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After leaving Kurayoshi, I drove straight to
Misasa Onsen
(三朝温泉). Once we entered Misasa Town, we
followed the northern bank of the River Mitoku (三徳川)
all the way. When we reached the junction by Misasa Bridge (三朝橋),
we didn't cross the bridge but continued straight ahead. Before long, we
saw a large sign spanning both sides of the road. It marked tonight's
accommodation – San'in Misasa Onsen
Izanrô Iwasaki (山陰 三朝温泉 依山楼 岩崎).
Along the stretch of the northern bank of the River Mitoku between
Misasa Bridge and Koitani Bridge (恋谷橋), there are
only two buildings, both of them ryokan. Ours was one of them (and by
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We arrived from Kurayoshi in less than half an hour, at around 17:00.
When we pulled up outside the ryokan, I first told the staff that we
were checking in. He pointed us towards the car park, which was only
about another 100 metres further along the road, and suggested we park
there before returning. We explained that we'd like to unload our
luggage first so that Todd could go inside while I parked the car on my
own. The staff smiled and said, 'Daijôbu' (that means 'no problem' or
'don't worry' in Japanese), meaning that was absolutely fine and would
save us from dragging our luggage all the way back from the car park.
However... Todd had left his bag in the car... and his passport was
inside it, so he couldn't actually check in first after all! |
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Road from the car park back to the ryokan
entrance |
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Garden Lounge 'Shirakaba' |
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Riverside Lounge 'Myôjô' and Gallery Iwasaki |
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Tourist information corner introducing Misasa
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Walking into the ryokan immediately gave us a strong feeling of the
Shôwa era. The reception desk is just to the right of the entrance (I
only realised while sorting through the photos afterwards that I'd
forgotten to photograph the front desk). The lobby itself is quite spacious,
with a corner dedicated to tourist information about Misasa Onsen and
Mount Mitoku (三徳山). Opposite the front desk are
two guest lounges: the riverside lounge 'Myôjô' (明星),
overlooking the river, and the garden lounge 'Shirakaba' (白樺),
overlooking the gardens. Between them is Gallery Iwasaki (ぎゃらりい岩崎). |
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Izanrô Iwasaki is a ryokan with a long history and an excellent
reputation. Over the years it has welcomed many members of the Imperial
Family, politicians and famous literati. Gallery Iwasaki displays
original calligraphy and paintings presented to the ryokan by many of
these distinguished guests. Among them are works by Emperor Taishô (大正天皇,
when he was still Crown Prince), Emperor Shôwa
(昭和天皇) and Empress Kôjun (香淳皇后), as well
as those by former Prime Minister KONOE Fumimaro (近衛 文麿),
whose cabinet led Japan into the World War II. (Many people mistakenly believe
it was TÔJÔ Hideki (東条 英機) who started the war, but Tôjô actually succeeded
Konoe. After Emperor Shôwa announced Japan's surrender, Konoe
committed suicide by taking poison before he could be tried, and he was therefore
never prosecuted or listed as a war criminal. |
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The ryokan is made up of three fully connected sections. The western
wing is eight floors high and is called Sansuikaku (山水閣).
The eastern wing has six floors and is called Tôzankaku (東山閣).
The central section is a little more unusual. Although it has seven
floors, the entire 7/F and part of the 6/F belong to Sansuikaku guest
rooms (as shown in the layout above). The remaining modem Japan-Western
style rooms are known as Futaba (双葉) rooms, while
the less desirable rooms in terms of location and view are grouped under
the Honkan (本館, main building). These are all
traditional Japanese-style rooms (no beds, only beddings on tatami mats)
and are only available as room-only or breakfast-included plans. |
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We booked a Futaba Japanese-Western style room with a semi-open-air
bath, which is one of the ryokan's mid-range room categories. Our
package was an early booking offer made more than 30 days in advance. It
included both breakfast and dinner, served in a private dining room. The
package description particularly highlighted 'Enjoy a seasonal kaiseki
course at Saryô Hanano, where quality take priority over quantity.'
