When Jarman CEO, Ruth Marie Jarman, visited them recently, she was inspired by their curiosity and wondered how they may have noticed their world change. From hundreds of visitors a day to only a few. From visitors wearing big smiles to those whose expressions can no longer be seen, hidden by face masks.

Escape into a magical fantasy in Ruth’s new short story and explore the world through the innocent eyes of a baby snow monkey in Nagano prefecture HERE.

Important announcement for all non-Japanese passport holders! For travel to Nagano Prefecture to see the snow monkeys (and anywhere across Tohoku), we recommend you take advantage of the JR EAST Welcome Rail Pass 2020!

Until now, JR Rail Passes have only been available to tourists visiting Japan. However, this year, JR EAST created this new, foreign resident-friendly pass to give members of Japan’s international community a budget-friendly way to explore the Tohoku and Kanto regions, as well as provide an alternative to international travel.

This pass will allow 3 consecutive days of unlimited travel on the Tohoku, Yamagata, Akita, Joetsu and Hokuriku Shinkansens, along with JR EAST train lines and a number of local railways. As it is valid for a large area of Japan, pass holders will be able to explore from the northernmost reaches of Aomori to the hot spring resorts of Shizuoka, just south of Tokyo, for a flat 12,000 yen fee (6,000 yen for Children).

★For more information about the JR EAST Welcome Rail Pass 2020 and where to purchase it, please click HERE

★An article about the pass has been published on JAPAN TODAY

The post Discover the Current World Through the Eyes of a Baby Snow Monkey in Jarman CEO, Ruth Marie Jarman’s New Magical Story (Nagano Prefecture) appeared first on Jarman International KK.

Enoshima Island Spa is happy to present our Celebration Plan to help you acknowledge life’s special moments. Featuring a comfortable stay and exceptional treatments at our award-winning Beng Teng Spa and a delicious meal at our ocean-view restaurant, Island Grill, Enospa’s Celebration Plan is a thoughtful way to celebrate a birthday, wedding anniversary or any other occasion. Available beginning June 1, 2016!

A Special Rate At Of ¥ 29,000 Per Couple (Two People) The Celebration Plan Includes:

• 60-minute Aromatherapy Light Oil Massage treatment at the Beng Teng Spa
• Couples’ Massage room reservation, allowing two people to be massaged in the same room, at the same time, by two difference therapists – a lovely way to relax and enjoy your time together
• Full dinner set at the Island Grill Restaurant using locally sourced produce and organic ingredients that includes appetizer plate, main fish dish, bread or rice, dessert and coffee or tea
• Sparkling wine or cider drink for toasting
• Overall entrance for full-day use of Enoshima Island Spa facilities including indoor and outdoor bath, pools and sauna
• Beng Teng Spa Membership (1,080 yen) or 10 minutes extra during the treatment for members

Take A Look Please At The Link Here .

You Can Call Directly You To 0466-29-0690 Or Email To Make A Reservation At Beng Teng Spa. We’Re Looking Forward To Serving You On Your Special Day!

* Please Note: C . Hildren Over Six Are Welcome Every Day Except Sunday And There Is A Strict No-Tattoo Policy Enforced At The Spa Also, Enoshima Island Spa Offers A Device-Free Experience, So Please Leave All Cameras, Phones And Electronic Devices in your changing area locker.

The post Couples Celebration Plan at Enoshima Island Spa appeared first on Jarman International KK.

A short trip to Kusatsu Onsen

You may be on a business trip in Tokyo, with jet lag and many meetings weighting heavily on your shoulders and mind. You do have one day and a half though to discover something about Japan. Something you don’t know. This is not your first trip to Tokyo, you’ve been to Roppongi, Asakusa or Aoyama. You enjoy the urban atmosphere and your travel partners but what you really need this time, is time for yourself, to restore your mind and your jetlag.

