Everything went off just as planned!

Japan | Oct 7 - Oct 28, 2025

Everyone was attentive to our needs in this quiet and peaceful establishment. We very much enjoyed speaking with the son of the monk of this temple, meeting his girlfriend and his brother's family. The onsen was always free when we wanted it which was a delight. We optioned to take the guided tour which was very interesting. After a stay in busy, crowded Tokyo, 2 nights in this peaceful locale was just what we needed. Definitely, we felt the love and care that those who worked and lived here felt for this temple lodging.

The rooftop onsen was amazing. We so enjoyed looking out on the city at night. Breakfast offered some Western items that were much appreciated.

What a treat to have our own private onsen and dining area! This was a truly unique experience, and one we are so glad that we did. The food was interesting and diverse which made the menu printed in English very helpful.

Walking through the gardens on our first day in Tokyo was the perfect choice for us, and we enjoyed have tea on the island in the Hamarikyu Gardens. Unfortunately, we could not do the river cruise as the high tides (due to full moon) prevented the boat from going under the bridges. Our guide knew a bit about the gardens which was appreciated by the two garden enthusiasts in our group. She also was very informative about the Shinto and Buddhist religions and how they interact with the Japanese. The market was every bit as crowded as we expected, but our guide knew a quiet place for us to stop and have lunch.

Unfortunately, there are two columns outside the train station where we were to meet. Arriving by taxi and not by the train, we were dropped off at the wrong spot and did not realize that until past the meeting time. Thankfully, our Tokyo guide was able to sort everything out, though even after being dropped off near the restaurant we still had trouble locating the guide. It turned out that the food tour guide was waiting for us, but as she only held her sign at waist height, in the crowds, we totally missed her. Once we connected with the group, all was well. They allowed us time to catch up with the rest of the group, and we enjoyed a delightful evening.

Too many people and too much to see. It is all a jumble in our minds with nothing of the amazing temples and shrines standing out in our memory or photos. Fortunately, our guide knew a quiet spot for lunch which we greatly enjoyed. We are also so very glad we were in a private car for this trip which was much more comfortable and relaxed than the trains would have been. In retrospect, it might have been a better idea to spend a night or two here to allow one a more relaxed visit to the various spots so that they did not all run into each other seeing one on top of another.

Perfect -- though not surprisingly, we did not see Mt. Fuji!

All was very interesting, and our guide was wonderful. When he discovered how much we had enjoyed the Festival Museum in Takayama, he took us to another such museum in an old quarry in the hills above the Hida Folk Village. This museum offered animated action on the floats which were fascinating. Without him, we would not have found this place, for it does not readily show up on a Google search. The Limestone Cave was interesting and very well done, but if you have been to such caves, it was just like all the others.

I am not sure that we needed to see both Gokayama and Shirakawago. The visit the day before to Hida Folk Village was a delight. It was so peaceful walking through the grounds and seeing the village as it had once been. Gokayama and Shirakawago were a bit of a disappointment, for the old buildings are mixed in with new and there was too much emphasis on attracting the tourist through the many shops which ruined the ambiance of the place. The two villages are so similar that visiting one is probably enough. We did thoroughly enjoy our visit to the 500-year old Iwase House, for this was unique and the couple that run it took their time talking to us and answering our questions. We loved the experience with the old instruments and the short performance of the old song they did for us.

The Kenroku-en Garden was wonderful, and we enjoyed walking its many paths. Touring Kanazawa Castle was also very interesting. We were continually amazed at the amount of effort that has been put into restoring and maintaining so many of Japan's heritage sites. Learning more about the Samurai history was fun. Unfortunately, we did not get to visit the old Samurai house, for a lengthy wait for a bus to the site prevented us from getting there on time. Here a taxi would have been the way to go, for we soon discovered that splitting the taxi fare to most locations made in feasible economically and certainly saved a lot of time and inconvenience.

Seeing photos of the Golden Pavilion is better than actually viewing it in real life, and it actually looks more impressive in photos than it does in person. Much too crowded, though seeing the large, golden Buddha was interesting. We felt the guides at the temple were a bit surly when one chastised one of us for putting her hand on a railing to balance herself when taking off her shoes. There were no places to sit or to balance offered. I guess with all the crowds, they have to be super vigilant. The Fushimi Inari Shrine was worth the visit even though very crowded, and one cannot help being impressed with the amount of love and devotion that went into the many torii placed there. We also enjoyed walking the grounds afterwards. The Art Performance was very well done, and our trip to Pontocho Alley proved to be our spot for two dinners while in Kyoto.

The River Boat ride was much too long and not all that interesting, though the boat guides were animated and fun to watch. The bamboo forest surpassed our expectations, mainly because we road through it on rickshaws which allowed us to be on what felt like a private path away from the maddening crowds on the broader boulevard. It was quiet on that path allowing us to absorb the beauty of the forest. The tea ceremony was quite interesting with the kimono dress up. Unfortunately, none of the three of us could sit on the floor, and the young man doing the ceremony did not act pleased with us. It felt like we were reluctantly given small stools or chairs to use, but even these were extremely uncomfortable for our 77-yr old knees. Though we enjoyed watching the ceremony, it was a torture to sit through.

Due to rain and cold, we did not go to the tea farm. However, our guide was very resourceful and took us to a tea museum which gave us all the information on tea growing and processing that we had hoped to get at the tea farm in a much more comfortable setting. The rain, which could have hampered us, did not, and we had a thoroughly enjoyable day both at the museum and strolling around Uji..

If I had known that the drive to Himeji from Osaka was 2 and more hours, I would have suggested an alternative. Over 4 hours of driving in a car just to see one site was not worth the time. We are glad, however, that we went by car and not by train. A visit to a block printing museum which had been offered as a special treat could not be done due to the traffic. Not realizing how the timing was going to play out, we spent way too much time at the castle and should have been hustled along which we would have readily done since that block printing museum was something we looked forward to seeing. The castle was definitely interesting, but not worth the time we spent there or the time it took to get there and back. We ended up beingdropped off at the airport much earlier than expected, but not having enough time to slip in the museum.