Before we left to tour Hikone, we purchased our train ticket to Sekigahara. We chose the 1:18 pm train, which left Hikone on Track 1 to Maibara. In Maibara, we transferred on Track 7 to Ogaki (5 min transfer time) and arrived in Sekigahara at 1:51 pm.
The train station (pictured above) was across the street from the TI (Tourist Information), which unfortunately closed at 2 pm. There was a map across from the train station but it was all in Japanese. There was no other information available. We walked to the main road and found a shoe shop. The owner spoke enough English to direct us to our inn for the night--the Masuya Ryokan. It turned out the inn was across the street from the shoe shop, just a block from the train station. From the train station, walk to the TI and continue to the main road. Turn left and the inn is on the left.
Masuya Ryokan--Fax 81 584 43 0015. I faxed the inn about 3 months prior to arrival and reserved a room. Let them know what time you anticipate arriving so they can expect you. No walk ups are allowed because they have to prepare dinner and breakfast for you. Check in is usually 6 pm but we were allowed to drop off our backpacks. The proprietress spoke limited English but she was able to give us a map of Sekigahara and tell us bath time was 6 pm and dinner was 7 pm.
Sekigahara is famous in Japanese history as the site of a famous battle in 1600, marking the beginning of the reign of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first of the last shogunate to control Japan. There are numerous sites marking the various battles. Other than the map the proprietress at the inn gave us, there wasn't much information in English. It's basically an area with walking paths and multiple marked sites. Since we don't know much about Japanese history, the sites meant nothing to us.
Another of the marked sites. There isn't much else to the town but we did find a Lawson store on the outskirts of town and purchased drinks and snacks.
We returned to the inn at 6 pm. Our futons had already been set up.
As is customary, we took off our shoes at the entrance to the inn and put on the provided slippers. Once we got to our room, we took the slippers off and left them outside the room. Only bare or stockinged feet are allowed on the tatami floor. Make sure your socks are clean or take them off.
There was tea and a snack waiting for us. After our snack, it was bath time.
Now the bathroom ritual. Wear your slippers to the bathroom. Take off your slippers and put on the toilet slippers provided in the bathroom. Take the toilet slippers off before entering the tub room. First, sit at the stool and scrub from head to toe. Once you are clean, slowly ease your body into the 110 degree hot tub. Once in, the water actually felt great. After you get out, put on the yukata--a robe provided by the inn. Be sure to wrap the left side over the right side. Doing it the opposite way will shock your hosts because that is the way to wrap a corpse.
There is a separate tub for men and for women. The hot tub is shared so it's important to be absolutely clean before getting into the tub. No residual soap or shampoo or else the water is contaminated.
The inns usually provide all the toiletries you will need: shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothbrush and toothpaste.
Dinner was already set up when we finished our baths. It was shabu shabu--hotpot. Put the vegetables and tofu in the broth and once they are cooked, dip them in the provided sauce and enjoy. Dip the meat briefly in the broth or else they will toughen. Rice was also served. There was more than enough food, even though we were starving after our day of adventure. The Japanese usually don't have dessert with their meals so if you need something sweet, buy a snack at Lawson's.
The next morning at 7:30 am, breakfast was again served in our room. We wore our yukatas at breakfast. It was a traditional Japanese breakfast with rice, vegetables, salmon and a green salad. It's expected that you will leave shortly after breakfast.
The night's lodging and 2 meals for 2 people cost Y17,000. Payment is in cash.
2014 05 16
No comments:
Post a Comment