morning ramble honke bankyu

between my public onsen, private onsen then checkout, there was some time to kill before taking the bus to the station. made the most of the glorious autumn day and went on a ramble. oh! doesn't that sound so very english? :) the autumn colours were amazinggg and my lungs felt so clean inhaling the fresh mountain air.

ryokan honke bankyu

keep an eye on this bridge, because little did i know i'd have to cross it for dinner on the other side of the river!

honke bankyu was a seemingly small ryokan built into the river bank. however, looks were deceiving because it actually sprawled the river and there was the dining area on the opposite bank. what was extra special about this ryokan was the private onsen that was right smack on the river bank. if i didn't look properly, it was as if i was bathing in the river! honke bankyu was also more traditional than sanraku and i really liked the rustic feel about the place. there was much attention to detail, right down to the electronic tag fridge! so much for being a traditional ryokan. then again, this disconnect between modernity and tradition is something that intrigues me about japan and keeps me coming back for more.

public onsen is great, private onsen is better. will be sharing photos of our private onsen next :)

journey to honke bankyu

contrary to finding the five hour journey a stretch, it made for some amazing views and before i knew it, safe and sound in honke bankyu.

ryokan photos coming right up :)

lofty mountain peak sanraku

took a little trip to a not-so-nearby mountain on the same public bus that brought me from the station to the ryokan. the air was so clean, the sky so clear and there was even some old snow on the ground. help me out here, does that mean the temperature was hovering around zero degrees? because i sure was freezing up there! had the option of riding the ropeway up the mountain but was too cheap to spring for the ride. whooops ;) more than happy running around the 'base' to keep warm and snapping photos of the golden light on the surroundings.

tomorrow's post: second dinner at sanraku

afternoon stroll and tea sanraku

because i just couldn't get enough of the fall colours (so deprived, i sound) the moment i dumped my luggage i bounded out into the glorious autumn sunshine. don't you just love the dappled light of autumn? i'm freckle-phobic and anti-sun exposure most times but there was just something about the crisp clean air and perfectly blue skies that made me want to skip hop and jump. not like i did, but still!

and after the exertion, it was back to the ryokan for tea in the room. fresh tea cakes and hot tea. mhmm :)

check back tomorrow for the kaiseki dinner!

ryokan sanraku

the ryokan was a sight for sore eyes in a mountainous part of japan. the bus went uphill all the way and my ears didn't stop popping. surprise surprise that the ryokan was literally across the road from the bus stop :) the interior was relatively modern and exquisitely done up. all i could think of was dinner!

will be sharing photos from my afternoon stroll and tea in the lounge tomorrow.

whirlwind city spin shanghai

whatever we didn't finish on the first two days, we accomplished on our last morning in shanghai. was very fortunate to arrange a meeting with a lovely shanghainese gentleman and he graciously dropped everything to host us on our last morning. he gave us a comprehensive city tour and introduced all the 'da sha' in the financial centre, brought us back to his palatial apartment for some very refined tie guan yin and a view from his balcony (best real estate in shanghai!) and then whisked us to the grand hyatt (must see!) for more high altitude views over lunch at their restaurant on the 88th floor. i've never eaten so high up before, in-flight dining notwithstanding.

view from the balcony!

that's us on the balcony!

funnily enough, across the river from the waterhouse which is just behind the hideous boat

view from the restaurant on the 88th floor of the grand hyatt

doesn't the sheer opulence of this design tickle you? level 1 to 53 are offices, level 54 is the grand hyatt lobby and level 55 upwards are the guest rooms. however, the centre of the building is hollowed out to form this uber impressive void, and give the impression of excess because hey that is so much wasted space!