(量より質の懐石を堪能できる「茶寮花野 季節の懐石」)
This plan had to be paid online in advance and could not be paid upon
arrival. The total cost for two people was JP¥77,000 (with an additional
JP¥150 per person hot spring bathing tax payable at check-in). |
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Our room was on the 5/F |
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A very traditional room key |
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The toilet is located in the entrance hall |
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There are only two rooms of this type in the entire ryokan – Rooms 505
and 605. So don't panic if a booking website says 'Only
2 rooms left'! We were assigned Room 505. Our nakai (a
housekeeping member in a ryokan) escorted us to the room with our
luggage, showed us where the yukata were kept, handed us the room key,
and then left. Unlike at some ryokan, she didn't explain all the
facilities in the room (although, to be fair, they're much the same
everywhere). |
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As with most Japanese rooms, the entrance naturally begins with a genkan
(玄関). Normally there's a single raised step
separating the shoe area from the barefoot area, and many people even
sit on that step when putting on their shoes. This room was slightly
different. Instead of a step, there was a gentle ramp, probably to make
wheeled luggage easier to move. However, it also made the boundary
between the shoe area and the barefoot area felt much less obvious.
Directly opposite the entrance was a sliding door leading to the toilet.
As in most ryokan, the toilet is located in the entrance hall. The
doorway into the main living area was on the right. |
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Hiroen (veranda-style sitting area). The
sliding doors behind the bench lead to the bathroom and the
semi-open-air bath |
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The room measures 35.2 m2,
with a 7.5-tatami living area laid out using Ryûkyû tatami, the square
chequerboard-style mats. Besides the low Japanese tea table, there was
also a standard-height bench where you could comfortably sit and watch
TV. (I don't know whether anyone else is like me, but even though I
don't understand everything, I still really enjoy watching Japanese TV
programmes, especially the local channels. Somehow it's only in Japan
that I do this – I never deliberately watch hotel TV in Britain) |
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The bathroom area is separated by sliding doors. Inside, you first come
to the washbasin, while the door on the right leads into the bathing,
which includes both a shower and the semi-open-air bath. The bath in the
room is supplied directly with free-flowing natural hot spring water. (Some ryokan only provide ordinary tap water in their private baths, though
they usually make that clear in advance.) For toiletries and skincare
products, many ryokan use local brands or even their own in-house
products. Here, however, they provide products from the well-known brand
POLA. |
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Semi-open-air bath in the room |
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Next to the tatami area (separated only by a wall from the bath), is the
hiroen (広縁), which contains a dressing table and
full-height windows. The windows can be opened, and outside is what
could perhaps be call a 'balcony' – although 'platform' would probably
be a better description. The floor is permanently wet, so you certainly
wouldn't want to step outside. Its main purpose is drainage. When the
bath overflows, some water drains away through the bathroom, but most
flows onto this outdoor platform before being carried away through
external drains. |
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The ryokan's rooms are mainly divided into river view (River Mitoku,
also known locally as the River Misasa) and mountain view rooms. This is
clearly stated when making your booking. Generally speaking, the river
view is considered better, but in autumn the mountain side has the
advantage of overlooking the autumn red maple colours. |
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View of the River Mitoku outside the window (Misasa
Bridge) |
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River Mitoku (Koitani Bridge) |
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Welcome snacks – Pear cakes and snow crab rice
crackers |
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Entrance and exterior of the ryokan |
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Izanrô Iwasaki was founded in 1920, originally under the name 'Iwasaki
Ryokan'. It was later renamed Izanrô by HASHIMOTO Dokuzan (橋本独山),
the chief abbot of the Rinzai school's Shôkokuji branch, one of Kyoto's
Five Great Buddhist Temples. Izanrô literally means 'mountain-side
mansion', reflecting the Zen ideal of living close to both mountains and
water, while also perfectly matching the ryokan's surroundings. Since
there is a 'mountain-side mansion', there should naturally also be
'water', so the ryokan's garden was named Isuien, meaning 'water-side
garden'. |
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Today, Isuien is designated both a Tottori Prefectural Scenic Site and a
Misasa Town Scenic Site. Within the garden stand two separate buildings:
Sanchôkaku (三朝閣), a quiet detached guest suite
