Upon entering this picturesque Ryokan (4 hours outside of
Tokyo) and seeing the vast rows of slippers, I thought quietly to
myself….maybe, just maybe they might have something for a size 12 USA (46 Europe)
foot. I soon found out there was nothing even close.
The welcoming staff, dressed so elegantly, made us feel
special from the start. They showed us
our room, the onsen (hot springs) locations and all the other particulars. I
understood very little despite studying the language currently, although my
wife took it all in well as her Japanese (especially understanding) is much
better than she would admit.
It wasn’t long before we were outdoors, exploring the lovely
nature surrounding the Ryokan. The powerful sounds from the creek were
refreshing and would provide us with perfect sleeping conditions later that
night. A short 2 km (1.2 miles) climb was next, which was exactly what we both needed. We
were alone in the woods, the sun was shining and the air was remarkably fresh.
Back at the Inn, we wasted little time getting to the onsen;
which was peaceful, soothing and a wonderful way to relax before dinner. In the
early evening, we were served a healthy and traditional dinner (a variety of
20+ dishes), made with fresh ingredients from the local area.
We slept for 8 hours, although we were tossing and turning at
night as the mattress on the tatami (straw flooring mat) made it quite firm. The
next morning I arose at 6:00am, in order to get a taste of the outdoor onsen before
it closed at 7am for men. It was total bliss, with the wind still and the sky a
cloudless blue. The vast assortment of trees made the moment even more magical. Matilda was there shortly after 7am when it
changed to ‘women only’.
After an early breakfast (again a multitude of dishes - fish,
soup, rice, pickled vegetables, etc), we took a quick walk, enjoyed green tea
by an open fireplace and departed at 10am. With the local bus taking us to the
Shinkansen (bullet train to Tokyo), the spectacular weather and views of the
Japanese countryside were plentiful.
There were a few mishaps, which were only due to my
carelessness. At numerous places inside the Inn, the beams were only 183-185 cm (6 feet), so the top of my head hit them at least 3 times. Once the force was
so strong that it knocked me over – at which Matilda couldn’t stop laughing.
Fortunately, I move at “The Speed of George” (slow) so the damage was only
minimal. It was difficult adjusting to frequent ducking, as I rarely encounter
low beams in Tokyo.
Getting to the Inn was a combination of the aformentioned
Shinkansen, local bus and a hitchhike, as there were no taxi’s or buses for the
last part of the journey (about 5 km), so we were fortunate to get a lift from a
kind lady at the local post office. Along the way, we met (and conversed) with
a nice Japanese couple who reside in Berlin.
Although short, it was my first Ryokan experience and one I
had been looking forward to. To be child-free and spend quality time with my
dear wife was fantastic. We could have easily stayed for a few more nights.
The expat life is full of interesting experiences and this
24 hours will be high on that list.
Happy Gswede Sunday!
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