There is one place you can visit to do just that and discover a Japan that you did not know still existed. So, close your eyes, and listen:

« When I fear losing honesty with myself I climb to Snow Country. From a long tunnel, I emerge to behold the night sky overspreading a strange world of mountains, hot springs, and mysterious geishas. »1

Well, maybe not the mysterious geishas, but you’ll get the mountains, the snow and the hot springs. Kusatsu Onsen is a small and rural town located three hours from Tokyo. You board a shinkansen in Tokyo and when you get off in Takasaki, you are in another world, slightly different from the nowyou have known. The air is crisp and fresh, no high-rise building at the horizon, ladies showing off their hobbies in the train and, incredible but true, no one killing time with a smartphone. Did the train take you to another dimension? Well, maybe.

When you know Tokyo and Japanese big cities, your mind is hoaxed into believing that the whole country looks like Shinjuku.

When you step outside the urban life, even a throw of a stone away, somewhere just like Kusatsu hot spring, you enter a dimension you did not know existed: the rural Japan where time flows normally, where the night is dark and stellar, and where people are genuinely interested in you, saying hello when you cross them in the street, and providing information if you need it.

Kusatsu is on an isolated mountain hot spring and it smells like it. The sulfate water is green and hot. It infuses the city with fumes that remind you your college chemistry lab.

Kusatsu is a small town and you can easily wander in the forest and walk a certain time without meeting anyone, which is quite a success on its own in crowded Japan. You can also enjoy freely the public bath anytime you want. You will be surprised to see that Kusatsu people also come to the bath. Lucky people. The hot water works wonder to take that heavy weight from your shoulders.

There is a lovely museum of a television celebrity who happens to be a very fine artist and autodidact: Kataoka. His work is mainly calligraphy and Japanese aquarelles. He has re-invented traditional art into contemporary impressions. He draws fishes and flowers, and writes poetry. Somehow, his shrimps, not something that we would usually draw, I admit, look funny and alive.

You can leave your luggage in Tokyo and just take the train. In Kusatsu, all you will need is a towel and a good book about vain love and mysterious geishas.

—1 KAWABATA, Yasunari, Snow Country, 1948. First lines as translated by Edward Seidensticker.

How to access Kusatsu:

There are several ways to go there but the simplest one is to take the Shinkansen to Takasaki (1 hour), to take the local Agatsuma line to Naganohara Kusatsu (1 hour and a half) and then a local bus waiting for you at the station. It is all smooth and straightforward, well synchronised. Strange enough, everything is in Japanese, but you will manage your day because everyone is so kind and ready to help.

*Original article by Claire published on Deep Japan

Deep Japan – Experienced Senpais living in and enjoying Japan offer inside-knowledge on how to make your trip real, interesting and above all, unforgettable.

Join the Deep Japan Senpai Team – Anyone currently living in Japan for a year or more who can write tips for visitors in English is welcome to register on Deep Japan as a writer.

The post Kusatsu Onsen and the Train to Snow Country appeared first on Jarman International KK.

Enjoy the treatment while listening to nice Hawaiian music. Pure meditation sound will relax your body, soul and mind!

*Please note Enospa entrance rate (Full Day Spa ¥2,742  |  Evening Spa Entrance ¥1,705) will be required separately.

Premium Plan, 110 minutes

The Special ¥19,440 per person plan includes:

This is the very special package for entire body to offer a series of our most popular massage menus; Hawaiian lomi lomi body massage, facial, scalp and hot stone therapy.

• Lomi lomi massage is a traditional Polynesian technique that bears repeating. Literally. That’s because the term lomi lomi means “massage,” but in this case it refers to a spiritual technique based on the Hawaiian philosophy of “huna,” and how it relates to our bodies. Rejuvenate mind, body and spirit by removing energy blockages and opening energy pathways within the body!
• Facial treatment: moisturizing care, gentle oil lymphatic massage for décolleté and face.
• Scalp massage with hot Ayurvedic oil treatment, designed to relax, promote clarity and ease mental fatigue
• Delicate hot stone relaxation therapy with 10 stones
• Beng Teng Spa membership fee (¥1,080) will be waived OR An original blend herb tea gift in case you are already the Beng Teng Spa member.

