AiAi Onsen, Tokushima, Shikoku

Price: 500 Yen
Open: 8:00 ~ 1:00
Tel: 088-665-7788

徳島県徳島市川内町平石若宮１８５－１

http://www2.tcn.ne.jp/~aiaionsen/index.html

Aiai Onsen is listed in the travel guides available at the tourism bureau in front of Tokushima train station.

With hours to spare before we got on the night bus back to Tokyo, we were looking for a reasonable place to spend a few hours, and also to eat good, cheap food.

Aiai onsen fits this bill perfectly. The staff are extremely friendly and welcoming to foreigners. They were more than happy to put our oversized bags behind the counter while we bathed.

They smilingly called us a taxi to take us back to the station when our time was up. (The taxi ride is a bit on the expensive side at 2000 Yen). Beware the overly simple map on the tourist guidemap. It isn't located just over the bridge and around the corner, rather, at least 20 minutes by car.

However, the food was cheap and good, the place was warm and inviting, and we spent about 4 hours there without needing to move.

Aiai onsen is perfect for that purpose, if you ever find yourself in Tokushima waiting for a bus, ferry or express train.