January 2009

Japan Rocks! or Two Cities and a Ryokan (Part Two)

Nine days, a Japan Rail Pass and a stomach full of anticipation.

Everyone should make plans to stay in a ryokan (a traditional Japanese inn), especially one in an onsen (hot springs) area. Don't expect to be paying peanuts for this of course, but every cent will be worth it.

In search of a taste of Kobe beef, we looked for an onsen near the city of Kobe and found Arima Onsen, the oldest spa town in Japan. From Osaka, it just takes 15mins on the Shinkansen to reach Kobe station. The directions from Japanese Guest Houses were so precise that although we had to hop onto the subway and change trains twice, it was amazingly easy to reach the alpine hot spring town of Arima Onsen.

We booked ourselves into Kosenkaku, a 47-room luxurious ryokan, which is definitely miles better than one of those nondescript ryokan hotels that dot the area. Leaving our shoes at the reception and donning house slippers was like leaving the world behind (there're toilet slippers too, thoughtfully labelled W.C!).

Welcomed with matcha (green tea) by our hostess, we were given instruction in how to wear our yukata and top coat which we can wear at all times while we're on the premises. She also talked us through the bath ritual and what to bring with us when we go for the hot bath.

The bath is gender-segregated...and you walk into the actual bath area with a white towel the size of a dish towel after stripping down to your birthday suit. There are two types of water: the sort of rust-coloured Kinsen (due to the iron and salt content) and the clear Ginsen (radium and carbonate content). Do stay alert though because sometimes the ryokan swopped the baths around at night — which happened to us. My friend, not a morning person at all, ended up in front of what she thought was the bath for women — luckily the guy standing just inside the door when it slid open was in his yukata!

Dinner was a scrumptious ten-course kaiseiki meal served course by course, while breakfast the morning after was an equally princely feast with four types of pickles in a lacquer box, a fish called kare, a selection of simmered vegetables and soup.

The futons which housekeeping will layout after clearing dinner away and keep before breakfast is served is surprisingly comfortable and warm.

Arima Onsen is a small town of walkable proportions filled with tiny shops selling traditional foodstuffs and products. There is also an Arima Onsen loop bus which you can take to get an overview of the town. It can be a wonderful day trip and there are public onsens if you don't want to stay overnight in a ryokan. But why wouldn't you? It's definitely an experience not to be missed. - anne loh

(to be continued)