2.20.2014

Japanese Ryokan Experience

After a 18 km trek along the old trading route, the Nakasendo trail, we were pooped. We walked parts along the highway, parts through small neighborhoods of quiet homes, sections through snowy fields, and at times we hiked over snowy mountain passes. At the end of it all, there was a ryokan waiting for us.

Ryokan are Japanese style inns with tatami rooms and futons that usually provide guests with meals, yukata (robes) to wear in the hotel, and sometimes indoor or outdoor hot springs. This ryokan offered all of the above.

It was gorgeous, with a large noren (decorative tapestry) hanging over the front sliding doors. The lounge was full of beautiful wooden and lacquer furniture. The staff were all donning traditional garments. A nice gentleman walked us through the check inn and set up our morning bus rides to the station. He showed us to our rooms and the hot springs and informed us dinner would be ready in 10 minutes.

When we arrived, we were offered mountain greens tea and sweet red beans on a tray while we filled out our guest paperwork.


Our Dinner
Donning yukata, Brett and I headed to a wooden room where a table was already laden with several ceramic platters and cups of umeshu, or plum wine, as apertifs.
This plate had cold appetizers: A bean and lotus mix, a scallop, some type of pate on a daikon, fish eggs, greens, and a yuzu flavored tofu square. Yuzu is a Japanese tiny citrus fruit. The fish eggs were plump and exploded in you rmouth when you ate them. They had a pleasant fishy taste, not too strong.

We also had a sashimi salad with greens, raw eggplant, an orange fruit, salmon and fatty tuna. As you can see, every plate we were served on was very unique and very beautiful.


And a complementary atsukan, or warmed sake. And me in my yukata!

Next, a Kyoto-style simmered dish in a delicate broth. Inside is a slice of yuzu, chunks of turnip, shrimp, leeks, and tofu.

Another Kyoto-style dish, which our waiter explained was characterized by subtle, lighter flavors compared to miso-heavy Nagoya food, or soy sauce heavy Tokyo food, or juts plain heavy Osaka food.

This simmered dish has fish intestines, which were quite creamy and sweet. There were also greens, burdock root, and another piece of organ meat I couldn't ID. But it was creamy and delicious, too. 

Next came a dish of local seared beef. The beef was fatty and succulent. It literally melted when we ate it, leaving a smear of light oil and deep, meaty flavor.

Next we were served a nabe or hot pot dish. These are the ingredients we were to boil in the pot: buri (a kind of fish), mushrooms, greens, and a piece of red konnyaku. 


The broth was actually made of soy milk! It was a new flavor for us, but very satisfying. The fish and soy together rounded out the fishiness and made the meat more tender tasting. After a while, tofu chunks started to form!

Our last dish was a deep fried mix of pickled vegetables. Strange and delicious.

Of course, no meal was complete without free flow miso soup and rice.

There was also tea and dessert, but we don't have a photo of it. Three small cups the size of espresso cups came out on a tray with demitasse spoons. One was a pudding, another some fruit , and the last a slice of pear in wine jelly.

The Room
Our room had tatami mats, sliding windows, and traditional furniture. The ceiling was lined with wooden strips and it smelled like fresh bamboo.

 Our futons were laid out for us when we were eating dinner. These are so warm and comfortable that there's no need to use the heater, even in February!

Breakfast
Our breakfast was amazing! The presentation was my favorite of any hotel I've ever stayed at in Japan. It came out in a ceramic two tiered bent box. There was also an enormous serving of rice and we each had a little mini side of freshly pulled soba noodles with broth to simmer them in at the table.

Tier One: salted grilled fish, spicy miso paste, a bean and seaweed dish, and sweet carrot and gourd strips.

Tier Two: Another bean and seaweed dish, a meatball, a lotus and carrot dish, and octopus sashimi.

And the meal ended with a slice of rolled egg. This one was not sweet like they usually come on top of nigiri, but it was savory and satisfying with a little pickled ginger to the side.

Too good.

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