Staying In Japan, Part Two

click here to read Staying In Japan, Part One 

Staying In Japan, Part Two

We have stayed at hostels and business hotels before, so in a way, staying at those types of accommodations in Japan was familiar territory. Without having to think too hard on it, we can confidently say that we have never stayed anywhere like the Buddhist Temple we stayed at on Mount Koya.

There is a peaceful, understated beauty and somber tranquility on and around Mount Koya. Our night with Buddhist monks atop this mountain gave us our first real look into what staying in traditional Japanese inns can be like, but with a few quiet Buddhist twists. The room was unlike any hotel room we had stayed in, the food unlike that of any food we had been served at a hotel or inn, and our hosts unlike any hotel staff or inn-keepers we have had the pleasure of staying with. But before we break down the deets on the temple-stay, a few words on Mount Koya and the small town of Koyasan.  This mountain and small mountain town are home to the mausoleum of  the founder of one of the two dominant Buddhist sects in Japan, Kobo-Diashi.  The largest graveyard in all of Japan is in Koyasan as well, since Kobo-Diashi's followers all want to be buried near him.

The graveyard is home to over 200,000 graves.  The older parts of the graveyard are stunning - stone lanterns and headstones mark grave after grave, while old trees and moss add to the splendor and subdued magnificence of the scene.  Our walk through this section of the graveyard, also filled with shrines and small buildings marking prominent Buddhist burial sites, helped impress upon us the deep and powerful roots Buddhism has in Japan. It really is enchanting to walk among the ancient graves and revered religious sites, and to see the mausoleum of one of the most revered Buddhist figures in Japan.

The thick history and spiritual resonance were also present in the temple we slept at. We stayed in a tatami room, which is one big room used for everything.  This was our first night on a traditional Japanese futon, called a "shikibuton."  Our shikibuton was laid over the same tatami mats after we finished dinner and took a little getting used to. Japanese homes and inn rooms are designed to be comfortable and convertible.  The dining room easily transforms into the bedroom or the living room, depending on what is called for.  When it is time to eat again, the bedroom can be quickly transformed back into the dining room. Our room also had a T.V., just to the right of the alter/praying nook.  We had a cozy little porch that could be opened up or closed to the elements and looked out on the back part of the garden and grounds. The temple had shared bathrooms and a Japanese public bath called an onsen. We didn't use the onsen here, partially because the traditional Japanese dinner and sake served at 5:30 knocked Jeff out and had him asleep by 8. (We did take our first dip in an onsen a few weeks later, an outdoor dip in an onsen fed by a hot spring filled with earth-heat and mineral goodness, and two nice private onsen dips - but more on those later in this post!)

At our Temple inn, the monks brought our amazing, beautiful, and seasonal five-tray, many-course dinner to our room and removed it when we were finished.  The same monks made our bed for us, very neatly and quickly, as soon as our dinner mess was cleaned up. Our dinner was a vegetarian version of a traditional Japanese meal called kaiseki, which has a few staples but is dictated by seasonal vegetables, and is artfully designed to invoke emotions.  The kaiseki meals we had in Japan were as artistic and as aesthetically pleasing as they were delicious.  Colors, side items wrapped up like gifts, and many mystery items wowed us.  Dinner was delicious and memorable, but we had some kaiseki later on in our Japan trip that trumped the monk feast.  We were surprised at first that sake and beer were offered with dinner, but a friend we met the next day coming down from Mount Koya, Buddhist Joe, explained to us that Buddhist monks are free to smoke and drink.  "About two-thirds of them do both or one or the other, and the other third envies them," he told us.  Either way, the dinner and the sake knock-out must not be a mistake, because monks also get up early.  We were rousted by our gruff monk host just before 7am to view morning meditation and a fire ceremony. The hard rain and misty mountains towering above the covered outdoor temple walkways provided a calming scene as we followed our monk first to morning meditation and then to the fire ceremony. We took both in bleary eyed and sleepy, but honored and humbled by the beauty and deep sense of history and tradition that swirled around us with incense smoke and soothing chants.

The Buddhist temple inn is a version of a traditional Japanese inn, called a ryokan.  In Takayama, almost two weeks later, we stayed at a minshuku, which is a more humble, home-like type of ryokan.  Our minshuku, not unlike the town of Takayama, seemed a little run-down and charmless at first.  The rooms and building on the whole were old-feeling and worn.  Our room was large, but sparse and a bit sticky somehow.  As has happened many times on our trip already, and will happen many, many more we're sure, friendly people and a few good meals charmed us and provided the character that endeared us to both the minshuku and the town.

