Cedric kept saying that this was the place for onsen's lovers... so I finally decided to give it a try. Manza is a famous ski resort, where it is possible to ski even in May, as it is located at more than 1800 meters - which is rather high for Japan.

The village is small, with about 8 hotels and some restaurants, as well as ski-related shops and cafes. But the second main attraction here are the onsen. The spring is extremely acid, and contains a large amount of sulfur derivative. The water is milky, with even more suspensions than Kusatsu, which is just a couple of kilometers from Manza (but both towns are only connected in summer, as in winter, people ski on that road!).

On our way to Manza with Cedric and JP, we first stopped on the Azuma-san slopes. This active volcano erupted last year, and a large area was covered by volcanic dust - including Kawagoe, more than 100 km away. The area is impressive, with huge volcanic stones and a nice shrine.

 
We of course finished whit visit with a "group picture", using the installation nicely provided by Japanese.

In Manza, we visited this time the Manza Prince Hotel. This hotel has three mixed bath overlooking the town, at an altitude of 1800 meters. Manza is really small, there are just a couple of hotels and almost no houses. In summer, the place is not busy at all.

Before reaching Kusatsu from Manza - only a couple of kilometers away - we visited another volcanic spot, where a white lake can be seen. Due to the presence of so many active volcanoes in the area, the waters of both Manza and Kusatsu are very acidic (around pH=2).

The volcanic activity can be seen almost everywhere : a hot spring, sulfur vapour, volcanic lakes... The onsen we visited was at the Manza Lodge, a terrific place to soak in the hot water. The pH of the water (acidity measure) is around 2, which means that the water is more acidic than a Coke, for example! Here, seven mixed bath (konyoku) are found!

A typical view in Manza...

And the even more characteristic volcano lake, on the road between Manza and Kusatsu. We couldn't approach the water, as toxic vapor still arise from the bottom of the lake.