Crystal Plan, 80 minutes

The Special ¥14,900 per person plan includes:

Hawaiian lomi lomi body massage and 10 Hot Stone therapy. Hot stone therapy course entices you to transcend the everyday world and indulge in premium spa treatments.

• Careful Aromatherapy oil massage for entire body. Our massage is designed to improve poor circulation during the summer time too.
• Delicate 10 hot stone relaxation therapy on back and backlegs. Hot stones soothe and de-stress muscles to encourage deep relaxation.
  *At the Beng Teng Spa, you can try a hot stone massage with stones that have been blessed at the local hilltop Enoshima Shrine. The highest quality of basalt stones, originating from the volcanic eruptions of Mt Fuji, have been cured and hand-polished for hot stone massage at the Beng Teng Spa. The purified stones (fuku-ishi) retain heat for up to 45 minutes and when taken to the shrine, a prayer was carried out to ask for better fortune, health and beauty for those who receive a hot stone massage using these stones. Each month the stones are placed in the light of the full moon in order to purify and recharge their power!
• Beng Teng Spa membership fee (¥1,080) will be waived OR An original blend herb tea gift in case you are already the Beng Teng Spa member.

You can call directly to 0466-29-0690 or email us to make a reservation at BengTeng Spa. Looking forward to serving you at Enoshima Island Spa!

*Please Note: children over six are welcome every day except Sunday and there is a strict no tattoo policy enforced at the spa.

The post Enoshima Island Spa 10th Anniversary Massage Special appeared first on Jarman International KK.

Experience bliss in one of the finest day spas in Japan at Enoshima. Jarman International KK is happy to present you a special Jarman Discount Coupon. The coupon is for 10% off the entrance fee for the full day spa.

You have access to the hot spring / onsen baths, heated pools (don’t forget your bathing suit), relaxation room and sauna. A spa robe plus towels are included in the entrance fee for your time in the spa.

MUST PRESENT Printed or Digital COUPON at check-in. 

Click to download the coupon!
One coupon is valid for up to five guests in the same group as the holder.

If you are interested in Body/Facial treatments, a hot stone or Shiatsu massage, browse http://enoshimaislandspa.com/ and start planning a lovely getaway! Reservations can be made online here. (*The Jarman Coupon cannot be applied to the Mermaid plan or other package plans.)

Valid until June 30, 2015: please note that the coupon will not be applicable during June 16 – 19 due to facility maintenance.

*Please Note: children over six are welcome every day except Sunday and there is a strict no tattoo policy enforced at the spa.

The post Enoshima Island Spa – 10% off the Entrance fee for the Full day spa appeared first on Jarman International KK.

But….it is a difficult bridge to cross and I would think someone here for the first time might want to try a mineral-filled skin soothing onsen bath without the pressure or worry of baring yourself in front of strangers. So, Enoshima Island Spa solves this conundrum by placing their pure, mineral filled onsen bath right in the middle of the luxurious heated pool area.

Enough for five or six people to enjoy at once, the pool is right next to the window for great natural light and bathing suits are actually required. There is a large main pool, three outdoor deck pools that overlook the ocean and have a pristine view of Mt. Fuji on a clear day and then amazing cave pools on the lower floor. Children six and over can come to the Spa every day except Sunday and the entire building is device free for utmost privacy and peace of mind. The Cave pool area features a huge sauna where staff conduct Aufguss Herbal misting at regular intervals through the day. Shiatsu Massage, special seasonal events, Aromatherapy, traditional Onsen floor (carbonated bath, showers with shampoo/conditioner), excellent meals at the Island Grill or Kaiten Zushi at the Annex Restaurant and beautiful illumination to boot, Enoshima Island Spa and the Enoshima Island make a beautiful day of history, healing and bathing suit-friendly hot spring enjoyment. Dont forget to order the special Kawaiiccino Coffee from the Cafe on the first floor. Ms. Fukuda is truly a Cappuccino design pro and can do Kitty Chan too! Thus the name Kawaiiccino! About 1.5 hours from Tokyo/Shinjuku/Shinagawa/Shibuya station via the Odakyu Line Romance Car or Tokaido Line. Form more information check www.enoshimaislandspa.com

Evening events at the Enoshima Island Spa

Watch the sunset and enjoy some hot chocolate or coffee at Enoshima cafe. Make sure to arrive at the spa by 4 p.m., lounge around and get your tummy warm during sunset and then enjoy the Night Spa from 7 p.m. for a discounted entrance fee of 1,705 yen. (Regular entrance fee is 2,742 yen) Also, I highly recommend their body treatment as their professional massages are utterly wonderful. Take a look at here for more details.

