Yesterday we left Tokyo bright and early in the morning to catch a speed train, then a local train, followed by a bus in the Japanese mountains to a small town called Magome, where we then hiked 7.7km to Tsumago. The pain began early that day while climbing the post town of Magome with 30+ lbs strapped to our backs. The hike through the town was up a very steep hill but fortunately, lined with old styled buildings with souvineirs and foods to keep us visually entertained. But the pain got worse, when we realized we hadn't even begun the hiking trail yet, which was just as steep for the first 2km. The downhill portions were not much better since our bags seemed to gain weight as the drizzle turned into rain, and our shoes lost their comfort.
But we were determined to succeed in our effort. And succeed we did - with the help of a little old lady that followed us into Tsumago from the outskirts to make sure we found our hotel okay (even though we could not understand each other). Finally, we arrived at Fujioto - a sight welcomed after our long, wet journey. The owners, husband and wife, were very friendly and spoke English better in this small town of 200 than most people we encountered in the large city of Tokyo. They were so kind that they postponed our dinner so that we could take a Japenese Onsen - basically, an indoor hot tub - which was perfect for those sore muscles and feet. After having a refreshing bath, we were blessed with a fabulous dinner - one of the most unique ever encountered on our part - and might have turned away less adventurous eaters. The meal included Invisible Fish (a highly sought after trout found only in the highest parts of the river that runs through Tsumago) served in its entirety (head and tail in all), marinated bees that build their hives under ground (yes - I said "bees"), and a fried and marinated river crab (which you eat whole, shell and all). These foods may sound a little strange, but they were beautifully prepared and tasted exquisitely. We also had trout sashimi (raw fish), miso soup, pickled vegetables, soba noodles (famous Japanese noodle type), and of course some sake that was especially smooth. All the while, the owner/chef explained each food in complete detail with instructions on how to eat the more intricate foods. After dinner we promptly put ourselves to bed (at only 9:00 pm but we use the excuse that we are still on US time), in our very large, upstairs room that overlooked the beautiful gardens on both the front and back of the property.
The next day, we rose early and visited the small, quaint town of Tsumago - visiting the town's impressive museum on the history of the town and county, and shopping at the small unique shops. Another unique factoid that we found out the night before was that the ryokan (B&B) Fujioto was not supposed to be open the day that we stayed there - we lucked out because the owner's daughter was coming to visit with friends, so the owners allowed us to make a reservation (of which we were the only other tenants that night). The next morning, the owners daughter kindly offered to take us to the neighboring town for the flowering of the azaleas. But unfortunately we had to decline due to our schedule.
The thing to note most importantly about Tsumago was the kindness and willingness to help strangers.
We left around lunch time to catch a bus to the neighboring town of Nagiso where we then caught three trains to Kyoto. And so began our adventures in Kyoto.
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