We have been well taken care of at all of the hotels we’ve stayed in during our trip, but my experience last night at a traditional Japanese inn topped the list.
An overnight stay at a ryokan is something normally just enjoyed by the wealthy, since it can run up to $600 a night. Our ryokan was called Yuzunosato Shosenkaku.
Guests stay in rooms whose floors are made of rice straw mats.
The only other object in my room was a table, where an employee presented us with a special fruit-flavored tea upon arrival. Here’s a shot looking out of the room. You can see the familiar Japanese sliding doors, which are made of wood and paper.
After tea, I climbed into an onsen (hot springs bath). Several pieces of locally-grown fruit, yuzu, which look like tangerines, were floating in the water, giving the water a fragrant, citrus smell. Nice touch.
The bath was in preparation for the special, ceremonial dinner that we were about to enjoy.
Diners eat in kimonos and sit on the floor at a table, which is just a couple of feet off the ground.
The multi-course dinner was terrific. Most of the courses contained some type of fish. Here’s a look at some of the things we ate.
One of my favorite dishes was a piece of yuzu, stuffed with shrimp and corn.
The most interesting dish was a fish on a stick. If you look closely, you can see his little head.
After dinner, we slept on futon-type mattresses, which had been laid out for us. They were very comfortable.
The ryokan was nestled next to a roaring river, providing a soothing sound to go to sleep by.
The ryokan was located in Ome City, an area known for hiking, rock climbing and kayaking.
The quaint town reminded me of some of the villages in the mountains of Switzerland. I could easily have spent several days in Ome alone.
It’s not often that I’m able to enjoy such luxury. It’s an experience I won’t soon forget.
The final stop on our tour of Japan is a return to Tokyo, where we’ll stay for the next three days before leaving on Thursday for the United States.
I’ll keep you posted.
3 comments:
Sounds great! I am sure a few weeks on your on would be super . .. kayaking, hiking. Staying with the family would be my highlight! Well, I don't know that traditional inn sounds pretty good too!
Safe Travels!
That looks like a lot of fun. Do Japanese people do a lot of traveling? What sorts of destinations are popular?
Actually, I've run into a lot of Japanese who travel. Because of the proximity, they like to visit many of the other countries in East Asia. Several of the people I met have also been to the United States, particularly Hawaii and California.
By and large, Americans seem to be popular with the Japanese. We've had nothing but good experiences with the people we've met.
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