Saturday, August 15, 2009. Travel to Lake Chuzenji and Hoshi-no-yado.
Blair and I hit the road at 7:15 AM on Saturday (ugh, that was brutal) and stopped in at 7-11 for some snacks (in case we we hated the Japanese dinner) and a much needed coffee. We caught the subway to Kita-senju where we were scheduled to catch the Limited Express Tobu line train to Shimo-Imaichi. And instantly we were confronted with a conundrum: we hadn't Suica'ed out. Now the Japanese trains usually operate the way DC trains do: You must swipe your Suica or insert your ticket both as you enter and exit because fare is determined on your distance of travel. So when we got off the subway, and followed the signs for the Tobu line trains, we were very confused that we didn't tap out of the subway and could just wait there for the next train because we had special reserved seats tickets for our next train. So we both believed in asking for help, and went up to the ticket gates that led out to the real world, and then the usual amazing Japanese way of service kicked in. (See post below for the rare example of the opposite).
As we displayed our confusion to the information people, they kindly tapped our Suicas for us, and the English-speaking lady kindly said she would take us to our train. We politely declined as we had already found the proper platform, but she insisted and walked us across the station and then down to the platform... and then to the SECRET entrance. See, what we didn't realize, is that although our trains stop at the same platform as the more subway-type trains, they actually pull forward to the front end of the platform which is the special Limited Express reserved ticket area. Where we would have been able to Suica (had we read kanji) and the nice man accepted our tickets. So thank you, kind lady, for your unmatched level of service to the gai-jin.
We had a stunningly beautiful ride to the mountains for about an hour and half with view like this:
Then easily enough, walked across the station to catch our final subway train for 2 stops to Nikko! Then, the delightful information booth informed us the best way to catch our bus to our hotel to drop off one of our backpacks and how best to buy an unlimited ticket and journey on up to Lake Chuzenji. Soon we were on a crowded bus heading into town, found our stop, and our hotel! We had a delicious lunch at the Japanese steakhouse next door and then jumped on the crowded bus to the mountain lake. Blair was a bit wiped already though:
After a stunning trip up many switchbacks about 1000 meters (In a public transportation bus, mind you) we arrived at the stunning mountain town of Lake Chuzenji. Though we had hoped to see the wild monkeys native to Nikko National Park, it seems they are more wintertime creatures. Guess I just have to go back up for an onsen weekend in the winter! Boo hoo! We visited the Kegon Waterfall (one of the 3 best in Japan at 97 meters) though it paled a bit in comparison after riding the Maid of the Mist at Niagara Falls merely a month before, but it was really beautiful.
We then meandered through town and found ourselves on the edge of the clearest mountain lake I've ever seen:
We stopped for coffee, got some strange looks (which tends to be the case when you are two tall blond Americans) and visited one-third of the Futura-san Shrine. (One third is at the top of Mt. Nantai, a 5 hour hike mainly for religious reason, and the other third we visited in Nikko the next day). As usual, we didn't really understand much, but it was interesting in that a priest/monk/religious-type man proved the shrine was currently active, and that it had a nice set of stairs that begin the path to the summit to prep for our Fuji climb next weekend.
After being denied entry to the bus home, we killed time with an ice cream sundae and then headed down the mountain to our Japanese Inn in Nikko: Hoshi-no-yado. What began with nervous anticipation about what we might experience with traditional Japanese rooms, meals, and communal bathing, ended with a delightful stay that made me fall in love with Japan a bit more...
Though we had been nervous that we were expected to remove our shoes when we had visited before, our suteki (lovely) Japanese receptionist assured us we were fine and then showed us all the way to our room. We came in to find a traditional tatami-mat room with tea table setting, a beautiful view of the garden, a TV, and a Western-style toilet and extra sink. In our exhaustion, we watched track and field and had delicious green tea on the floor! How fun!
Then we got dressed in our yukata (summer kimono) that you are welcome to wear at all times whilst staying at the hotel as it is part of your relaxation... Despite our worries of what was expected to be worn underneath, we felt comfortable proceeding to dinner in underwear and a cotton robe! HA!
What followed was an utterly delicious and simulatneously confusing 12 or 13 course meal. It heavily featured yuba, which is a local delicacy of soy milk skin. Basically it is created when soy milk is boiled and the film/skin that forms on top is then taken off the top in sheets and cooled. We had it in several different forms, but the best was the personal pot of soy milk that was heated at our table and you got to skim off the yuba as it would appear. I LOVED IT. Seriously. And the talent office said they'd never met a foreigner who had tried or liked it yet (Blair wasn't impressed), but I really did enjoy it. Especially when it was hot and I got to do it myself. Like s'mores! YUM. But even with the whole meal, I enjoyed everything, even if I didn't always know how to eat it or what it was. Seriously, does anyone know how to eat smoked salmon (with a few bones still in it) with chopsticks? There was delicious pork, cheese, miso soup, tofu soup (that you created by adding Nigiri to the soy once the flame went out), Japanese whitefish, ma-ri-ne (that was like a delightful ceviche), rice, and more. I can't even believe how much I liked it. Not something I could eat every day, but oishii (delicious).
Then, we returned to find our room magically changed (as expected) into our sleeping futons on the floor, and after I had a delightful evening at the onsen, we were passed out by 10 PM.
All in all, a pretty remarkable day.
