Staying at Tabist Nanki Shirahama Ryokan Mantei (Shirahama ♨️) via Conjunctival Cyst

The venue for this hot spring activity is Tabist Nanki Shirahama Mantei.

I feel like I've been seeing the Tabist name more often on OTAs and similar sites lately, so I took this opportunity to look them up.

I was very surprised to find out that "Tabist = OYO."

Apparently, they changed their company and brand name from OYO in April 2022...

Speaking of OYO, it's an Indian company with a global presence, and I had been curious about them because of their distinctive name.

*It seems it stands for "On Your Own" (= a lodging experience that is uniquely yours).

And it seems that in Japan, unlike in other countries, they have been developing their business with a unique strategy.

Specifically, globally they operate budget hotels and the like in urban areas using franchise and lease models (OYO brand).

On the other hand, in Japan, they operate by partnering with small to medium-sized local ryokans and long-established hotels (Tabist brand).

I don't know why this happened, but it's very interesting that they have localized only for Japan.

It's like the Teriyaki Burger from McDonald's, which is famous in the marketing world.

Come to think of it, the position of the license plate on the new Junior car recently announced by Alfa Romeo has also been localized.

Now that I've finished my preparation on Tabist, I'll head off to Shirahama.

Before that, I'll have some super fish curry near my house.

It's as delicious as ever.

I'm full now, so I'm heading out.

I took local roads to avoid traffic on the way, but I arrived in Shirahama in just over two hours.

Since I'm staying without meals this time, I'll pick up some snacks at Shirahama Sengyo before checking in.

Since they supply to ryokans and other places in Shirahama, they have things like boat-shaped sashimi platters kept in the refrigerator.

The way to purchase is to tell them the amount and price you want.

By the way, this is the result of telling them I wanted 1,500 yen worth.

They asked if I liked bonito, and I answered yes.

It seems it's smoother to purchase if you tell them your preferences over the phone in advance.

I plan to keep using them in the future!

By the way, Yottete in Shirahama also has an astonishing selection.

I arrived at Mantei a few minutes after leaving Shirahama Sengyo.

By the way, this is the entrance from the parking lot.

Checking in.

It completely overturns my image of Shirahama!

I never knew this kind of Shirahama existed!!!!!

I'm staying without meals this time, but it's a beautiful dining room.

\Superb/

Entering the room.

You can overlook Engetsu Island.

Here is my login bonus.

Now, let's get straight into the hot spring activities.

!!!!!

The scent of sulfur hits you the moment you open the door!!!!!

\A super tag team of sulfur scent and saltiness/

Of course, the open-air bath with a gentle breeze is also superb!

I'm washing down sashimi from Shirahama Sengyo with Junmai Daiginjo I bought in Fukushima (in the style of the great Master Rui Yoshida).

Continuing the hot spring activities!

\Sunset glow/

I'm taking a walk to Gourmet City to buy some light snacks.

While hoping for the further downfall of Manchester City in the 25-26 season.

Time for some night activities.

Going to sleep.

It is morning in Shirahama.

Time for a morning bath.

!!!!!

My soul is being drawn out of the open-air bath!!!!!

Well, the indoor bath is enough, though...

By the way, indoor baths and the universe are similar, aren't they? 🚀

That just came up in my iPhone's predictive text, haha.

So, I will have our usual ChatGPT write a poem in the style of the great master Yukio Mishima.

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

The steam shimmers like a pale sky, and the scent of sulfur awakens a volcano of distant memories. People face the universe naked. This bath, a mere three tatami mats in size, is the beginning and end of time, the place where the bones of the world sink. My body reflected on the surface of the water is no longer me. It is a single speck of dust lost among countless galaxies. But this dust is not destruction; it is a return. The flowing hot water is a torrent of life. It overflows without regret, it is lost without regret, yet the tub remains full. This contradiction, this eternity. The human spirit should also be like this. I see stars in the cracks of the wall and search for the shadows of the moon in the wooden window frame. What exists here is the universe, and the universe is a spring that holds heat and remains silent.

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

Genius!

Since it's a room-only stay, there is no breakfast, and I'm starting my final activities.

I will come again.

HAVE A GOOD DAY 🗽

I returned home after having Wakayama ramen at the Kinokawa Service Area on the way back.

