We met up with the McGregors who had finished their cycling days and met us on the train.

We had a big travel day getting to Hida but it is a great place after the busy days of cities. Though Miyajima and Naoshima were quite laid back and not rushed. It’s good to have a balance. We were very busy in Tokyo and Kyoto. Now we have slowed the pace and are enjoying the change.

Hida is very special.

We arrived in beautiful sunshine and walked for about 10 minutes to our Ryokan. Busuitei.

We were given the warmest welcome by Rumi and Keito in the sitting area of the hotel.

We were shown our rooms. Steve and I had a downstairs room and it was huge. It had 3 main rooms , a bathroom with its own onsen, a toilet room which turned on a light and raised the seat for you on arrival and a bedroom with the best doona’s of the trip.

We changed into our kimonos – yakata for dinner in a gorgeous dining room and served a Kaiseki meal by Keito. Kaiseki is a style of meal that has many little dishes that reflect the local produce and are presented in an artistic way.

It is a highly refined and artistic form of Japanese haute cuisine, with the menu carefully planned to balance flavors, textures, and colors, often served at a traditional ryokan. It was sensational.

We finished a multi course meal and when we went to our room we took an onsen. The water was super hot but once in, it was so relaxing. It made us sleepy and we had the best nights sleep!

Tomorrow is a slow walk around this very old very pretty town.

https://busuitei.co.jp