grumeti peking

Tomorrow the next adventure starts, our car with driver will pick us up at 10am and we will be on route for 4 days thru the Japanese Alps.9.50am Mr. Matsumoto, our driver has arrived, getting our luggage into the car, a challenge but he masters it perfectly. Kyoto is bigger then expected, it seems to take long before we are out of the city on our way to Hikone.
The Hikone castle, the garden, the river, the cherryblossomtrees: romantic pure ! Great view from the castle towards the town and region, the walk makes us hungry. We decide on an easy Ramen lunch. The Restaurant, run by a family who does not speak or understand english. But we get the food and it is the one we ordered and expected to get... success !

Continue our way to the Tojinbo cliffs, interesting forms, like poles. We are making our round and watching the sunlight to turn orange, it is time to get to our Hotel.
The Ryokan Kinjohro is located in a busy part of Kanazawa but calm. Just 6 guest-rooms in this former Samurai residence, it is like travelling in time. So special, the house with its decoration, the garden and our room.
After the warm welcome and changing our shoes with slippers for the house, the tea is served in our living room and yes, we are sitting on the floor ! Not easy, my bones are not happy and getting up gracefully is a challenge, it is more like a rolling whale. Gosh !

I am impressed with the toilet, yes, that is right. Why ? You open the door and the lit lifts, the light goes on and the noise of a waterfall starts. The WC seat is heated and you have a panel to decide on how warm, what kind of water and where etc..... I want one at home!! Serious, almost everywhere you will find this technical gadget even in public toilets.

The atmosphere and comfort in the Ryokan is beyond my expectations. At dinnertime we get guided to our dining room, just for us. Our “private Geisha “ is serving the menu and explains all very nicely, starting with the napkin and making sure we know that all things on the plate are edible. The meal has 10 courses and each of them is decorated perfectly fitting the season, we enjoy it very much.
Before you think we have to sleep on the floor, no...wrong, we have a western style bed but with a futon. After a good night sleep we chicken out at breakfast time, we order the western style breakfast. Shame on us.

We have one more night and plan the day according to weather, visiting the Park and as the rain does not stop, the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art. The special exhibition shows drawings from Ikeda Manabu, the master of pen and ink. We are enchanted by his detailed work.

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