Wednesday, January 25, 2024

• On the road again! Checked out in Osaka, walked and got a train to the shinkansen station, grabbed an ekiben for the trip. Kuromi charabento, of course!

• Train was to Himeji station, where we stashed our luggage in a coin locker and went on a 2 hour round trip on foot to check out Himeji Castle.

• When we got to the base of the castle, stopped for some quick lunch. Delicious and had an incredible view of the castle as snow felt infinitely gently all around us.

• After lunch, we had a brief walk around the castle grounds, but unfortunately didn’t have enough time left to do it thoroughly. Even so, it was beautiful and majestic, and we got to follow a beautiful huge dog and his owner through the grounds for a while.

• After walking back to the station and collecting our luggage (and trying to get a bus back, being unable to work out which bus stop we needed, and nearly getting on a bus heading in the wrong direction), we transferred at another station and waited for our high speed (but not shinkansen, I believe?) train to our final destination for the day – Kinosaki Onsen Town.
• As the train from Kinosaki pulled into the station, we noticed a thick layer of snow piled up on its roof, and had our first pangs of excitement – we were heading to the snow. I’d seen falling snow and some piled snow on my previous trip to Japan, but nothing like this!

• Trip to Kinosaki Onsen was picturesque, but otherwise uneventful. Seeing the green fields give way to blankets of pure white from our window was magical.

• Kinosaki Onsen was the smallest train station we’d been to in Japan and charming, with a shuttle bus waiting outside the station to pick people up and drop them at one of the ryokan in town.
• Our ryokan for the night was one of the fanciest hotels we’d ever been in (with the exception of our suite on our wedding night!) There were almost double-digits staff waiting at the reception desk when we arrived to help us check in, with everyone falling over themselves to help us get to our room comfortably.
• Our tatami room was simple, beautiful and comfortable.

• For the final treat for the night, we’d pre-arranged for their crab-based tasting menu, to be served by the head chef in our freakin room!

• It was, in a word, incredible. It’s insane to think that some people get to live like this all the time, but this small taste formed memories we’ll have for a while…. but somehow isn’t the most memorable thing about Kinosaki! Stay tuned for tomorrow’s entry!