The post Enoshima Island Spa: Mineral-rich Hot Spring in the Pool area appeared first on Jarman International KK.

A day trip to an onsen is very popular in Japan

Japanese travellers love to go on a day trip to an onsen. Spend the day with your friends, try some local foods, and relax in the bath. Higaeri onsen 日帰り温泉 is the Japanese word for a one day trip Japanese hot spring.

The Japanese TripAdvisor site released its new ranking of Day Spas and Onsen for 2015 (日帰り温泉&スパ 2015). The ranking is based on the reviews of visitors for onsen all over Japan and includes some hot springs that are not listed in regular guidebooks. Here is the translated list for you.

1. Healthy Land Tamatebako Onsen in Kagoshima Prefecture, Kyushu (ヘルシーランド たまて箱温泉)
2. Lamune Onsen in Oita Prefecture, Kyushu (ラムネ温泉館 )
3. Yawaraginosato Hoheikyo Onsen in Hokkaido (やわらぎの里 豊平峡温泉)
4. Kusatsu Onsen Otakinoyu in Gunma Prefecture (草津温泉 大滝乃湯)
5. Miharashi no Yu in Tokyo Hachijo-machi （みはらしの湯）
6. Mitamanoyu in Yamanashi Prefecture (みはらしの丘 みたまの湯)
7. Oedo-Onsen-Monogatari in Tokyo Odaiba （大江戸温泉物語）
8. Shikanoyu in Tochigi Prefecture （鹿の湯）
9. Shintoronoyu in Miyagi Prefecture (中山平温泉 しんとろの湯)
10. Enoshima Island Spa in Kanagawa Prefecture (江の島アイランドスパ えのすぱ)
11. Yudomari Onsen in Kagoshima Prefecture, Kyushu （湯泊温泉）
12. Takinoyu in Miyagi Prefecture （滝の湯）
13. Sainogawara Rotenburo in Gunma Prefecture （西の河原露天風呂）
14. Yamagawa Sunamushi Onsen in Kagoshima Prefecture, Kyushu （山川砂むし温泉）
15. Yunomine Onsen in Wakayama Prefecture （湯の峰温泉）
16. Takegawara Spa in Oita Prefecture （竹瓦温泉）
17. Sukayu Onsen in Aomori Prefecture （酸ヶ湯温泉）
18. Kuma-no-yu in Hokkaido （熊の湯）
19. Dogo Onsen Main Hall in Ehime Prefecture, Shikoku （道後温泉本館）
20. Saraku in Kagoshima Prefecture, Kyushu （砂楽）

Please enjoy some of the baths that are popular with the locals. There is a lot of information about onsen available in Japanes. Unfortunately, there is still a lot less information available in English and other languages.

The TripAdvisor ranking page in Japanese http://www.tripadvisor.jp/pages/Publicbath_2015.html 

Higaeri onsen day trip from Tokyo

With the fast and reliable Japanese trains, you can reach several of these onsen from Tokyo for a day trip. Staying in Tokyo, I have been to #7 Oedo-Onsen-Monogatari in Odaiba and #10 Enoshima Island Spa near Kamakura.

Oedo-Onsen-Monogatari

Visit Oedo-Onsen-Monogatari on Odaiba in Tokyo Bay if you want to go with friends. It has a fun atmosphere and everybody can meet for drinks, snacks, and games between baths wearing a Japanese yukata, a light robe cut like a kimono. There is also a special ashiyu foot bath area outside that you can all try together. Inside the onsen baths are separated for men and women. There are baths inside and outside with different water temperatures as well as a sauna. If you stay in Tokyo, you can spend an afternoon or evening here after sightseeing in the city.

