We didn't want to leave Japan without experiencing a traditional japanese inn- "ryokan". Across the country there are a variety of styles but most include a traditional japanese dinner, breakfast and public bath- "onsen".
Leaving Kanazawa and Gokayama, we headed into the Japanese Alps to our first traditional inn. The owners were surprised to see us and shared that their town rarely saw foreigners but was a very popular weekend retreat town for local families to gather.
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| Mount Norikura in the Japanese Alps |
The inn we stayed at appeared tired and past its prime but was, like the rest of Japan, spotless. The owners didn't speak any English and walked around speaking into their phones and using google translate to communicate with us. What did we do before technology?!
We left our shoes at the front door, donned our slippers and embraced traditional japanese hospitality. Our room consisted of tatami mats on the floor on which we laid out 5 thin mattresses, sheets and duvet-type covers. Our pillows appeared to have been made out of soy beans. Yup- they were a little hard. We had a small table with floor chairs as well.
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| Our room in a traditional japanese inn |
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| We found space for all 5 futons |
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| Donning their yukatas before an onsen |
There were gender-segregated sinks and toilets but the showers were enclosed with the traditional onsen baths in a separate area of the inn. There were signs instructing us (with pictures) how to take a public bath. Stools and washcloths were provided at the showers and we were instructed to wash completely before soaking in the hot onsen. Traditionally, onsen are gender-segregated in Japan and one is to undress completely- no bathing suits. We were able to book a private onsen and experienced this as a family and not in the company of strangers. The onsen were fed with natural hot springs so the smell of sulphur was strong. All in all, it was a new experience and we felt great afterwards, given all of the healing properties of the water.
This inn was located near the base of Mount Norikura and we spent a great day hiking in the fall leaves. It made us feel like home!!
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| Calm pond with a great view |
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| Easy to take an artsy shot of this! |
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| Just like home |
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| The leaves change from mid-October through November in Japan- depending on altitude |
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| Stunning waterfall |
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| 3 waterfalls all at once |
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| Beautiful day for a hike |
Our second ryokan was in a small town called Tsumago- my favourite town in Japan. We drove to the neighbouring town of Magome andd walked 7.8 km along part of the Nakasendo trail to arrive to Tsumago. The full Nakasendo trail was used by merchants 300 years ago to travel between Kyoto and Edo (now Tokyo). (Our ryokan host later drove Mike back to pick up the car).
The trail meandered through bamboo forests, beside rice paddies, through
small rural towns and into cedar forests. It is popular among tourists
but it wasn't too crowded on the day we hiked it.
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| Setting off |
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| Bamboo Forest |
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| Cedar forest |
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| Ride paddies |
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| A step back in time |
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| Ancient town |
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| Almost there! |
There were bells scattered along the trail instructing walkers to ring it loudly to keep the bears away.
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| We didn't see any bears...I guess the bells worked:) |
Midway along the trail, we came upon a tea house with a gentleman serving green tea and candies for a small donation. The smell of the wood-burning fire was lovely.
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| Traditional tea house...a nice rest stop |
A preserved post town from the Edo period (~1600-1800), Tsumago was quaint and beautiful. We had decided to splurge for our last night in Japan and stayed at the Fujioto Ryokan, run by a man whose grandfather built the inn. It was stunning with two traditional japanese gardens, steep wooden staircases, washi-paper doors (the same paper the kids learned to make!) and authentic tatami mats on the floors of the room. We were greeted by English-speaking hosts and shown how to make japanese matcha tea from leaves, don our yukata (bathrobes) and use the onsen. We were expected to wear our yukatas to dinner which was served in the dining room promptly at 6pm. This onsen, too, was private and did not have a sulphur smell (yay!).
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| Our accomodations for the night |
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| A place of relaxation |
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| Take off your shoes! |
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| Parents' room |
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| Kids' room |
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| Dressed for dinner |
I am very proud of my kids for trying most of the food presented at both dinner and breakfast. For that matter, I am proud of myself for trying so many new foods!! Many reviews had shared that people found the food at Fujioto Ryokan to be the best they had in Japan so I figured why not give it a go!
Dinner at Fujioto was also a cultural experience as our host described each local delicacy and how and why it was prepared the way it was. We ate a total of 9 dishes and the kids tried almost everything. They passed on the bee larvae, though!!
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| Menu |
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| Appetizers: jelly with buckwheat seeds, chestnuts, sweet potato with miso, bee larva, free range chicken, sushi with green tea soba noodles, white trout |
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| Sashimi with shisho leaf and daikon |
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| Tempura: pumpkin, green pepper and mushroom with green tea salt |
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| Beef, miso and vegetables cooked right at the table |
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| Rocking the chopsticks and loving the tempura |
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| Vegetables with pumpkin dressing and burdock root |
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| Lightly-flavoured osuimono chicken soup |
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| Gohei-mochi: rice covered in a sticky nutty sauce |
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| Green tea sponge cake with apples and vanilla ice cream |
After dinner, Mike and I left the kids at the ryokan and enjoyed a peaceful walk in the town lit only by lanterns. It truly felt like we had stepped back in time.
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| No tourists left...empty streets |
After a peaceful night, we woke up early to enjoy a large breakfast in the lovely dining room before hitting the road.
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| Traditional japanese breakfast: fish, rice, miso soup, vegetables, omelette and seaweed |
We all loved our stay at Fujioto. It was a perfect way to finish our trip to Japan!!
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| Our lovely host |
Cher - loved this post!
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