Bullet trains and Onsens


This charming outfit was provided for our comfort - for the bath, for dinner and for lounging!

What a day! Rose earlyish to breakfast - on vegetables,salads, scrambled eggs,lichees and mini hotdogs and green tea.  Taking the bus back to Narita we collected our railway pass and prepared to launch ourselves (all 13 of us) onto the bullet train in the "one" minute available - Ann was pretty scared but we all made it and settled down for our first glimpse of Japan in daylight. We purchased our first bento boxes - beautifully presented selections and followed Shuji up and down escalators at a great rate to catch two more trains. Not as many people about as we expected but still difficult to navigate at times.  


The train journey (sleek, very clean and roomy carriages) took us through mostly urban areas - a mixture of architecture, mostly modern with a nod to traditions in roof ornament occasionally, gave way to immense high rise apartment blocks until we reached Hiraizumi where the temperature was very brisk and had a feeling of a mountain village - this very ancient area has a rich and colourful history dating back hundreds of years and beautifully displayed at the Cultural Heritage Centre.  
We checked into our traditional hotel and braved the Onsens!
Dressed only in our kimonos we took towels and went down to the public bath - where we stripped off, covered a tiny amount of naked flesh with our modesty towel and hopped into the steaming water - it was so warm and relaxing and I'm sure we'll get over our embarrassment soon.
Dinner was a traditional Japanese meal- many raw foods including tuna,eel, prawns and eggs served with soup, meat cooked in broth and many condiments accompanied by saki. -An amazing experience. Tomorrow we head up the mountain for our first walk - it's raining and cold so we'll be well rugged up. Been a great day - heaps of laughs and interesting experiences. 
Marg looking very unimpressed at her raw eel and raw egg!

Comments

  1. Unknown11 November 2017 at 14:21

    How good you both look in your comfort attire! So nice to see you enjoying yourselves. And I'm pretty sure you spent too long planning this to be embarrassed in the public baths ;) Alastair is not sure a hot dog is very English or very breakfast. Enjoy - so wonderful to see your adventures! All our love x Rachel and Alastair

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