Radon, derived from radium is the central magic potion to these Hot Springs so, as such I wondered towards a statue of scientist by Marie Curie who isolated/discovered the isotopes/isotypes… or whatever the term is
Crossing bridges with frogs and scenes of my “haiku mountain” before coming across the statue in a rather sad corner of a parking area of a non-open, shabby-ish hotel, apparently “bubble era” with castle-like turrets – odd
Whilst there, I sit on a brutalist stage with spiral staircases and faded vaguely Greco-Roman friezes where i read from a handy (and charming) “Radiumelier’s pocket-sized guide to Misasa Onsen” about the aforementioned chemical compounds, along with precursors: uranium and thorium, (talking about half lives as though I have a clue what it all means)
But also folk legends of Buddhist Warrior monks saving white wolves, healing Buddhas protecting the source and accepting your walking sticks, foot baths and the benefits of inhaling radon gas and drinking the water
Of course digressions how all of this applies to my specific set of neurological/viral/autonomic/ immune conditions, bundled under a complicated moniker and/or an oversimplified initialization “MECFS” which is a source of frustration both for medical professionals and travelers with the complex disease but anyway, stuff about sympathetic vs parasympathetic versus sympathetic nervous system and the importance of… What was that word again?
Anyway, I wanted to play you a ukulele song about the legendary scientist and the impact of radium and radon with which you can: inhale the gas, soak in the water, drink the water etc. and it will evidently heal your six senses as well as other health benefits around anti-aging, “lifestyle diseases” and strengthen immune system
I’m doing this every day so we’ll see how it goes
PS I tacked on a song I made years ago in Jamaica called “(I change my route) to think about the neighborhood” as an intro montage and a little snippet of my favorite little guy at the end – as though you’re gonna watch it all the way to the end :| tyvm
PS Slip into this onsen ♨️ for more from Misasa:
Take a soak for more from Misasa, Tottori hot springs including video field notes – from short videos, out-and-about riffs, long soliloquies – plus poetry zines, and archival goodness, all flowing freely
