I have always wanted to visit Japan and after the Fukushima incident in 2011, I felt that my hopes of ever visiting the country was dashed and never really considered Japan on the list of places I could ever visit.
Travelling to Japan is a risk. You can call me kiasee all you want, but there is a lot of ignorance about the truth state of the country waterways or soil condition as a result of the Fukushima incident, we might never know until decades down the road, when we see a higher percentage of Japanese people who are living near the state suffering from illnesses from the result of it.
Despite the lack of coverage from the media about the aftermath of the Fukushima incident. I did not want to be irresponsible to bring my child along and expose him to the risks.
K shared the same interest for Japan and we both sought God separately in prayer to see if we could or should visit the country. Reading this, some of u might consider it ridiculous that even for leisure travel we are praying, but our family believe in committing all our plans to God, to ensure that we are walking in His will for us.
K and I both had the confirmation to go ahead way back in January, and we were excited to confirm our travel plans to Japan all 6 months before we travelled in June.
One of the key highlights from this trip was the Ryokan (Japanese Inn) experience in Kyoto. After watching countless of Ryokan experiences on Japan Hour on Channel News Asia, I was very keen to experience staying in the Ryokan, experience a traditional Japanese meal and soaking in the Onsen.
Our Experience in Arashimaya Benkei
The Ryokan was situated right at the riverside and is touted to be one of the best riverside Ryokan in Arashimaya. We choose this Ryokan as it is short walking distance away from the main street of Arashimaya, and near the Bamboo Forest.
Our first look at the Ryokan and our room;
The garden view from inside the room
Full board at this Ryokan includes free use of the public onsen (hot spring bath) and a Kaiseki meal, which is a traditional Japanese multicourse meal.
Before we had our first Kaiseki dinner, we went to check out the male and female onsen which was located just a few doors down our room. I made sure that the onsen was deserted to take the video (as video taking isn’t allowed, just don’t share that you saw it here on this blog :))
After the onsen, we got ready for our Kaiseki dinner…
In the Kaiseki dinner meal that we had for 2 dinners at the Ryokan, there were about 10-12 different dishes that included an appetiser, sashimi, a simmered dish, a grilled dish and a steamed course, finished off with rice, miso soup and preserved radish and dessert.
The first dish revealed; A Sesame seed bean curd with simmered plum, a vineyard quick boiled octopus, topped with plum pulp. Together with vinegar mozuku seaweed with cucumber. With a conger eel sushi. Served with Skewered prawn, Japanese pumpkin and red konjac with miso paste.
The other dishes ensuing…
That ended off with steamed rice, miso soup, pickled radish and then dessert…
It was such an aesthetically-pleasing meal, and the ingredients were not common to my regular palate. Hb was gamed to try everything, even though he usually does not eat anything raw or preserved in Japanese cuisine.
Our second Kaiseki the following night was just as interesting and tasty.
Overall we enjoyed our Ryokan stay in Arashiyama for the Kaiseki meals and Japanese breakfast, and I recommend it for a once-in-a-lifetime experience (simply because it falls in the ‘luxury’ travel experience category due to the price 😌) and I don’t think I will be giving it another try again as I didn’t really enjoy the Onsen nor the hard futons in the room that gave me a backache the next morning when I woke up!
Japanese Breakfast for 2 mornings
Hb review of this Ryokan sums it quite nicely in Trip Advisor;
‘As a family of 3, we stayed 2 nights in the first week of June. The first thing you will notice is the impeccable service on the ryokan situated in a spot with a stunning view of the Arashiyama Mountains and lake. One also cannot help but notice the amount of detailed effort that went into the renovation and modernisation of the property while retaining a traditional facade. What results is a top class Ryokan that exudes traditional whilst offering the modern comforts welcomed by its guests.
The best part? A 12 course Kaiseki dinner included in your stay that very competently showcases the many different Japanese culinary styles tempting even the most unadventurous (talking about himself likely 😜) visitor to indulge.
The separate male and female indoor and outdoor onsen made accessible only to the Ryokan guests are also a definite and unique treat! All combined to offer a very memorable experience. A must stay.’