Enoshima Island Spa
(http://enoshimaislandspa.com/)

For a visit to Enoshima Island Spa I recommend making it a full day trip from Tokyo. The Spa is located on the small Enoshima Island. It is a very nice place to go for a walk, visit the local shrine, and have some seafood dishes. From this island you can see Mount Fuji. There is a Japanese style onsen area with sauna and a pool area here (bring a swimsuit for this). Enoshima is very close to Kamakura and you can come to this onsen also after visiting the famous Big Buddha, taking a walk on Kamakura beach, or visiting some of the many temples. It is about an hour by train from Tokyo to Enoshima and about 15 minutes from Kamakura.

I hope to visit a few more onsen from the list soon. Please try relaxing in a Japanese bath. There are good onsen all over Japan!

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Deep Japan – Experienced Senpais living in and enjoying Japan offer inside-knowledge on how to make your trip real, interesting and above all, unforgettable.

Join the Deep Japan Senpai Team – Anyone currently living in Japan for a year or more who can write tips for visitors in English is welcome to register on Deep Japan as a writer.

The post Deep Japan: Japan’s Best Onsen For a Day Trip – 2015 Ranking appeared first on Jarman International KK.

*Please note Enospa entrance fee (Full Day Use ¥2,742  |  Night Spa Entrance ¥1,705) will be required separately.

Holistic Beauty Plan, 110 minutes

The Special ¥19,440 per person plan includes:

This is the spring version special massage plan using 10 kinds of herbs. The bloom of health makes you a real beauty!

• Flower bath to warm up your body, using herbal bath oils
• Careful Aromatherapy light lavendor oil body massage from back through back legs in order to promote the flows of blood and lymph.
• Foot massage with foot cream, from the bottoms of your feet and up to the calves.
• This unique treatment with herbal oils can treat hormone balancing and stress management and also improve circulation of the blood to relieve coldness.
• Beng Teng Spa membership fee (¥1,080) will be waived.

Premium Plan, 110 minutes

The Special ¥19,440 per person plan includes:

This is the very special package for entire body to offer a series of our most popular massage menus; body, facial, scalp and hot stone therapy.

• Careful Aromatherapy light oil body massage from back through back legs in order to promote the flows of blood and lymph.
• Facial treatment: moisturizing care, gentle oil lymphatic massage for décolleté and face,  moisture retaining mask based on your skin type
• Scalp massage with hot Ayurvedic oil treatment, designed to relax, promote clarity and ease mental fatigue
• Delicate hot stone relaxation therapy with 10 stones
• Beng Teng Spa membership fee (¥1,080) will be waived.

Crystal Plan, 80 minutes

The Special ¥14,900 per person plan includes:

10 Hot Stone therapy course entices you to transcend the everyday world and indulge in premium spa treatments.

• Careful Aromatherapy oil massage for entire body with a focus on back and shoulders
• Delicate 10 hot stone relaxation therapy on back and backlegs. Hot stones soothe and de-stress muscles to encourage deep relaxation.
  *At the Beng Teng Spa, you can try a hot stone massage with stones that have been blessed at the local hilltop Enoshima Shrine. The highest quality of basalt stones, originating from the volcanic eruptions of Mt Fuji, have been cured and hand-polished for hot stone massage at the Beng Teng Spa. The purified stones (fuku-ishi) retain heat for up to 45 minutes and when taken to the shrine, a prayer was carried out to ask for better fortune, health and beauty for those who receive a hot stone massage using these stones. Each month the stones are placed in the light of the full moon in order to purify and recharge their power!
• Beng Teng Spa membership fee (¥1,080) will be waived.

You can call directly to 0466-29-0690 or email jarmaninternational@gmail.com to make a reservation at BengTeng Spa. Looking forward to serving you!

*Please Note: children over six are welcome every day except Sunday and there is a strict no tattoo policy enforced at the spa. Also, Enoshima Island Spa offers a device free experience, so please leave all cameras, phones and electric devices in your changing area locker.

The post Enoshima Island Spa – Renewed 10th year anniversary plan appeared first on Jarman International KK.

