Where is your favourite place?
Takaragawa Onsen is in Japan, in the Gunma prefecture, about four hours from Tokyo. It's a traditional onsen, with hot baths fed by natural springs, and a beautiful river running through the centre of the complex.
What draws you to it?
It's the most peaceful place I've ever been. Truly a place where you can switch off and clear your mind. The accommodation is the traditional Japanese Ryokan style, and as soon as you set foot in the rooms you feel like you've stepped into another world. Tatami mats, rice paper screens, amazing, traditional, locally sourced meals three times a day, and no TV, internet or phone service.
Are there particular memories it brings to mind?
The night bathing brings back the most special memories. The mist rises off the river, and off the baths themselves, the stone path ways are lit by lanterns, and it's silent except for the gentle splash of the water. I remember walking over the bridge that links the accommodation to the baths, wearing the traditional yukata they provide you with, and overlooking the scene just feeling like I was looking at a movie set of the archetypical Japanese scene!
How would you spend your perfect day there?
Since the aim is to relax and unwind, you roll off your tatami mats, and start with a beautiful hot breakfast. Stroll down to the baths and spend an hour or two just sitting in the water, exploring the different pools. Head back for a pre-lunch nap, and then enjoy a meal. Head back to the baths, or take a stroll around the grounds which are very wild and mountainous, just beware of the bears that roam the woods! Maybe indulge in another nap, or have some green tea and a read overlooking the river. Have an early dinner, another long bathing session and then to bed, somehow feeling exhausted even though all you done all day is eat, sleep and bathe!
Any recommendations if we were visiting?
My main recommendation is to spend at least three nights there. I found it hard to relax and let everything go on the first day, and whilst I reckon I was getting into the groove of full-on down time by the second day, it wasn't until the third day and night that I felt I really embraced the notion of doing nothing and found myself totally unwinding. It was the most relaxed I've ever been!
• Josh Pyke's new album The Beginning And The End Of Everything is out on 5 July through Ivy League records, and he is touring nationally through August and September