whose name was given by the Duke TOKUGAWA Iesato (徳川 家達),
the 16th Head of House of Tokugawa. Sanchôkaku was reserved exclusively
for Emperor Shôwa during his two stays here. Fusôan (扶桑庵),
a traditional thatched tea house built in the early Shôwa period by the
Kyoto tea-house master craftsman KIMURA Seibei (木村 清兵衛). |
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South bank of the River Mitoku (shops along
Onsen Hondôri behind the riverside) |
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Our ryokan, Izanrô Iwasaki, is on the north
bank of the River Mitoku |
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As we had arrived fairly late, it was already beginning to get dark
after we'd settled into our room. We decided to go out for a walk before
nightfall, which meant we didn't have time to visit Isuien, the garden
in the ryokan. After crossing Misasa Bridge, we came across a statue
dedicated to Misasa Kôta (三朝小唄). Originally
written in 1927 by the lyricist NOGUCHI Ujô (野口 雨情),
Misasa Kôta is a traditional Japanese folk song describing the scenery
of Misasa Onsen. |
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Two years later, in 1929, a silent romance film of the same name was
released. It tells the story of a Tokyo painter holidaying in Misasa
Onsen who falls in love with a local young lady. Although the
relationship ultimately could not overcome the differences in their
backgrounds, the film made Misasa Onsen famous throughout Japan and
helped established it as what is now the second most popular hot spring
town in Tottori Prefecture. |
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Between the Misasa Bridge and the statue is a
flight of steps leading down to the riverbed. There you will find Kawara
Buro (河原風呂), a free open-air public hot spring
bath. Although it is in a public place, it is a mixed-gender bath where
everyone bathes naked. It is quite similar to Sunayu (砂湯),
the free open-air bath at Yubara Onsen in Okayama Prefecture that I
visited in 2017. Personally, though, I think the one at Yubara Onsen is
a bit more special because it sits directly below a hydroelectric dam.
As I'd already experienced an outdoor mixed bath before, I decided to
give this one a miss. |
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Entrance to Kawara Buro (the free public
open-air hot spring bath) |
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According to local legend, ÔKUBO Samanosuke (大久保 左馬之祐),
a retainer of MINAMOTO no Yoshitomo (源 義朝),
rescued a white wolf while on his way to visit Mitokusan Sanbutsuji (三徳山
三仏寺, a famous Buddhist temple near Misasa Onsen). The white wolf
turned out to be the incarnation of Myôken Bosatsu (妙見菩薩),
who guided him to a hot spring. Samanosuke discovered hot water flowing
from beneath a camphor tree, and the spring became known as Kabuyu (株湯),
meaning 'Spring of Tree'. |
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The water at Misasa Onsen is crystal clear, silky smooth, and truly one
of a kind. It is classified as a simple spring and a sodium bicarbonate
spring, and contains radon at concentrations of up to 702 mache units,
making it one of the highest-radon radioactive hot springs in the world.
It is said to have excellent healing properties (although every hot
spring seems to claim that!). According to local tradition, if you bathe
here for three consecutive mornings, your illness will heal without
medicine. This is said to be how Misasa got its name. (Misasa literally
means 'three mornings'.) |
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The lane beside the Misasa Kôta statue is the town's high street, Onsen
Hondôri (温泉本通り). Not only does our ryokan, Izanrô
Iwasaki, still have a strong Shôwa-era vibe, but the whole of Onsen
Hondôri also feels as though it has been frozen in the Shôwa period. The
street is only around 300-400 metres long, lined with family-run ryokan,
old liquor shops, traditional shooting galleries, dagashiya
(old-fashioned sweet shops), coffee shops and craft shops. We arrived
rather late, so most of them had alredy closed for the day, but the
nostalgic vibe was still very much there and made the stroll thoroughly
enjoyable. |
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Among all the shops, one immediately caught our attention, Hanging
beneath bright red lanterns was a place called Shibai Goya New Lucky (芝居小屋ニューラッキー).
Both its appearance and its name gave off quite a dirty vibe. In fact,
it really was once an adult entertainment venue – a strip theatre – and
was the last establishment of its kind to remain open in Tottori
Prefecture. Today it has been turned into a venue for rakugo (落語),
Japan's traditional form of comic storytelling, under the name Misasa
Yose (三朝寄席). However, to preserve the nostalgic
character of the hot spring town, the old signboard and facade have been
left untouched, with only a vertical Misasa Yose banner displayed on
performance days. |
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Slogans in a style often associated with
Japanese right-wing groups |
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The Rising Sun flag makes it look even more
right-wing |
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Continuing further along Onsen Hondôri, we spotted a large Rising Sun
Flag (旭日旗), a Hinomaru (日の丸,
the Japanese national flag), and several bold slogans in the distance.
