Gero, Day 1 and only (Onsening)

This morning we packed things up in Takayama and boarded a train for Gero, an hour down the line into the mountains.

Arriving around noon, we set out in search of lunch... and rapidly discovered that Gero in July is not the place for lunch. 

This is Syl registering a wish at a frog shrine. A wish for lunch...

We wandered long and far, and found...



Pasta and hamburgers. And that was just fine by us.

Especially since pasta and hamburgers was followed by shaved ice.

So what, you ask, is Gero known for, if not for lunch? Well, it is know for stairs...

And little statues with cute hats...

And cool, beautiful bugs that you haven’t seen anywhere else...

But mostly Gero is known for natural hot springs (Onsens), and the Ryokan (traditional Japanese Inns) that spring up around them. So for tonight we checked in to one such place, the Ryokan Yukyunohana, which is one of the most famous in Japan.

We were welcomed with a traditional tea ceremony, which was cool (though neither Syl nor I cared much for the tea).

This is one of the many pools of varying sizes around the massive property that are fed by volcanic springs. This one is intended specifically for feet. I don’t have any photos of the others (the Japanese bathe in the altogether, and photos are understandably prohibited).

A Ryokan is a great place to chill out.

This is what working from home would look like, were I Japanese.

Syl took some convincing to get into the local garb, provided in the room.

I think I may have found myself here (with some help).

Part of the proposition in staying at a Ryokan like this one is a traditional Japanese meal. Holy cow, was this a meal.

Did you know they make sushi with delicious, COOKED beef? I didn’t know they made sushi with delicious, cooked beef. In Gero, they make sushi with delicious, cooked beef.

Melissa + Sake = Karaoke. Stay tuned.

I didn’t eat this guy’s head, although that was apparently the expectation. I didn’t, however, open him up and eat his middle parts—which is more than I would have expected myself to do, prior to this trip!

After dinner, Syl was briefly designated the “babysitter” (she may have LOVED that) while the adults went out clubbing... in the hotel, at the hotel club, which may have been deserted but for us. But this photo makes us look pretty hip, no?



But first, we soaked our feet.

The Moonlight Bar has an adjacent lounge. I feel I lounged convincingly.

Ben saw something really cool above him.

Kampai!


And then Melissa did some karaoke. Nobody else did, except Melissa. She was great!

Ben and I played Shogun.

Some minutes later, Melissa and Syl bedded down for the night, while I stepped aside to craft this post (you’re welcome).

Honestly, a bare seven hours ago I was sitting in this very room, wondering how on earth I was going to fill the hours until bed time in this place, where the sole activity is pretending to be a human tea bag in some volcanic water. As it turned out, we had possibly the most fun seven hours of this trip—which is saying a lot! 

Japan continues to surprise and delight. What an adventure we are having...

Takayama, Day 3 (Hida Folk Village)

I almost let a tight hamstring talk me out of a run this morning. Luckily, Ben convinced me otherwise, with his description of a beautiful, challenging run up a hill and around a numbe of temples and shrines. Running isn’t going to be the same back home!

Then it was off to Hida Folk Village, a preserved group of buildings on a hill overlooking the city (kind of like Plymouth Plantation, without the actors).

I try not to think about this sign.

This tree is 1200 years old. That is one old tree.

Spotted in a local sweets shop.

While Melissa, Lia and I did some window shopping, Uncle Ben earned his stripes by taking the kids to the playground.

A week and a half in Japan, and still not a less than fantastic meal...

We wrapped the night in various ways:

The kids took soaks, in shifts.

Aunt Melissa did some reading.

And Lia, Ben, and I headed out to find a bar... and yet again were stymied—whether by our own lack of familiarity of the area, our timing, or other factors, we do not know.



But in any event, this was our “night out.” Which was fine!