Japan - Mie - Day 2

Today was just about a perfect day. We woke up to a cacophony of birds bringing in the new day. Then we had a nice breakfast - N with Western fare and J with Eastern fare. Afterwards, we took a walk to explore our surroundings and the National Park. We walked past the front gate where the guard politely asked us for our room number. He was tickled when Nan could tell him in Japanese! There are a few resorts in this area, so we ended up walking by some tennis courts for another resort and looked for their Garden Pool. It seems that not all amenities have been returned to their pre-Covid state. The pool was closed as were the nearby Aquatic Gardens and the Bask in the Sun Beach. However, we kept walking and we ended up at Sunset Beach. When we checked in, our hotel manager mentioned that this was not a ‘beach’ and it was only for looking at the water. So, we were pleasantly surprised at how nice it was. He was correct in that it was not what we would traditional describe as a ‘beach’ but we could walk down to the water (Ago Bay) and stick our feet in.  The shore was covered in small to medium sized rocks and the water was calm and clear. We decided that this would be the perfect setting for Momma…So, we both waded out into the water and Nan said some very nice words as we brought Momma home. She enjoyed her last tour of Japan with us and she will enjoy Ago Bay with the Abalone and gentle waters for swimming - chapter closed…

Then, we headed to the pool before our afternoon appointment at the Thermal Springs. The pool is a nice infinity pool and we were the only ones there until a couple came and had to sit right next to us (!#$@$). But, I got over it with a cocktail and at least one Mah Jongg win against Nan’s two. Then, on to the Thermal Springs. These are different from a traditional onsen because you need to wear a swimsuit. And the setting was just beautiful! I’ll see if I can sneak a picture tomorrow when we go back because it was wonderful!! Then we rounded out the evening with a lovely dinner of sashimi and steak - a great combination!