At first glance, it looked very much like the sort of publicity often
associated with Japanese right-wing groups. I initially though it must
be the office of some nationalist organisation, but it turned out to be
a ryokan called Saitôkan (西藤館). According to
Japanese websites, the owner is simply a self-described patriot and
chose to display the slogans himself. |
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Reading them more carefully, however, they were not really as extreme as
I had expected. Messages such as 'Take back Japan's territory' and 'Let
us always think about our country, Japan, remember that we are Japanese,
and face this national challenge with patriotism' actually seemed much
milder than the political slogans often seen on the streets of China. In
the open space outside Saitôkan stands a pillar listing places
associated with 'Japanese Nationalists', as well as towns that have
friendly ties with Misasa Onsen. Among them are Shigang District (石岡區)
in Taichung, Taiwan, and Lamalou-les-Bains in the French department of
Hérault. |
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The pillar outside Saitôkan |
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Looking at the reactions of both Japanese visitors passing by and
Japanese travel bloggers online, most people seemed to keep their
distance from these displays rather than support them. That alone shows
how far removed reality is from the image often presented by the Chinese
government of a 'resurgent Japanese far right' or a 'revival of Japanese
militarism'. |
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There are several old ryokan along Onsen Hondôri, one of the best known
being Kiya Ryokan (木屋旅館). It has no grand
entrance, and from the outside it looks much like the ordinary old
houses nearby. Yet it is actually the oldest and most historically
significant ryokan in Misasa Onsen. Founded in 1868, it has remained
family-run ever since and still retains its original Meiji-era
buildings, rather than being rebuilt or modernised like many other
ryokan. Today it is registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural
Property of Japan. |
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Yakushidô is just ahead |
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Yakushidô and Yakushinoyu |
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Halfway along Onsen Hondôri stands Yakushidô (薬師堂),
dedicated to Yakushi Nyorai (薬師如来), the Medicine
Buddha. In fact, many historic hot spring towns have a hall dedicated to
Yakushi Nyorai, as hot springs have traditionally been associated with
healing, and the Medicine Buddha is regarded as the protector of such
places. The exact date of the hall's foundation is unknown. Inside is a
seated wooden statue of Yakushi Nyorai, affectionately known by the
locals as 'Yu Yakushi-san' (湯薬師さん, similar to 'Dr Spring'). According to
legend, the statue was originally enshrined at Mitokusan before being
moved here. |
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Outside Yakushidô is Yakushi-no-Yu (薬師の湯), which
includes both a footbath and a drinking spring. It is one of Misasa
Onsen's five free hot spring facilities. The other four are
Kawara Buro (the free open-air bath and footbath
mentioned earlier),
Kabuyu ( a paid public
bath with a free footbath and drinking spring), the hot spring
chôzuya
(purification basin) at Misasa Jinja (a Shinto shrine), and the footbath
on Kajika Bridge, which is closed from mid-December to March. Yakushi-no-Yu itself is quite small, but once the lanterns are lit in the
evening, it has a wonderfully vibe, almost as if you've stepped into the
world of the Japanese animation movie, Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し). |
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Another luxury ryokan near Yakshidô – Barcos
Ryokan |
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Lanterns promoting Mitokusan hang all along
Onsen Hondôri |
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The souvenir shop inside the ryokan – San'in
Miyage |
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By the time we left Yakushidô, it was completely dark, so we headed back
to the ryokan for the first kaiseki dinner of this trip. After
returning, we still had a little time fore dinner, and the souvenir ship
inside the ryokan was still open, so we had a look around first. It was
much like the souvenir shops at Michinoeki (道の駅,
roadside stations) or tourist attractions, selling very similar products
at much the same prices. |
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When it was nearly time for dinner, we went back
to our room to change into our yukata before heading downstairs. Dinner
was served in the private dining restaurant Saryô Hanano (茶寮
花野) on the 3/F. When we checked in, the reception
staff had already told us that our private dining room would be Ishibuki
(石蕗). As we were overseas visitors, they had
thoughtfully written the room name in Roman letters as 'Ishibuki' on our
welcome guide. It looked considerate enough, although in practice it
wasn't particularly useful (haha)... because everything inside the
restaurant was still written in Japanese. (Perhaps it was simply to make
it easier for us to tell the staff which room we were in.) |
