Prior to leaving for Japan, the natural hot springs was a must do for some of us. Hot springs are found throughout the world, but Japan is one of the few countries who are most renowned for them. Because of our great interest, a night in Atami was on our schedule. In order to get there, we had to take a Shinkansen train (bullet train) which was also a “must see” for me.
These types of trains are found in very few parts of the world, but Japan was the very first to dedicate their railways for high-speed travel. In 1964, Japan developed the first bullet train which traveled up to 130mph. Now, although I couldn’t feel it, we were riding the N700 at a maximum speed of 168mph! To give you a better idea, the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) travels at a maximum speed of 80mph.
In less than 40 minutes (about 60 miles of travel) we had arrived in Atami. For one night, the girls were split into two Japanese-style rooms (Washitsus) with a beautiful ocean view. Each Washitsu had the custom tatami flooring and shoji doors and provided each guest with their own Yukata (a Japanese bathrobe) to wear around the hotel.
After all of us put on our Yukatas, a few girls went to get a full massage as the others experienced the natural hot springs (onsens) before dinner time. We decided to experience the outdoor onsen since the weather was beautiful. What a relaxing evening!
To finish up the evening, Yoshi and Yoshimi hosted a Japanese Kaiseki; a traditional, formal, multi-course dinner. A Kaiseki dinner can consist of anywhere from six to fifteen kinds of food. It was originally a vegetarian meal served during the traditional tea ceremony, but nowadays, it may also include both seafood and meat. Also, it is tradition for the host(s) to serve each course immediately after it is prepared to maintain the freshness of the meal.
After freshening up, our group of girls (dressed in our yukatas) was escorted to our dining room. In the middle of the room, we found an extremely long table with nine seats and an abundance of food on small plates in front of each setting. In our case, Yoshi and Yoshimi were the hosts and sat at the head of the table. To them, this was custom. To us, we felt spoiled. My tea glass was never empty because Yoshimi always filled it up when it was half full. I never had a cold piece of meat because Yoshi served one piece at a time and as soon as I ate mine, a fresh one was served to me. We must have had at least ten courses! I tried so many new things that night, including a few things I probably would never (and may never) order on my own will. I love food and everything about it (especially consuming it) and after the millions of restaurants I have been to, this was most likely the best food experience I have ever had. Not only was the food delicious, the service was impeccable. When you look up, “hospitality,” in the dictionary, it may as well say, “Japanese culture.”
These types of trains are found in very few parts of the world, but Japan was the very first to dedicate their railways for high-speed travel. In 1964, Japan developed the first bullet train which traveled up to 130mph. Now, although I couldn’t feel it, we were riding the N700 at a maximum speed of 168mph! To give you a better idea, the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) travels at a maximum speed of 80mph.
In less than 40 minutes (about 60 miles of travel) we had arrived in Atami. For one night, the girls were split into two Japanese-style rooms (Washitsus) with a beautiful ocean view. Each Washitsu had the custom tatami flooring and shoji doors and provided each guest with their own Yukata (a Japanese bathrobe) to wear around the hotel.
After all of us put on our Yukatas, a few girls went to get a full massage as the others experienced the natural hot springs (onsens) before dinner time. We decided to experience the outdoor onsen since the weather was beautiful. What a relaxing evening!
To finish up the evening, Yoshi and Yoshimi hosted a Japanese Kaiseki; a traditional, formal, multi-course dinner. A Kaiseki dinner can consist of anywhere from six to fifteen kinds of food. It was originally a vegetarian meal served during the traditional tea ceremony, but nowadays, it may also include both seafood and meat. Also, it is tradition for the host(s) to serve each course immediately after it is prepared to maintain the freshness of the meal.
After freshening up, our group of girls (dressed in our yukatas) was escorted to our dining room. In the middle of the room, we found an extremely long table with nine seats and an abundance of food on small plates in front of each setting. In our case, Yoshi and Yoshimi were the hosts and sat at the head of the table. To them, this was custom. To us, we felt spoiled. My tea glass was never empty because Yoshimi always filled it up when it was half full. I never had a cold piece of meat because Yoshi served one piece at a time and as soon as I ate mine, a fresh one was served to me. We must have had at least ten courses! I tried so many new things that night, including a few things I probably would never (and may never) order on my own will. I love food and everything about it (especially consuming it) and after the millions of restaurants I have been to, this was most likely the best food experience I have ever had. Not only was the food delicious, the service was impeccable. When you look up, “hospitality,” in the dictionary, it may as well say, “Japanese culture.”
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