Day 5: Railway Meals Can Taste This Good :)

It's difficult not to marvel at Japanese's creativeness. :) They made railway meals taste just as good as dining in. ;)

We got to try the railway meals on our way back to Nagoya.

We bought 5 bentos from the convenience store at the station. :) The perception of such food is often cold & unappetising. 

This string worked like magic. :) Simply pull it...do not be alarm by the smoke emitting from the box! :)))

After a few minutes, a pipping hot meal was ready for us to savor! :D

Beef with mushroom, sides and rice. :)

Enjoy!

Drinks we brought along with us. :)

All senses were satisfied. :)

Sweet & juicy strawberries on the go too :)

We snacked all the way back to Nagoya. :)))

Mitsue and her warabimochi. :)

Wobbly dessert :)

This has to be the most tasteful train ride ever. :)))

Ryokan Tanabe, Perhaps a Little Overrated

We spent our last nite in Takayama at Ryokan Tanabe. This ryokan has a history of over 70 years.

Mitsue and us were allocated room 23. Our fav number. :)

The room is spacious. But it doesn't have a view. It overlooks the next building and a carpark. :(

The "turtle" beds... :)))

Dinner at Tanabe was mediocre. Nothing quite excites us. 

Beef was cooked over butter in an aluminium tray. The butter overpowered the flavours of Hida beef.

Soba

Fish & pickles

Crab & daikon

Fresh from the sea

Erm....

Chawamushi

Sides

Pickles & soup

Strawberry mousse for dessert, which we left untouched.

Breakfast at Tanabe was really simple, unlike the fancy fare we had at Hoshokaku. 

Miso on Hoba leaf

It went well with rice.

Seaweed

More side dishes 

Ham & salad

Tamago

Saba fish

Miso soup 

Yakult

Perhaps the positive reviews from other guests had heighten our expectations of Ryokan Tanabe. Perhaps our earlier stay at Ryokan Hoshokaku had raised our expectations of what a good ryokan should be.

Our experience at Ryokan Tanabe had been average, peppered with a couple of unpleasant hiccups.

Firstly, our luggages were not handled in a safe manner. They were simply left outside our room. Secondly, there isn't any system of keeping guests' footwear. Mom's boots were mixed up with another guest's. 

We feedback to the ryokan's in-charge...in return for two pairs of chopsticks each. Hopefully constructive improvement efforts will be taken so as not to waste its long heritage.

Details of Ryokan Tanabe:
W:www.tanabe-ryokan.jp

Day 3 - Takayama: Roaming Around Hida Folk Village

Hida Folk Village provides us with a sneak preview of what to expect in Shirakawago the next day. It was picturesque! :) Blue sky, white snow. 

Even Totoros were smiling. :D

Light illumination doesn't start till past 5.30pm during winter so we went out to try our hands at the local craft centre. There were various workshops available and we opted for making of rice crackers. :)

Because we made them, they were tasty even though some were burnt.

This stand alone Zakka store is worth a mention too! :)

Everything was rustically pretty here. :D 

Cute slippers make happy feets :)

Should have bought this little knight on woody horse. :(

I was drawn by its belly! :D

There was time for tea at The Mackintosh Tea Room at Hida Takayama Museum of Art. :)

The afternoon tea platter was a piece of artwork. :)

While Mom, Lin & Beanie were shopping, Mitsue and I roamed around on our own, snapping pics. :)

Mitsue & I had initially wanted to walk towards the tree. We didn't realize the ground was covered by such thick snow, and a silly me fell right through.

Waiting for Mitsue to pull me out! :)))

We headed back to Hida Folk Village for the light illumination. :)

We hid in the shed for some warmth and mushroom tea. :)

Certain areas in the village can be very slippery. If you do not have a good pair of boots, you may rent a pair of rubber ones before venturing around. :)

The scene we were waiting for. :)