 |
| Imperial Villa in Nikko |
We reluctantly left Miyajima and had a big day of travel back up Honshu for about 900 kms to the little town of Tsumargo. This was a picturesque place set in rolling hills with very few other tourists. The town was just one main street with lots of old wooden houses selling traditional goods and a few tourist shops. We were even able to sample green tea ice cream! I decided that I wasn't much keen on green tea so opted for chestnut instead.
Our hotel was a family run ryoken that I wasn't that keen on. It was back to the thin futons on the floor, cushions and low tables, and a small communal onsen. I felt as if I was staying in a youth hostel. The walls of our rooms were paper thin (literally!) and the wash basins lined the corridor and were unisex. We had a reasonably ok evening meal with plenty of tofu and raw fish. The only way to eat both of these is to smother them in soya sauce, as they are so bland. Dinner was early so we were finished by 7pm. There was no where to sit in our rooms and only one table and 4 chairs so a group of us sat there whilst others went for a walk in the dark. Then it was back to our rooms for another restless night on the floor. Do you get the feeling that I am not very keen on these ryokens?
Breakfast was a barely adequate affair and I managed to eat some rice, vegies and egg-like tofu but as I still had a couple of breakfast bars left all was well. We headed back to the station for another long day of travel through Honshu. This time to Nagoya, Nagano (where they had the winter Olympics a few years back) and then to Nikko about an hour's journey from Tokyo. Our accommodation was a bit better in Nikko. We still had the traditional rooms and I faced 2 more nights on the floor but at least the rooms had regular bathrooms.
Nikko seemed a bit of a backwater and we had trouble finding a place to eat but finally managed to persuade a restaurant to give us a bowl of noodles. The next day we visited the Imperial Villa, a beautifully built rambling house that was once the home of the Emperor when he stayed in Nikko. In fact the current Emperor, Akihito, stayed here during World War 2. We wandered through the rooms admiring the painted screens and the Axminster carpets. It was interesting to see the type of rooms that royalty actually lived in. It was raining outside but we peered through the windows at the beautifully laid out gardens. The gardens have probably been a highlight of my trip. Whether it is a park, a shrine or temple or a villa the grounds are always gorgeous. That evening we enjoyed sukiyaki at the hotel's restaurant, which had been closed the evening before.
Our hotel was a family run ryoken that I wasn't that keen on. It was back to the thin futons on the floor, cushions and low tables, and a small communal onsen. I felt as if I was staying in a youth hostel. The walls of our rooms were paper thin (literally!) and the wash basins lined the corridor and were unisex. We had a reasonably ok evening meal with plenty of tofu and raw fish. The only way to eat both of these is to smother them in soya sauce, as they are so bland. Dinner was early so we were finished by 7pm. There was no where to sit in our rooms and only one table and 4 chairs so a group of us sat there whilst others went for a walk in the dark. Then it was back to our rooms for another restless night on the floor. Do you get the feeling that I am not very keen on these ryokens?
Breakfast was a barely adequate affair and I managed to eat some rice, vegies and egg-like tofu but as I still had a couple of breakfast bars left all was well. We headed back to the station for another long day of travel through Honshu. This time to Nagoya, Nagano (where they had the winter Olympics a few years back) and then to Nikko about an hour's journey from Tokyo. Our accommodation was a bit better in Nikko. We still had the traditional rooms and I faced 2 more nights on the floor but at least the rooms had regular bathrooms.
Nikko seemed a bit of a backwater and we had trouble finding a place to eat but finally managed to persuade a restaurant to give us a bowl of noodles. The next day we visited the Imperial Villa, a beautifully built rambling house that was once the home of the Emperor when he stayed in Nikko. In fact the current Emperor, Akihito, stayed here during World War 2. We wandered through the rooms admiring the painted screens and the Axminster carpets. It was interesting to see the type of rooms that royalty actually lived in. It was raining outside but we peered through the windows at the beautifully laid out gardens. The gardens have probably been a highlight of my trip. Whether it is a park, a shrine or temple or a villa the grounds are always gorgeous. That evening we enjoyed sukiyaki at the hotel's restaurant, which had been closed the evening before.
No comments:
Post a Comment