After two years of very hard work bringing in fantastic international guests who love hot springs, beautiful views, Mt. Fuji, the ocean and aromatherapy, Enoshima Island Spa was named the 10th most popular day spa in Japan by Trip Advisor. All we did was bring this amazing spa to the world via the various Jarman International channels and when people started to come, they started to spread the word. That word made numbers go from 0 each month to now… over 200 international visitors a month and it seems everyone enjoys their time. The spa is proud that trip advisor fans saw the value and made this spa receive a very high and wonderfully exciting ranking. I guess we can say that we now have proof that this day spa is worth a visit.

Heated pools, natural hot spring water from 1500 meters below the ocean, friendly staff, views of Mt. Fuji…what more do you need? Have a break, Have an Enospa smile emotion!

www.enoshimaislandspa.com

You can make your reservation through our English website! We have a beautiful photo gallery which helps you to get a better feel of what Enospa is like!

Enoshima Island Spa Photo Gallery

The post Enoshima Island Spa: Top 10 Day Spas in Japan on TripAdvisor! appeared first on Jarman International KK.

Only 2 hours from Kyoto. Enjoy snow and eating crabs in the Onsen resort founded 1,300 years ago

Kinosaki Onsen has a beautiful and nostalgic view with rows of willow trees along a little river. There are at most 7 public baths in the area and you can casually visit and enjoy them even without staying over at the local ryokan Inns. They are called “sotoyu”(open air bath) which is opposite of “uchiyu”(indoor bath).

A digital ticket for sotoyu is a convenient ticket for those who want to go around the sotoyu facilities and stroll around the town. It can be purchased at any of the 7 sotoyu. (Rate: 1,200 yen per adult, 600 yen per child). You can try all the seven sotoyu facilities with different constructions and atmospheres.

My recommendations are “Satono-yu” with fine view outdoor bath and “Ichinoyu” with a cave pool. Please note, when you stay at any of the local ryokan in the Kinosaki area, you can visit 7 sotoyu baths for free and also enjoy taking a walk around the town dressing in “yukata”. Kinosaki is a very yukata-friendly town. Actually it is considered as a dressing up style to wear Yukata and Geta in Kinosaki.

Both “Satono-yu” and “Kouno-yu” provide “Ashiyu” (foot baths) in front of the entrance where anyone can stop by. So you can enjoy Kinosaki hot spring even with your clothes on.

One of the great things about Kinosaki is you can enjoy it any time of the year. During Autumn or winter, Kinosaki offers a series of best crab dishes. Spring is a lovely cherry blossom season and in summer you can drive down to Takenohama beach just for 15 minutes.

The famous travel guidebook “Michelin Green Guide Japan” picks up Kinosaki Onsen with two stars as a place to stop by and a view from Daishi Mountain with one star. You can climb up the mountain by a cable car. They write about the street of Izushi city, their local “sara-soba” dishes, Eirakukan(old theater), nearby beaches such as Takenohama and Keinohama and much more. They also talk about local activities to conserve and protect wild stork in the column.

You can download the brochure about Kinosaki in Toyooka city from the below link.

English:
http://www.city.toyooka.lg.jp/kankou/pdf/english.pdf 

Chinese:
http://www.city.toyooka.lg.jp/kankou/pdf/china2.pdf 

Russian:
http://www.city.toyooka.lg.jp/kankou/pdf/russia.pdf 

Korean:
http://www.city.toyooka.lg.jp/kankou/pdf/russia.pdf 

Below are some more referenece links about Kinosaki Onsen.
http://www.kinosaki-web.com/en/ 
http://photo.kinosaki2.net/ 

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Deep Japan – Experienced Senpais living in and enjoying Japan offer inside-knowledge on how to make your trip real, interesting and above all, unforgettable.

Join the Deep Japan Senpai Team – Anyone currently living in Japan for a year or more who can write tips for visitors in English is welcome to register on Deep Japan as a writer.

The post Deep Japan – Kinosaki Onsen, only 2 hours from Kyoto appeared first on Jarman International KK.