Japan Travel Diary

Kaga Onsen 加賀温泉
Kaga Onsen station is a short train journey away from Kanazawa. When you arrive at the station you are greeted by a golden Kannon statue looking over the station.

On the train on the way over I had some local ekiben. Ekiben are boxed meals, sold at major train stations. They come in handy on longer train journeys, and are a great way to try local specialities while travelling around the country. I miss these bento meals, and wish that the UK would get better at this kind of thing. Looking at all the sad looking sandwiches lined up on meal deal shelves in English shops, just makes me miss Japan even more!

Anyway.. Kaga Onsen... I chose to stay at Hoshi Ryokan, which is the second oldest hotel in the world, found in the year 718. It's in the Awazu onsen area of Kaga onsen, so I caught the onsen's free shuttle bus over to the ryokan. When I arrived, I took my shoes off, and was served matcha and wagashi (Japanese sweet) in the tearoom.

While planning this trip, I knew that I wanted a ryokan with a very typical traditional looking room with tatami mat flooring, sliding doors, and space for my futon on the floor. When I arrived at my room, I was amazed at how big it was! I have all this space to myself?!

The room looked out over the ryokan's gardens. When I arrived I was served green tea and rice crackers and then left to explore the room, and enjoy the hot spring baths.
Another thing I wanted my ryokan stay to have, was a rotenburo (outdoor bath). I went and relaxed in the baths for a while (I had it to myself), got changed into my yukata and went for dinner. Dinner is included at a lot of ryokan, and it's normally an elaborate meal with lots of small courses. The meal will be varied depending on the season.

I couldn't tell you what some of this food was, but it was delicious! I think I kept the menu, I'll upload a photo if I can find it.
When I got back to my room, my futon had been laid out ready for bed. The first time I slept on a futon on a tatami floor, I was shocked at how comfortable it was. The one at this hotel was just as comfortable.
The next morning before breakfast I went for a little wander around the hotel's gardens. These gardens are in the centre of the hotel, surrounded by the building. Everything is moss covered and there are koi fish in the ponds.