Takayama is a mountain town in the Japan alps that is probably most alive in the summer.  We were excited to visit the town because we had heard such wonderful things about it, but we found it rainy and a bit forlorn at first. It seemed a little like a ghost town at first.  A tasty meal of hida beef (cooked on a magnolia leaf at your table) and a big, fat salad on the first night, a trip to the nearby folk village of Shirakawago two days later, a lovely hike/walk over the town hill in between, the quirky Showa museum, and a couple well put-together restored homes endeared Takayama to us. And we left really happy we came.  The minshuku we stayed at was much the same.  We came in to the minshuku excited to stay at a new type of accommodation, were disappointed at first, but left converted - again, by the friendly woman who ran the place, the amazing dinner she cooked us, and the place's small, hidden charms that took a short time to find.  Our minshuku had his and hers public onsen, so we both gave this cherished Japanese tradition a shot.

Onsen is more than just a bath and a relaxing sit in a hot tub. It is really more like a national pastime in Japan. There is an outfit, normally provided by the establishment running the onsen, to wear en-route and after a bath.  The garb is like a double-layered robe and is called a yukata.  Yukatas also come with little jackets in case one get's chilly (usually only before a trip to an onsen, as one can stay warm for hours after a good, hot dip - which is part of the point, especially in winter).

A trip to an onsen consists of a few simple steps:

1. Remove your clothes in a changing room (just like a locker room) attached to the bath room. 
2. Enter the bath room naked as the day you were born, bringing with you only a small towel for modesty and scrubbing.
3. Fill a bucket up with hot water and douse yourself to adjust to the heat of the hot bath (this step can be repeated and done before or after step 4).
4. Set a provided stool up in front of one of the low-mounted shower stalls (un-partitioned) and wash yourself thoroughly with hot water, soap, and shampoo.  There are varying degrees to how thorough on can wash oneself here, but some Japanese we noticed were very meticulous, even shaving and grooming at this step.
5. Rinse. Make sure you are clean and totally rinsed.  
6. Get in the onsen! Some inns and hot spring resorts have one big tub, others have several (see below).  
7. Never, ever let your little towel touch the onsen water.  You can set it on the ledge or, the more popular option, you can rest it on top of your head.
8. Get out and wash yourself some more if you want, but end with the water from the hot spring bath on you still.  Why wash away the minerals and their restorative properties?
9. Return to the changing room, dry off, tend to any additional grooming if necessary, and get dressed!

By the time we left Japan we had used three different onsen, and this first one was by far the hottest! Jeff used it the first night and returned looking like a lobster.  He stayed warmed by the short dip for a few hours after.  The onsen at our minshuku was, like the inn itself, a little run-down.  It wasn't the cleanest or fanciest we used, but it was the first, and it will remain a fond memory and experience long after we return home from this long journey.  Actually, the fanciest onsen we used was at the onsen resort hotel we stayed at immediately after leaving Takayama and our beloved minshuku.  We didn't leave, however, before receiving two red fans - a very sweet parting gift from our ever-smiling, ever attentive minshuku mom!

Ryokan are known for their service, comfort, home-like atmosphere, onsen (hot spring baths), and food.  If you want to truly experience Japanese hospitality and comfort, stay at a ryokan. 

We knew we wanted to stay at a ryokan more as an experience than just a place to sleep.  We had staying at a ryokan on our list of things to do before we left Japan - right along with seeing a baseball game, visiting Hiroshima, seeing the cherry blossoms and temples in Kyoto, hiking in the Japan Alps, and eating traditional Japanese food. We went into our ryokan experience with high hopes and we were not let down.

The owner of the ryokan we stayed at is an aging inn-keeper who speaks English, cracks jokes, and never hesitates to provide fantastic service.  His daughter told us she came back from Tokyo to help her family with the inn after it, and the tiny post town of Tsumago, started drawing more foreign tourists.  We interacted with this father/daughter team the most, but there were an astounding number of helpers rushing around the small, cozy inn before and after mealtimes.  The hospitality and kindness we received from the owner of Fujioto and his daughter made almost as great of an impression on us as the SUPER cute entry and grounds. 

This inn is old and full of creaky floor boards, impressive views (of both the surrounding mountains and the inn's own picturesque gardens), and character.

We stayed in a tatami room with a "western" table and chairs (we hadn't sat in chairs with legs for five nights) and a futon.  Our room had fabulous views of the mountains (usually misty and prehistoric looking) and a seemingly endless supply of green tea.  We walked in to hot water and little snacks, and were by now used
to (and looking forward to) green tea in our room upon arrival.  We really enjoyed making some tea and snacking while playing cards and admiring the view.  We relaxed until we felt the need for more relaxation, at which point we put on our yukata and went downstairs to enjoy a private bath together. This was Jeff's favorite place we stayed in Japan!

As we spent our last nights in Japan at Hiroshima K's. we felt like we saw a good chunk of Japan and were ready to move on.  We enjoyed our time in Japan and know we will be back someday in the future. Maybe with the kids...


Next up: South Korea!