Japanland Pt. 3
One day we stayed on the east side of Kyoto, in a much more traditional area. We had reservations for a ryokan that we could sign in at 4:30, so we traveled over there in the morning to drop off our luggage and explore. It turns out that we were very near to the beginning of The Philosopher's Walk, where ancient Japanese men paced next to a small waterway to think.
We paused at one point to have noodles at this little traditional place full of old Japanese couples. No white folk at all, since it was slightly off the path. Apparently it was also quite popular, as there was a line by the time we left. We had some tasty good noodles, his cold and mine hot, which we slurped with vigor. Sadly, our slurping skills are no match for someone who has grown up with the permission to do so. Damn repressive Americans.
The walk was gorgeous, even if it was full of tourists and schoolchildren. It set us up marvelously for a very traditional evening at the inn. (Well, we could have done without that fight on the walk back, but that stuff happens when you travel with me.) They welcomed us, showed us to our room, and poured us tea to go with our sweet.
Then we changed into yukata--a light cotton robe--and went to our private bath. We washed outside the tub, then soaked in the hot hot water for a bit. It was quite relaxing after having walked several miles earlier in the day. Kyle eventually figured out the mysterious air conditioning, so we even stopped sweating. It was quite pleasant. Then our personal attendant brought us an amazing dinner.
After we were done we called to let our attendant know. She and an assistant promptly returned, cleared our dishes, and laid out our futon. All while we relaxed in the sitting room on low chairs with astoundingly good hot green tea. It was weird to be waited on so decadently, but kind of nice, too.
The next morning we got up, got clean, and proceeded to the breakfast room after a quick courtesy call from the staff. The breakfast was almost as amazing as the previous night's meal, but full of much less weird foods. Nothing gelatinous or slimy at all, and I recognized all of it.
After this, we headed for a bullet train and Tokyo. That you'll have to wait for.
We paused at one point to have noodles at this little traditional place full of old Japanese couples. No white folk at all, since it was slightly off the path. Apparently it was also quite popular, as there was a line by the time we left. We had some tasty good noodles, his cold and mine hot, which we slurped with vigor. Sadly, our slurping skills are no match for someone who has grown up with the permission to do so. Damn repressive Americans.
The walk was gorgeous, even if it was full of tourists and schoolchildren. It set us up marvelously for a very traditional evening at the inn. (Well, we could have done without that fight on the walk back, but that stuff happens when you travel with me.) They welcomed us, showed us to our room, and poured us tea to go with our sweet.
Then we changed into yukata--a light cotton robe--and went to our private bath. We washed outside the tub, then soaked in the hot hot water for a bit. It was quite relaxing after having walked several miles earlier in the day. Kyle eventually figured out the mysterious air conditioning, so we even stopped sweating. It was quite pleasant. Then our personal attendant brought us an amazing dinner.
After we were done we called to let our attendant know. She and an assistant promptly returned, cleared our dishes, and laid out our futon. All while we relaxed in the sitting room on low chairs with astoundingly good hot green tea. It was weird to be waited on so decadently, but kind of nice, too.
The next morning we got up, got clean, and proceeded to the breakfast room after a quick courtesy call from the staff. The breakfast was almost as amazing as the previous night's meal, but full of much less weird foods. Nothing gelatinous or slimy at all, and I recognized all of it.
After this, we headed for a bullet train and Tokyo. That you'll have to wait for.