After another great Hotel Royal Morioka breakfast we packed up and headed to the Hotel Shion. Being early we dropped off our bags at the reception desk and headed out for a walk across the Tsunagiohashi Bridge. It did feel like it went on forever but eventually we crossed and after a while came to the Cherry Blossom Garden in the Goshoko Regional Park.
The trees were losing their leaves faster than changing colors. We did see a bit of wildlife, several very large, about 1 1/2” Soro spiders, (they can get up to 3” !) I tried several times to take my own picture but couldn’t get focused on the vibrating spider so once again I used the web, full disclosure.
Then back across the infinity bridge to soak our feet in a public foot hot spring, ( onsen ) a small roofed roadside public amenity. A little sulfur smell but a hot soothing soak.
By then our room was ready, and wow what a room.
And if you look closely you won’t see a bed. It is a futon that is made up each evening and put away each morning. We also have an Ofuro, a traditional Japanese tub that you wash first, while sitting on a low stool, and then soak in the tall but not long tub, saving the water in the tub for another use. When I worked in Japan I had use of a hinoki wood Ofuro that the entire ryokan shared it.
Now off to our hotel provided dinner.
And a dinner not to be believed, I hope these speak a thousand words, I’m to full to put more energy into it…
And they kept serving more as the evening went on. Some items were too new for E so John helped out as he could.
The Menu