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Dinner venue – Saryô Hanano |
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Shoe storage area for each private dining room
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Our private dining room – Ishibuki |
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Besides Saryô Hanano, the ryokan also has another dining area on the 2/F
called Taishintei (對岑亭), which is mainly used for
banquets. Saryô Hanano consists of small private rooms for parties of up
to four people, while Taishintei has a large banquet hall as well as
medium and large private rooms for groups of five or more. Guests
booking the more expensive 'Seasonal Kaiseki' package are served in a
private room at either Saryô Hanano or Taishintei, depending on the size
of their party. The more affordable 'Iwasaki Kaiseki' package is served
in Taishintei's banquet hall. Besides the different dining settings, the
menus also differ slightly – the former is more refined, while the
latter is a little simpler. |
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Since the restaurant is called Hanano (literally 'Flowers Field'), all
of the private dining rooms are named after flowers. There are seventeen
in total, and ours was called Ishibuki, the San'in dialect pronunciation
of the plant known in standard Japanese as Tsuwabuki (Farfugium
japonicum, leopard plant). |
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Next to the entrance of Saryô Hanano is a shoe storage cabinet. Each
dining room has its own basket labelled with both the room name and the
guests' surname. The same surname is also displayed outside the dining
room itself, making it very easy to find your room. |
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Inside our private dining room, with some of
the dishes and the aperitif already prepared |
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Each seat has its own menu |
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Our drinks, I always like ordering lemonade
when staying at a Japanese ryokan |
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By the time we entered our room, the starters and several other dishes
had already been laid out. Once we were seated, our nakai first handed
us the drinks menu. I almost always order lemonade, and Todd couldn't be
bothered choosing, so he simply ordered the same. Our drinks arrived
within minutes, after which the nakai briefly introduced the dishes
already on the table. The menu had already been placed at each seat.
Since we were foreign guests, the ryokan kindly provided both the
original Japanese menu and an English translation. Ironically, as
Chinese speakers, we actually found the Japanese version easier to
understand. |
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From the aperitif through to the pickles and dessert, tonight's kaiseki
consisted of fourteen courses in total. Although the ryokan modestly
described it as 'quality over quantity', I personally thought it
delivered both. |
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Starter: Salmon mizore-ae (Salmon with grated
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Entree: Turban shell grilled with salted sea
urchin, rolled omelette, squid with mentaiko, cream cheese
wrapped in cured ham, and salt-koji grilled red fish (hidden
behind the leaf) |
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Entree: Baby scallops with chili oil and miso |
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Sashimi: Four seasonal selections served in a
'hot spring steam' style – striped jack, squid, flounder and
mosa ebi prawn |
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The starter, salmon mizore-ae (サーモンみぞれ和え), was
simply salmon mixed with grated daikon radish (or calls mooli radish in
Britain). Mizore literally means sleet, but in Japanese cooking it
refers to grated daikon because of its resemblance to melting snow. 'Ae'
generally refers to ingredients mixed with a dressing. |
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Among the entrees, my favourite was the turban shell grilled with salted
sea urchin. Besides the fact that I simply love sea urchin, the turban
shell itself had an intense taste of the sea and plenty of natural umami.
The shiokara squid was rather heavily seasoned. Personally, I thought it
was a little too strong for an entree, especially considering that
sashimi was served immediately afterwards. |
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Once we had almost finished the starter and entrees, the nakai cleared
away the plates before bringing us the sashimi course, featuring striped
jack, squid, flounder and mosa ebi – all among Tottori's finest local
seafood. The plate was filled with dry ice to create the effect of
rising hot spring steam, which is why the dish was described as
Yukemurishitate (湯けむり仕立て, means hot spring steam
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Interlude (Oshinogi): Crab stick sushi |
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Soup course (Owan): Crab claw, ebi-imo taro and
tochi mochi |
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Grill: diced Tottori Wagyu steak |
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After the sashimi came the oshinogi (お凌ぎ), a
small carbohydrate dish served between the earlier and middle courses.
