The initial view of The Lamp was stunning, and the place did not disappoint after that. We had a huge two-room tatami suite with a balcony over the ocean and a private wooden hot-spring fed bath. The hotel is set in a rocky cove with serious cliffs on all sides. Too narrow for hairpin turns the taxi and other vehicles drive down by alternatively going forward and then reverse on the next segment.
We were a lttle early, but we checked in without a blink. Having come so far, we enquired as to a third night. So, sorry, no we are full but we'll upgrade your two night stay.
There were lots of little trinkets to buy in Kanazawa and Takayama, and the museum shop at MOMA Tokyo had some tempting reproductions. But we can't really carry anything in our packs, and to start accumulating crap now would make for some serious back problems by Africa. However, the one thing that tempts me most, that I would really like to bring home with me (and along on the trip for that matter) is the toilet in our room. This is the coolest thing ever, the seat is heated, it has built in washer & dryer (no, I'm not kidding, figure it out) and the remote control flushes it for you.
After a soak we go for dinner. It's customary for a ryokan to serve breakfast and dinner, and a good thing since this one is in the middle of nowhere. They have also arranged a special lunch for us tomorrow, since most of their guests only stay one night. Dinner is easily among the best meals I have ever had in my life, no hyperbole. Served in a private Tatami room, the table was set with 8 dishes (one of which was 5 different Sashim) when we come in. Many of them I couldn't hope to identify, even with some explanation from our English speaking waitress. We sat and dined for an hour or so, enjoying the feast, besides the 8 dishes on the table when we entered, another hot dish was served. It was very pleasant, if a little light. I was a little concerned about having enough but figured I'd get into the whole health-spa retreat mindset. Haha. Four or five entree size dishes later and I was ready to roll back to my room. Having paced ourselves to the amount of dishes we expected, one course kept running into the next. After a two hour marathon of gluttony, plenty of sake, and an afternoon of hot-tubbing we were both ready for our futons. “Breakfast will be at 7:45” we were told. A little later I noticed that the official breakfast times were 8-10. I guess they decided the slow eaters needed more time.
A day of doing nothing, being pampered by extremely attentive staff, eating incredible food, and the biggest logistical challenge being whether to have tea and then soak, or to soak and then have tea. This is the life.
Susan's quest for an Onsen has finally been accomplished. After two days we feel like we've been gone a million years. Only a week in Japan and back home seems a world away and a lifetime ago. I don't know how Japanese people stay thin, but I am sure it isn't by eating Japanese food. We love Japan!
