Countless Singaporeans flocked to Sembawang Hot Spring Park after it re-opened last Saturday (4 Jan) after a 16-month renovation.
YouTuber Ghib Ojisan, who hails from Japan – the Mecca of onsens – paid a visit to the park.
At the start, the YouTuber soaked his feet in 40°C waters for 3 minutes but was starting to sweat.
He makes an estimation of the weather – “39°C” apparently – and questions why he was even soaking his feet in the sweltering heat.
He compared the experience to “soaking in Japan’s summer”.
Curious about the hotter water on the next ‘level’, he headed over to dip his feet in.
Yet, he gives up immediately and is amazed that it felt significantly hotter even though the temperature was higher by only 5°C.
Another quintessential part of the hot spring experience is cooking a soft-boiled egg with the hot spring water.
Ghib Ojisan attempted to make an onsen egg too, using the 70°C water and an egg he bought from a wet market.
Unfortunately, he did not steep it long enough and the egg was completely raw when he peeled it open.
RIP EGG
Source
Perhaps it’s best to soak the eggs for a longer time since the water isn’t boiling hot. Here’s a successful example, courtesy of our colleagues:
While Ghib Ojisan admits that there are differences between Japan’s onsens and Singapore’s hot spring, he shares that there’s 1 uniting similarity — hot springs are a community space.
He pointed out that hot springs bring people together and allow them to “naturally talk to each other”.
In ending, he concluded that the world would be a better place with more hot springs,
World will be a better place with more onsen and places to interact with one another.
If you want to see how the hot spring has changed after the renovation and soak your feet too, this NParks guide on how to get there will be pretty handy.
For those who want to have a go at cooking your eggs, remember to bring your own as they are not sold at the park.
Have fun!
Featured image adapted from YouTube.
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