social novelist and essayist Tokutomi Roka wrote the tragic love novel "Why Not Go Back Home" here, Ikaho Onsen has become a place to seek marriage, and many devout men and women come here to pray for marriage. You must try the steamed buns from "Katsugetsudo" on the stone steps. It also appeared in "Initial D". As for why it is this color, it is specially made into the same brown color as Ikaho Onsen. Go around the shrine and walk up a little further, and you will reach the red ancient bridge - Kajika Bridge. It is particularly pleasant amidst the greenery, and it must be especially beautiful during the red leaf season. Going up the road is the drinking water point of Ikaho Onsen. I tried to catch the water with my hands and it had a strong smell of rust. It turns out that the hot spring here is rich in iron and the hot spring is also red. Further up is the source of Ikaho Onsen, which can be said to be the "first bath". We soaked in the Ikaho open-air hot spring, which costs 450 yen per person. There is no shower, so we can only rinse our bodies with hot spring water. The open-air hot spring is full of wildness, and there are some drowned small flies in the pool, which does not feel too out of place. The men's and women's baths are connected underneath, truly ensuring gender equality. I took a bath, strolled around Shiduan Street, and started my return journey. It was a very pleasant day.