Hi! I've been little busy with many annual celebrations the past few weeks with our 10 year wedding anniversary and my 39th birthday. There were also so many holidays in the first week of May in Korea including Children's Day, which is similar to Christmas for kids in the States. Not only that, my in-laws are also in town and will be staying with us for a few weeks. Wow, we've been in non-stop celebration mode since April and it's not even over since Mother's Day is coming up this Sunday! Cheers to all the mothers out there! If you know any mothers, make sure you pat them on their backs and tell them that they are doing a great job, including your own mother! 😊

Today I am going to share about my little weekend getaway trip to Yufuin, Japan. I try to go on a getaway trip alone once a year. I do it to rest and recharge. One of my mottos for motherhood is my family will be happy when I am happy. Therefore, I actually invest in doing something that makes me happy. I picked Yufuin this year because it's close (one hour flight from Incheon + one and half hour bus ride) and it's a small town which is a perfect place to spend a weekend. It's located south east of Fukuoka. It's famous for Onsens, a Japanese hot springs resort area with many traditional houses that offer a full onsen experience with 5-6 course meal after a hot bath. Doesn't that sound just wonderful? It was absolutely amazing! 

First, I traveled there alone and two of my girl friends joined me the next day. The weather, beautiful scenery, food, onsen...everything was better than I could ask for. I slept like a baby after having a quiet meal (had sushi platter enjoying every bite without anyone disturbing me!) and a hot bath in a private onsen all to myself. The next day, I just walked around without any map or agenda and ate whatever my eyes were drawn to as I waited for my two friends. When they arrived, we went shopping and went to another house to have an onsen experience all together. The next day, we hiked up a mountain to eat at a hand made soba place overlooking the mountain views and enjoyed some kind of town talent show/celebration in the main street before heading back home. I loved everything about this trip. I felt rested, rejuvenated, and was happy to be back with my family again. Here are some pictures from my trip!




Ryokan Kotonokashin was the first onsen house that I stayed in. It was an old traditional Japanese house that is maintained well and clean and staff were very friendly. I only used the outdoor onsen here and I really enjoyed it. For the price, I would highly recommend this place. 











United with my friends!!!!



The second place that I stayed with my friends was Yufuin Onsen Ryokan Hananomai, which was more higher end onsen house. The food was amazing here. We had dinner and breakfast and they were both delicious. And of course everything was clean and nice! I would highly recommend this place as well. 




I was so happy during this whole trip! Can you tell?? 😁