Takayama - Onsons and Soba!

Today we travelled from Tokyo to Takayama by, firstly, the bullet train and then changing to a more sedate train, which wound its way through mountains and valleys, which were snow laden. Glad we packed our winter clothes for this journey! We arrive at the station and are whisked away to our hotel, the Honjin Hiranoya Bekkan. We were shown to our room by a traditionally dressed lady. Our room is sparse; basically there is just a single room with a very low cut table and an even lower cut chair - this will be fun! The walls of the room look paper thin, as does the sliding door from our hallway - dare I say, like the room James Bond nearly met his death in You Only Live Twice. So where is the bed? Apparently we will find out later. So we go for a stroll, wearing our warmest clothes as it's freezing. Off through the quaint market and then down very narrow streets, that are lined with wooden buildings that resemble rather large wooden sheds, albeit rather more magnificent. We stop off to taste the food and, in particular, the local dish of Soba, which is a noodle dish that has been made here for centuries. It's absolutely delicious and just perfect on such a cold day. That evening we return to the hotel and our bed is made - basically, two mattresses and a duvet on the floor in the single room. But it feels right and it looks great - hopefully we will have a good nights sleep! Before then, off to have a dip in the hot baths, called Onsons. Seperate facilities for men and women as it's a 'fabric free' zone. The baths are really lovely as are the beauty products, which make the skin feel great. Suitably chilled and renewed, we take to our bed - Diane dreams about lazing on a sandy beach and Keith is glad he doesn't have to wear a tuxedo aka James Bond.