Tiny Fish for Breakfast: Ryokans in Japan by Christine Mason Miller
I have had the wonderful fortune of being able to travel to Japan three times over the past few years. The first two times I tagged along with my husband on business trips, and this last time I went with two girlfriends on a Japanese adventure that included a Grand Sumo Tournament, the Tokyo Fish Market, lovely onsen - Japanese hot springs - in the tiny town of Hakone, Shiatsu massages, Zen rock gardens in Kyoto and all of their wonderful temples and shrines. Japan is a fascinating, beautiful country, and part of what I love about being there is that as a 5’7” blonde, I am a bit of an oddball. I know this makes me sound like an attention hound, but it is more about my amusement over the fact that, even though we are all human beings sharing the same planet, it is still entirely possible to be curiosities to each other. Within one hour of arriving in Kyoto, my friends and I saw a group of Geisha women walking by and we stared in amazement, as if they were ferocious leopards and we were in the wilds of Kenya. A group of teenage Japanese boys then walked by my friends and I, and when one of them said hello and waved to me I said hello and waved back, and this created a cackling ruckus among the entire crowd, as if they somehow managed to get a chimpanzee to take a banana right out of their hands. We are all people, yet somehow unfamiliar physical traits, attire or behavior makes us see each other as an entirely different species.
My friends and I stayed in three places during our trip – Tokyo, Hakone and Kyoto – and while in the latter two we stayed at Ryokans, which are traditional Japanese inns. These are modest rooms with tatami floor mats and doorways that made me feel like a giant as they were barely an inch taller than I am. During the day our room served as a living room, with a low table in the center where breakfast and dinner were served. We had the choice of Japanese breakfasts or American, and we decided to go all out and have Japanese, which meant that our usual eggs, coffee and toast were replaced with smoked fish, pickled vegetables, miso soup, tofu and tea. All meals consisted of 10-15 different small dishes, each of which were beautifully presented - small sushi atop brilliant gold leaves, rice in bright turquoise bowls and tiny vegetables inside little baskets that were edible. Every dinner and breakfast was an experience in wondering what, exactly, we were eating and more often than not being delighted by whatever it was.
“When I travel, I especially savor those moments when I am able to get at least some kind of glance into a country’s soul, and the Ryokan experience gave me one of those perspectives. I knew I was seeing a wildly different part of the world when I looked down at my breakfast and saw a bowl filled with dozens of tiny white fish…”
Two other important elements of the Ryokan experience are about bathing and sleeping. A traditional Japanese shower consists of a low, hand-held shower head with a stool and a small tub next to it. The routine is to bathe first, then soak in the tub. It became a very soothing ritual to do this after a long day of sightseeing and exploring not only to relax tired muscles but also to reflect on all the things seen and experienced that day. It was a time of the day that felt almost sacred, soaking in steaming hot water in a small wooden tub as the day was winding down outside our window.
After dinner, the room is transformed into the bedroom. The table is moved out of the way and small futon mattresses are arranged on the floor with a fluffy cover and one pillow. I can’t say it was the most comfortable sleep I have ever had, but there was something vaguely summer camp-ish about it, where I felt like a little girl who needed nothing more than a tiny bit of space in a great big room to slumber peacefully.
We enjoyed two Ryokans on our trip. In Hakone, we stayed at the Hotel Senkei, where we were taken care of during our stay by a lovely woman named Taiko who was a delight to communicate with using a Japanese phrase book, drawings and sign language. The room was comfortable and spacious, the onsens beautiful and their spa facilities enabled us to have a deeply relaxing visit in between the two big cities on our itinerary. In Kyoto, we stayed at Tamahan Ryokan, which was in a very central location, minutes away from a number of temples and shrines. The food was phenomenal at both places, service exceptional and both provided peaceful, comfortable places to rest each evening after long days of wandering, so comfortable that my two friends and I were ready for bed each evening soon after dinner.
As an American, there is only so much of the Japanese way of life I can experience, but staying in these Ryokans gave me a small glimpse of a few traditions that make Japan the country it is. When I travel, I especially savor those moments when I am able to get at least some kind of glance into a country’s soul, and the Ryokan experience gave me one of those perspectives. I knew I was seeing a wildly different part of the world when I looked down at my breakfast and saw a bowl filled with dozens of tiny white fish, all staring at me as if to say, “We’re ready to be eaten by you today – dive in!” So among the dozen or so choices I had in front of me, the first thing I savored within an hour of waking up was a big bite of tiny white fish. Delicious.
Resources:
- Hotel Senkei (Hakone)
- Tamahan Ryokan (Kyoto)
- Japanese Ryokans
(Photo: Author Christine Mason Miller)
Christine Miller is a Los Angeles based artist with nearly 15 years of art, design and illustration experience. She is the creator of the nationally recognized brand Swirly, and her work has been inspiring people of all ages worldwide to make their creative dreams real since 1995. Find her online: swirlygirl.com and at christinemasonmiller.com