It provides a little break in the meal and gives diners a slight sense
of fullness. It is usually one or two pieces of sushi or perhaps a small
bowl of soba noodles. Of course, the 'crab stick' here was not imitation
crab stick (the seafood stick in supermarket), but freshly hand picked
crab leg meat. |
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Next came the owan (お椀), consisting of crab claw,
ebi-imo taro and tochi mochi in a clear broth. Although owan is often a
soup course, it doesn't have to be. As long as the dish is served in a
traditional lacquer bowl, it is considered an owan. Sometimes it may
even be a simmered dish. If it is soup, the difference between owan and
oshiru (お汁) is that owan focuses on the
ingredients themselves, whereas oshiru focuses mainly on the soup, with
the ingredients being optional to eat. Tochi mochi is a type of rice
cake from Japanese horse chestnuts (tochi-no-mi) and glutinous rice. |
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A few days earlier, when we ate at Yakiniku Gyûô (焼肉 牛王),
I had already introduced Tottori wagyu. Tonight's grilled course
featured it once again, so I won't repeat the story here (you may read
my
previous article here). |
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Fries: Blackthroat seaperch, deep-fried
pufferfish, and green chili pepper |
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Hot pot: Pacific cod and scallops in a light
shio pot |
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The fried course included both pufferfish and nodoguro (blackthroat
seaperch), together with a piece of green chili pepper! I absolutely
hate green peppers, so I happily left that behind. I've had pufferfish
as sashimi, in soup and dried before, but this was my first time trying
it deep-fried. Personally, I think pufferfish is one of the most
overrated luxury ingredients. I completely disagree with comments such
as 'worth risking your life to eat'. Perhaps I've simply never had truly
exceptional wild pufferfish. Nowadays, however, most pufferfish served
in restaurant are farmed and naturally toxin-free, making them perfectly
safe to eat. That's why some people jokingly complain that 'only wild
ones taste good!' |
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Compared with pufferfish, nodoguro (のどぐろ)
is actually far more representative of the San'in region and is one of
Tottori's signature autumn fish. Taiwan also has a fish known as
blackthroat, but it is a completely different species. The Taiwanese 'blackthroat'
refers to black scraper, while the Japanese nodoguro is blackthroat
seaperch (Akamutsu), known in Taiwan as redthroat. Nodoguro is rich in
fat, wonderfully full of umami, and has a silky texture that stays moist
even after deep-frying. |
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The hot pot was a Shio Kogonabe, a small hot pot seasoned mainly with
salt. 'Shio' can means 'salt' in Japanese, so the name essentially means
a lighty salted hot pot. Standard ingredients include crown daisy,
Chinese leaf, leeks and enoki mushrooms. |
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The main ingredients this time were Pacific cod and scallops. As someone
living in Britain, cod is nothing unusual – if a portion of fish and
chips doesn't specify the type of fish, it is almost certainly Atlantic
cod. Here is Japan, however, cod naturally refers to Pacific cod.
Atlantic cod has a firmer texture and a richer flavour, making it well
suited to grilling and frying, while Pacific cod is milder and more
delicate, making it better suited to steaming or simmering. |
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Vinegared dish (Sunomono): Steamed snow crab
casserole |
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Steamed snow crab served with crab vinegar (the
smaller sauce plate contains soy sauce for the sashimi) |
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The star of the entire meal was arguably the steamed snow crab, listed
under the sunomono course. It only appears on the winter menu, during
the snow crab season from November to March. In this case, sunomono does
not necessarily mean food prepared with vinegar. It can also refer to
dishes served with vinegar as a dipping sauce, such as fresh firefly
squid or black geoduck clam in spring. We had already enjoyed one whole
snow crab at Karoichi Market earlier today, and now we were eating
another one. It really had become our day of the crab. |
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Japan inherited more than just Gofuku (呉服).
