A feast in Arima onsen

When planning for the trip I could not believe I could get a stay in a ryokan in this famous resort, Arima onsen. It is the oldest onsen resort town in Japan apparently.

Freshly baked from our Himeji conquista, we rode the train to Shin Kobe station and armed with a cute map where one had to follow the colored lines in the stations, we changed twice I believe to eventually arrive in Arima onsen station. The travel was a blur but fun.

 

Arriving late afternoon in Arima onsen was a pleasant stroll as we were away from the city crowd, and the sound of the nearby stream was soothing and refreshing.  

 

Our accomodation Hana Koyado was a short walk across the old town, passing by winding alleys and not far from one public bath (Kin no Yu, literally golden bath). We arrived as the sun was setting and the world was filtered through orange and pink glasses.

 

This would be another first experience for my parents, experiencing the Japanese omotenashi and a ryokan. To my surprise though we had western style beds. But rather than exploring the our room, we only had enough time to take a bath before dinner.

We all dressed up with our yukata and warmer yukata coat, we strolled into the eating area, and settled on the counter to see the kitchen staff prepare the food. And it was the best idea as we got our mouths watering even before the food morsels arrive at our place. For me it was blissful, and even though one can assume it was a form of tapas when small dishes of food are served in a multi course settings, the experience was superb and involving all senses.

It was a gastronomic feast for the palate, enticing smells, and art and enjoyment for the eyes. For autumn season is definitely the best as food abounds and textures and juices flowing in my mouth woke me up from the aftermath slumber. It must have been an adventure for my parents, tasting the textures of konnyaku, imo, kombu flakes on tofu, some japanese mushroom, but also the smell of natto. 

We were all hoping this dinner would never end.