Noboribetsu - Natural Hotspring Footpath

One of the highlight of our hike was a natural hot spring footpath at the end point. You could smell it even before seeing it. The walking path got narrower and downhill, cross a small section of a road, and further down we went. Soon we came across it. Again, there weren't many people around, which is always a good thing for us. Above is a photo taken from my hubby just as we approach the hot spring. In the photo, you can see me looking out into the stream of hot water. Isn't that cool?

The stream has steam coming off it along the way. That's me again on the top photo. The colour of the stream was also kinda cloudy, and there were no fish in it. The travel site said you can soak your tired legs here. Problem was, we didn't know how hot was it. 

The sign here also says please be careful with your leg inside the water. 

So what they meant was that you should be careful, especially when there are eruption at the top, cause the hot rocks might slow down and making the water hot, and when it reach the footpath, it would be burning. 

In case you can't read Japanese, there is also a nice English translation. 

But lucky for us, we show one guy soaking his leg just as we were approaching the footpath area. Since I reach there first, i tested the water with my hands, and started taking off my shoes. It was a nice soak, especially  in the cold! It was nice that they made the wooden edges for you so that you can step in and out off, or even take a relaxing rest on it. Putting your legs in was not a problem at all. Putting it back in while it's wet, plus winter, plus sand and stone was a lot more challenging. But I managed. My husband couldn't be bothered with it. Luckily it was almost noon time, so the weather has kinda cleared up. The whole hike had been a wonderful experience! If you are there in the winter, its highly recommended. Bring proper footwear, wear gloves, and bring a phone for emergency. Make sure you set off early, and get back before it starts to get dark. You know, all the common sense things. Never take your own safety for granted. Be well prepared if you ever go hiking,