Gofuku originally silk garments imported from Go region (吳, an
ancient kingdom or
regime in eastern China, almost the provinces of Kiangsu (or Jiangsu)
and Chekiang (or Zhejiang), and Municipality of Shanghai today; and '吳'
now is pronounced as 'Wu' in modern Mandarin Chinese), now meaning fine
silk traditional Japanese clothing. It also adopted the custom of eating
crab with vinegar. |
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After all the course had been served, the meal concluded, as most ryokan
banquets do, with rice, pickles, miso soup and dessert. Dessert was a
hôjicha pudding ('hôjicha' means roasted tea) made with Daisen White
Rose Milk, giving it a pleasant local touch. |
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Rice: Premium Misasa Koshihikari rice (pearl
rice); final soup (Tomewan): Red miso soup with locally grown
nameko mushrooms; pickles (Kônomono): Takana mustard greens and
crisp pickled daikon |
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Dessert: Hôjicha pudding (made with White Rose
Milk) |
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After dinner, we went back to our room for a short rest before heading
to the public bath for a shower and enjoy the hot spring bath. The
ryokan's bathhouse is called Yama-no-Yu (山の湯),
which the ryokan describes as a 'strolling-style large garden open-air
bath'. It is divided into the Left Bath (左の湯,
Hidari-no-Yu) and the Right Bath (右の湯, Migi-no-Yu),
with each side alternating between the men's and women's baths depending
on the date. The bath is open from 15:00 to midnight. At 05:00 the
following morning, the men's and women's sides are swapped, and both
remain open until 10:00. During our stay, for example, the men's bath
was the Right Bath that evening, but the following morning we had to use
the Left Bath instead. (There are signs at the entrance showing which
side is for men and women.) |
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Most ryokan only have one indoor bath and one open-air bath, but things
are rather more elaborate here. The Right Bath includes the main public
bath Rakuzan-no-Yu (楽山の湯), the two open-air baths
Jinsha-no-Yu (仁者の湯) and Chisha-no-Yu (智者の湯),
as well as the indoor bath Rakusui-no-Yu (楽水の湯).
Rakuzan-no-Yu is the largest bath in the ryokan. Its bath is lined with
large natural rocks, and although is technically an indoor bath, it sits
within a traditional sukiya-style building. Large glass panels on both
sides allow it to blend seamlessly into the surrounding Japanese garden. |
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As mentioned earlier, Misasa Onsen is one of the world's best-known
radon-rich hot springs, with naturally high levels of dissolved radon
gas. Radon is a radioactive gas produced by the decay of radium.
According to the ryokan, radon stimulates the body's cells and activates
their functions, producing what it calls a 'hormesis effect', helping to
strengthen the body's natural healing ability. The ryokan recommends
experiencing the therapeutic benefits of Misasa Onsen in three ways:
bathing in the water, drinking the spring water, and inhaling the
radon-rich air. |
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Entrance to the hot spring baths |
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While soaking in the hot spring, radium is absorbed through the skin. At
the same time, the ionising effect of radon creates negative ions in the
air, giving the atmosphere a feeling rather like walking through a
forest. The spring water at Misasa is also rich in minerals. Drinking it
is said to increase blood flow to the stomach lining, and help relax the
stomach. Finally, when radon is inhaled into the lungs, it enters the
circulatory system, where it is said to stimulate cell metabolism and
improve the body's antioxidant function. According to the ryokan, this
may help prevent the effects of ageing and health problems caused by an
irregular lifestyle. I should stress, however, that everything above is
simply what the ryokan
states in its own information. |
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Those living in Britain may notice something rather interesting here. In
Britain, radon is generally regarded as a health hazard rather than a
health benefit. Because of the geology in may parts of the country,
radon gas can seep naturally from the ground. If a house is poorly
ventilated, the gas can build up indoors and cause serious health
problems, including lung cancer. The British health authorities regard
radon as the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. That
said, the information provided by Misasa Onsen is based on research
carried out by Okayama University (岡山大学), and
refers to occasional, controlled exposure to low levels of radon. This
is quite different from the long-term accumulation of radon inside
poorly ventilated homes that the British authorities are concerned
about. |
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It was incredibly cold that evening (perhaps because Misasa Onsen sits
in a mountain valley), so we spent most of our time in the two indoor
baths, Rakuzan-no-Yu and Rakusui-no-Yu. Even in the open-air baths,
although the rest of your body was submerged in the hot spring,
everything above your shoulders still felt freezing! After our bath, we
each drank two large cups of the spring water before returning to our
room to relax and sleep. |
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Three small side dishes: hijiki seaweed with
nori, mushrooms with miso and yuzu, and dried shredded daikon |
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After getting up and freshening up, it was naturally time for breakfast.
