GETTING NAKED AND HIGH IN THE FIRE AND ICE OF KUSATSU

       Sothere I was at an outdoor hot spring in the dead of winter in my birthday suit. It felt like a all of Japan was watching, even though Kusatsu town has a population of only 7,500 and just 40 or so were taking a dip.
       Not exactly the way I ahd imagined my first trip to the Land of the Rising Sun.
       Kusatsu is a tiny town in Gunma Prefecture, about 200km norhtwest of Tokyo. It sits in mountains, accessible only by bus up a windign road, and draws visitors for two things: ski slopes and onsen - hot springs. The people, polite to a fault, lead simple and quiet lives, though I quickly learn that in hot springs, everyone gets comfortably nude and chatty.
       Kusatsu is one of three hotspots in Japan famous for sulphuric spings, along with Gero and Noboribetsu.
       The water, which suffuses the whole town with an eggy smell, is acidic enough to corrode coins. It spurts up from the ground at temperatures of 90 degrees Celsius but cools to around 38 in the bathing pools.
       Most importatly, it supposedly has healing properties which cure everything from muscle aches to skin problems.
       Kusatsu is built around a large group of spring that gush more than 33,000 litres of water per minute.
       Public onsen bathhouses are located throughout the twon. While the biggest usually charge an admission fee, 18 of these communal baths are frec fro public use.
       The biggest one is Sainokawara, where nude men unabashedly sun themselves in natural surroundings, visible to all from the public path.
       Most hotels also have their own onsen.
       At Kustsu Now Resort Hotel, where I stayed, I entered its indoor women's hot spring and was immediately greeted by the sight of naked elderly Japanese women towellign themselves with vigour.
       In contrast, I and two other girls from Singapore tittered nervously before eventually dropping our robes. Thankfully, no one stared and we quickly grew comfortable walking around in acrowd of women.
       After a while, we even ventured outdoors to try the outdoor hot spring. Here, water gurgled down a tiny waterfall and itno smoking pools under the sky and trees. Lying lazily in the hot water with the cold night air buffeting my upturned face and ht sounds of rustling leaves and soft laughter, my awkwardness was a distant memory.
       We emerged rosy, glowing and woderfully relaxed.
       If nudity isn't your thing, head to the centre of the town for the yumomi ceremony to watch the onsen waters being cooled by hand. Every day, frail-looking Japanese women clad in kimonos beat the water with heavy wooden paddles while singing in unison. Later, they perform ceremonial dances with a slow and refined grace.
       For those who prefer something more active than soaking in hte springs, Mount Shirane has ski slopes that operate during winter and spring and hiking trails for the rest of te year.
       Ski snowboard equipment and attire can be rented from shops around the larger hotels for about 3,500 yen (Bt1,250). The slopes range from gentle ones where children slide around on tea trays or tubes to treacherously steep snowfields that even experienced skiers will thrill at.
       Foxes, rabbits and deer live in the forests, but all I saw was trees and snow on my gondola and chair-lift rides up the mountain.
       Surprising for a place in the mountains, the seafood is generally excellent. I enjoyed sashimi, including sea urchin, that were ocean-fresh.
       Street snacks are also easy to find. Wandering through the town's narrow streets, I was surrounded by vendors grilling skewered fish, giant prawns, meat and vegtables.
       Th scents dance in the cold air and I wa ssuprised when a vendor thrust a free smaple of piping-hot red bean bun in my direction, complete with a cup of green tea.
       Moreover, little shops selling spiciality rice crackers and home-make cookies (ranging from Y500 to Y1,000) dot the town centre, as do small off-licences offering beer, sake and shochu (another kind of liquor made from rice).
       Free from flashy tourist attractions, Kusatsu town offers a relaxing holiday about as far as you can get from afrenzied sightseeing tour. The wild, snowy peaks harbouring peaceful, seenic springs touched and stilled my heart.
       The liberating xperience of public nudity only added to the experience of natural simplicity, leaving me with a new spring in my step.