Day 2 - Part two - Hoshinoya in Kyoto

From Kyoto Station we travelled through Kyoto by taxi to the location of the boat pier where we would be picked up and completed the journey to our Ryokan (Japanese style hotel), Hoshinoya.

We arrived at the boat pier and were immediately met by a staff member who assisted us with our bags and escorted us to the waiting room where we were served a cup of Japanese tea and provided with maps of the area in case we wanted to do some sightseeing prior to going to the Ryokan.  We decided to walk around the area for an hour or so to stretch our legs after our trip and visited many of the local shops and temples in the area. 

This part of Kyoto is called Arashiyama and is rich in the history of Japan.  We had visited this area on my first visit to Japan back in 2005.  We had spent an entire day walking through the beautiful bamboo groves of this area that is populated with wonderful temples that date back to the Heian Period (794-1185).  These small temples are nestled into the wooded mountains and visiting them really provides an insight in the rich culture and heritage of Japan.  Although we elected to walk through this area, we could have taken advantage of the Rickshaw services that are provided in order to be comfortably transported through the meandering trails that make up this beautiful area.   We visited the bamboo groves and few of the temples in the area as well as the nearby local shops along the main street in the area.  This is definitely a must see destination for any trip to Japan that includes a visit to Kyoto.

We returned to the boat pier and barded the boat for the quick 10 minute voyage to Hoshinoya down the Ooigawa River.  We were met by two staff members upon our arrival and were escorted up a small path while our bags were taken by other staff members to be transported to our room for us.  As we made our way to our private chalet, we were give a tour of the grounds on which Hoshinoya is situated, our hostess spoke fluent English and was quite capable of answering all of our questions along the way. 

The view was breathtaking.  Hoshinoya is a luxury Ryokan that is made up of individual buildings that house the main reception desk with an adjoined library and seating room where guests can enjoy beverages while reading or playing games in a beautiful setting with great views of the river.  Other buildings that were made up of our initial tour included the main dining area and the building in which we would be visiting for a Japanese tea ceremony in a few hours.

The surrounding grounds and outdoor area of Hoshinoya provides two intimate gardens for you to enjoy.  The first of these is thee “Water Garden”, a mall pond area in front of the library that is fed by a waterfall.  There are chairs and tables situated on the edge of the pond where you can sit and enjoy the gentle sound of nature.  The second garden is the “Hidden Garden”, a Japanese style Zen garden that is in located near the middle of the grounds and provides a serene and quiet escape for peaceful reflection.  Both of these gardens are lit up at night in warm lighting that are just gorgeous.

We made our way into our room which was a private villa that was created in a beautiful blend of Japanese and Western style with a large and spacious floor plan.   We stayed in their “Yama” room which provided a bedroom, separate living room and a beautiful bathroom.  The bedroom was very large and contained two large western style beds situated on a raised platform.  The design of the bedroom was warm and comforting and the deep colours of the wooden interior really enhanced the ambiance of the view of the river and forest that was available from the large bedroom window.  The living room provided a small yet comfortable couch and lounge chair both set in front of a small table and facing a large window that looked out on the river and the mountain on the other side.  The bathroom was amazing with a separated area containing the shower facilities and a large cedar bathtub.  The toilet was of course in a separate room off of the main hall and contained the modernized toilet with, of course, the heated seat with complete bidet and wash functions that I have come to love in Japan

Our hostess joined us in our room and quickly signed us in while her assistant served us tea and a small confectionary.  Our host gave us the schedule for our tea ceremony and dinner for later that evening.  She also asked about our requirements for breakfast the next day and I chose a Western style breakfast while my wife opted for the traditional Japanese style.

After settling in to our room we were treated to a tour of some of the other rooms that are available at Hoshinoya.  All of the rooms at Hoshinoya have a view overlooking the river and designed for maximum comfort and flexibility

After our visit to the other rooms we went to enjoy a casual Japanese tea ceremony.  I had never experienced a tea ceremony and was looking forward to it.  We are first served a small Japanese confectionary to cleanse our pallet and the woman conducting the ceremony was very polite in walking me through the rituals like when to bow, proper placement of my hands, the accepting and proper way to sip the tea.  For my first time it was very comfortable and educational and I felt well prepared to take on a more traditional style ceremony that I knew would be coming later in my trip.  Overall it was a nice experience.

Dinner at a Ryokan is a feast served in a traditional style known as “Kaiseki”.  This is a multi-course meal that provides one glorious dish after another; these can range from 6 to 15 (or more) different dishes.  We were seated in a private dining room and were served each dish by a wonderful member of the staff, who also thankfully spoke English, and was able to give me the details of each dish that was served.  One piece of advice that I can offer to anyone entering into a Kaiseki style meal is to leave your inhibitions at the door and at least try everything that is presented to you.  Had I shied away from trying some of the dishes I would not have experienced some glorious foods that were absolute pleasures to my pallet.  Our entire menu consisted of the following:

 

These dishes are, of course, served one after the other and being in an enclosed private dining room the staff gave us enough time to complete each dish before bringing the next one.  It must be difficult for the staff to anticipate how much time they should give us for each dish, but they did quite well in their timing.  The entire meal took a little over 2 hours to complete but this is not an issue as the Kaiseki style of meal is designed to be an event and not just a dinner.  Our dinner experience was truly satisfying and we were both overwhelmed by the quality and freshness of each course.

After dinner, we enjoyed our brief outdoor walk back to our villa and stopped frequently to take in the beauty of Hoshinoya as it is bathed in warm lighting that really provides a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere on your journey back to your room.

Having had a long day of travel we were ready to enjoy the comforts of our villa and we both looked forward to a good nights’ sleep.   Our beds were extremely comfortable and in no time we both quickly fell asleep looking forward to what the next day would bring.

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