When we checked in, we had already chosen the 07:30 breakfast sitting.
(Breakfast at an onsen ryokan is usually served quite early, generally
before 08:00.) We dined in the same place as the previous evening, our
private room Ishibuki in Saryô Hanano on the 3/F. When we arrived,
almost all of the dishes had already been laid out on the table,
together with the breakfast menu. Unlike dinner, however, there was no
English translation. (Unless you cannot read any Japanese or Chinese
characters at all, it does not really make much difference!) |
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Regardless of which accommodation package guests book, everyone is
served exactly the same breakfast. The only different is where you eat.
Apart from the rice and the fruit juice served at the end, the breakfast
consisted of ten dishes. To begin with were three small starters.
Although each had quite a rich flavour, none of them left a strong
aftertaste, so the flavours did not linger in the mouth. They worked
very well as a light starter to stimulate the appetite. |
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Sashimi: squid (yari-ika) |
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Middle dish: Kurayoshi momen tofu |
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Grill: overnight-dried horse mackerel and
locally made tofu chikuwa |
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The sashimi this morning was yari-ika, a type of squid. Hong Kong people
often become completely confused when they see names and type of squids
in Taiwan. In Hong Kong, all of these are simply called 'squid',
although people still distinguish between squid and cuttlefish. Japan is
even more general in its naming, as almost everything is simply called
ika (イカ). It is actually quite rare to see the
specific species written, as it was here with yari-ika. Sometimes, when
writing my travel articles, I even struggle to decide whether ika should
be translated as 'squid' or 'cuttlefish'. |
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Tofu is almost an essential ingredient in a traditional ryokan
breakfast. Misasa Onsen is close to Kurayoshi, which is well known for
its tofu, so this breakfast featured Kurayoshi Momen Tofu. Momen tofu is
similar to the firm cotton tofu commonly found in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
It has a dense texture and a rich soybean flavour. |
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Another dish that appears very frequently at ryokan breakfast is
ichiyaboshi (一夜干し, overnight-dried fish). This
time it was made with horse mackerel. In the San'in region, however, it
is often served together with tofu chikuwa. Ordinary chikuwa is made
from fish paste, but in San'in, tofu is mixed into the fish paste to
create this local speciality. That is why you will often see chikuwa
being sold even in local tofu shops around Tottori. |
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Simmered dish: country-style takiawase |
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Steamed dish: chawanmushi with plum |
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Small bowl: vegetable salad |
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Hot dish: miso clam soup |
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Side dish: Izanrô Iwasaki's homemade roasted
nori |
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Rice: premium Misasa Koshihikari rice |
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Pickles: Hiroshima greens and shibazuke |
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Another ingredient that seems to appear in ryokan breakfasts
surprisingly often is small aubergine. Although it is prepared in
different ways, it somehow always seems to make an appearance. This
morning it was included in the simmered dish, country-style takiawase,
which is rather similar to oden. A variety of simple countryside
ingredients are gently simmered together in a seasoned broth, with no
fixed combination of ingredients. This version included small aubergine,
squash, daikon and hiryûzu (tofu puff with vegetables stuffing). The
remaining dishes felt fairly ordinary and were all things you could
easily find elsewhere. The one with the strongest local flavour was the
miso clam soup, which we had encountered almost every morning while
travelling around San'in. It was always very enjoyable. |
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One slightly unusual thing was that the individually wrapped roasted
nori counted as a dish in its own right (although it was packaged by
ryokan itself). You could wrap it around the rice or simply add it to
the soup. Breakfast finished with a glass of apple juice rather than
fresh fruit, which somehow made it feel as though something was missing.
Overall, it was certainly a generous breakfast, but it did not contain
many surprises. Compared with dinner, the evening kaiseki meal was
definitely the more memorable dining experience. |
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After breakfast, it was naturally time for one last hot spring bath
before checking out. We could have tried Left Bath, as the men's and
women's baths had swapped over that morning. However, since our room had
its own private hot spring bath, we decided not to. After enjoying one
final bath, we checked out and set off for our first destination of the
day – Yura Station (由良駅). |
Click here for English Version 正一非常喜歡自駕遊。要合法在外國駕駛，首先需要「國際駕駛許可證...