Day 5: North of Nikko

After a 4 hour trip from Tokyo to our Ryokan we arrived at the Honke Bankue. The trip was shockingly smooth despite approximately 5 train transfers. The scenery along the way was amazing - rice fields, rivers, large hills, tunnels, etc... The Ryokan itself hugged a pristine river so clear that fish could be spotted in it from our second story room. Our room was as traditional as they come - bamboo mats, eating on the floor, shoes off at the door, etc... The view from the room was a beautiful natural scene. Shortly after arriving we dawned our kimonos along with the other japanese guests (average age was 50). There were no non japanese tourists so we felt very authentic.

















We entered the hot springs uncertain of the protocol. After asking some questions we learned the ritual and did our best to blend in. There were indoor and outdoor hot springs separated by sex. The open air springs were meters from the river and overlooking the beautiful natural scene. We enjoyed them very much. After a short nap we headed to dinner.






This experience will have to be explained in person. We sat on the floor around our private wood burning fire. Rice balls, chicken, and vegetables on skewers stuck out of the sand near the wood fire where they cooked. Over 20 different items continued to pour out of the kitchen over the next two hours. Some were delicious, some were not our favourite, and most were mysteries to us. It was quite a feast. We ended our night with a private bath by the river and a nights sleep on made up beds on the floor.

We are very excited to hike around town tomorrow and head to Kyoto!


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