Actually, in the week leading up to my stay at Mantei, I underwent eye surgery.

That said, it wasn't for a serious illness, but a surgery to remove a blister-like growth on the white of my eye called a conjunctival cyst.

Since I experienced a rare eye surgery, I would like to record it at the end of this article.

※If you are not good at reading painful descriptions, I recommend you stop reading here, haha.

※The images are mainly from Mantei.

Regarding the conjunctival cyst, this was actually my second time having it, and this instance was a recurrence.

The first time was about six years ago, and at that time, I had it popped with something like a needle while I was at the hospital for something else.

And that popped blister reappeared in the same spot as a small blister a month later.

However, I knew it wasn't anything bad, so I left it alone for a long time.

It gradually grew, and six years later, I started to feel discomfort when blinking.

So, I went back to the same hospital the week before I stayed at Mantei.

By the way, since my last visit was six years ago, which is past the standard two-year period, I had to pay a first-visit fee of nearly 10,000 yen, haha.

I came relying on information from six years ago, but it would be rude to go out of my way to get a referral letter to a clinic I've never been to before... I guess this is a common occurrence at large hospitals, right? Haha.

A long time ago, I had surgery for a hellish retinal detachment at this hospital, so when it comes to my eyes, this is the place that still has my medical records from back then.

I probably paid a first-visit fee when I visited about six years ago, too, haha.

Returning to the story of my revisit to the hospital.

Since it was a recurrence, I was able to be seen faster than the many people waiting for consultations and examinations.

As for the diagnosis, it was too large to be punctured and drained with a needle-like instrument, and to prevent recurrence, it was better to remove it entirely, so surgery was scheduled for six days later.

Naturally, I went to an izakaya in despair afterward, haha.

However, even though it was surgery, there were no dietary restrictions the day before, so it was quite relaxed.

The only difficult part was the restriction on washing my face and hair for one week after the surgery.

Now, the day of the surgery.

I changed into proper attire and was hooked up to an IV drip, blood pressure monitor, and so on.

And that was when I was told for the first time that I would need stitches.

!!!!!!!!!!

This was unexpected...

But, well, it couldn't be helped...

Now, the surgery begins.

A ring-like device is attached to my eye so I can't blink.

Then, a cloth-like sheet is placed over my face, with only the area around my eye exposed.

It's a moment filled with tension.

I was told, "It's going to get bright, okay? Haha," and was illuminated by a light.

I had cold, soothing anesthetic eye drops applied several times.

I remember how truly pleasant this felt during my hellish retinal detachment surgery.

*The images above and below are what I had ChatGPT draw based on what I saw during the surgery. It was a bit brighter, but it's fairly similar.

By the way, this time I had almost no pain at all.

Perhaps it's because I wrote "Please make sure it doesn't hurt" in the surgery request section, haha.

I had left it blank at first, but when I was pressed, "Are you really sure there's nothing?", I said, "Well, obviously I'd prefer it not to hurt..." and they said, "Write it down, write it down!", so I did.

Are there actually people who want it to hurt? Haha.

I think I was out of the operating room in about 30 minutes.

For a full day after that, I was a person with a thick eye patch, so I stayed home quietly and drank beer.

Once the eye patch came off, I was able to go to work as usual.

The very next day, I took time off work and went to the Expo, haha.

However, the two stitches felt like they were catching whenever I moved my eye, which wasn't a pleasant feeling.

Also, especially in the beginning, it would occasionally get itchy and painful, so I used cooling eye drops to distract myself.

Oh, the one-week restriction on washing my face and bathing after surgery is literally impossible to follow, but if you consult about methods, you can find a way out.

It's impossible, isn't it? Haha.

Then, on the fifth day after surgery, I was taken care of at Mantei, the inn in this article.

Two days after checking out, I had my stitches removed without any issues.

By the way, the stitch removal was in a place like a treatment room.

The three applications of anesthetic eye drops worked well, and there was zero pain.

I am now washing my face and bathing with confidence.

Naturally, the stiff feeling from the two stitches is gone, and it's completely comfortable.

That concludes my account of treating a conjunctival cyst!

[Notice]
My book, "Secret Hot Spring Tales" (e-book and print), is now on sale on Amazon.