under another sun

Kayotei Ryokan is famed for its Japanese breakfasts which Lorraine, Toby and I opted for this morning. An unbelievable feast. One element kelp leaves, the size and shape of rosemary leaves, but they carried an unbelievably lovely savoury punch, a bit like marmite, and delicious when added to a bowl of rice. There were eggs, and fish and pickles and kipper like fish that were grilled over hot charcoal at the table. Amazing. After breakfast the slightly sad business of packing. I loved being at this Ryokan. There is a shrine to the poet Basho nearby, and Jiro was kind enough to lend me some wellingtons and took me to it, and showed me a posting box nearby where poets post their haiku which are then judged in a yearly competition and prizes are awarded. The shrine itself was locked but peering in you could make out a small statue of the poet sitting in a Buddha like pose. We also discussed the chrysanthemum poem, and Jiro explained that chrysanthemum tea was something drunk by the Chine...

In the wide awake club early on. And got up at seven to write my blog. Lorraine and I joined Toby and Romy for breakfast in our own private room. We opted for western style this morning, and this was excellent with coffee, orange juice, pastries and scrambled eggs and bacon. Off at 11, and the owner of the Ryokan personally drove us to visit a highly-accomplished local potter, Fujisawa Segeo, in his studio at his house. We passed through short tunnels in steep hills, and turned up a residential road with a gushing stream on the side and woods on the other, convincing me that this was an utterly beautiful area. The combination of trees and hills, characterful but modest buildings and an abundance of running water and snow. We browsed among his shelves in his workshop and we all loved his work. His wife brought us some tea as we looked. From there we were driven to a renowned wood turner called Satake Yasuhiro who makes exquisite lacquered items. We went into his workshop and saw the...

After a night in and lots of sleep, feeling quite refreshed. Up early and showering, making tea for Lorraine and then she and I wandered over to Starbucks to find Toby and Romy reading papers there. A quick coffee and a bite before Lorraine and I sloped off to do a spot of shopping and bought ourselves a very reasonable Japanese teapot and a a pair of cups. Rather buoyed by finding ourselves able to communicate even though there were half a dozen words in common. The process aided by Lorraine doing a teapot impression which made the woman laugh behind her hand a good deal. Then off in taxis from The Hotel Trusty to the station. Here we caught a local train to Kagaonsen station, in the Ishikawa Prefecture. A taxi was waiting for us there and we crammed ourselves and our cases into it. We were handed flannels by the taxi driver to refresh ourselves. Then we drove out of the small town across a plain of fallow rice fields, towards a rainy line of hills, lining the fields were stands of ...