Ryokan and Hida beef

Staying in a ryokan was an interesting experience. Two nights sleeping on the floor with a thin mattress is certainly enough and we are now looking forward to a more comfortable hotel back in Ginza when we arrive this afternoon. The staff and the ryokan were extremely friendly, and spoke very little English, but this was no issue. Each night we were served a huge meal which consisted of about 10 dishes. The dishes included, sashimi, pickles, salad, fish, miso soup, noodles, rice, and generous servings of Hida beef. Hida beef is the most amazing beef we have ever tasted and in the local butcher it was over 13,000 yen a kilo (approx $140 per kilo). Each night we had 5 pieces cut for grilling, and 5 pieces sliced for shabu shabu style cooking. You cook the meat yourself with the burner and grill built into the tables. For breakfast we were served another 8 courses which we really struggled through. This morning the breakfast consisted of a dried fish which neither of us could stomach first thing in the morning. We still proceeded to eat the rice, miso soup, silken tofu, green tea and orange juice.

While waiting at Takayama station in front of a vending machine we decided to try one of the coffee selections that come in a can. Expecting it to come out cold, we were surprised to pick up a heated can out of the vending machine. The coffee was actually really good and I suspect we will try more varieties before we leave.

Picture of old town Takayama.