We woke up in
Shiroganeya to a beautiful, crisp morning with sunny skies. We both decided to take advantage of the
private open-air hot spring on our balcony rather than go downstairs to the communal
baths. It was a great way to start the
day. After getting prepared, we ventured
downstairs to breakfast.
Breakfast was served
in a different dining room than the one in which we enjoyed our Kaiseki
dinner. Most of the Ryokans that we had
stayed in to this point had given us a choice between Western and Japanese
breakfasts. So far, I had always chosen
the Western breakfast and decided that it was about time that I sampled the
Japanese breakfast to ensure that I had experienced it. I will be the first to admit that, although I
love Japanese food, their breakfast menu items can be a little daunting to the
uninitiated by both its contents and its size.
Breakfast consisted of grilled fish, a bowl of rice, Japanese radishes
and pickles, miso soup, an onsen tamago (egg), a large green salad, fresh
slices of pineapple, other typical Japanese traditional breakfast items, and Japanese
tea. My wife loves these breakfasts as
she cannot really experience them in Canada.
For me, it was part of the adventure that has made this trip amazing
with all of the new experiences.
After breakfast my
wife decided to take another hot spring bath in our room, so I went to explore
the area outside of the Ryokan.
Immediately upon exiting Shiroganeya, you cannot help but notice a large
building in the middle of the street that also serves as a roundabout. It is actually a public onsen called a “Soyu”
(public bath) or Ko-Soyu (old public bath) for people to visit and to enjoy the
hot springs in Yamashiro without going to a Ryokan. There is also a resting area located on the
second level.
Across the street
from the public bath house, tucked away in a corner between two Ryokans is an
area where people can soak their feet in the hot spring water for free. This can be quite soothing as you wander
around the various shops and little restaurants in the area, or especially
after touring Yakuoin Onsenji Temple, located on the hill just down the
street from the public bath and Shiroganeya.
Yakuoin Onsenji is
the guardian temple of Yamashiro Onsen. The
grounds of the temple are free to explore and the various paths take you by
numerous little altars and statues all celebrating the healing and rejuvenation
effects of the hot spring waters. I was
amazed by the uniqueness of each statue, and almost each of them had a little
bottle of water next to its base. There
are several buildings that you can enter, but I decided to follow a sign that
stated that the observation viewing area was a “5 minute walk” with an arrow
pointing up some stairs carved into the hill.
As I walked up the hill, I passed many more little statues lining the
stairway. As I reached the top of the
stairs, another sign appeared stating that the observation viewing area was a
“5 minute walk” with another are pointing up a laneway with no observation area
even remotely in sight. Not knowing how
many more “5 minute walk” signs I would encounter, and being pressed for time,
I decided to admit defeat and made my way back down the hill and back to Shiroganeya.
I returned to the
lobby and quickly checked my email using the free wifi in the lobby and enjoyed
a free cup of coffee in the seating area.
While I waited for my wife to come downstairs, I did a little closer
inspection of the main lobby floor. There
are many pictures in a small gallery, but the one that the staff at Shiroganeya
is very proud of is that of the Prince of Japan, Prince Hironomiya who stayed
there many years ago.
Our
bags were brought downstairs for us and loaded into the bus that had brought us
here the day before. We said good-bye to
the wonderful staff that had been so helpful and friendly during our time there
and headed back to Kagaonsen Station to start our journey to Takayama.
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