Feeling Tookish: Ryoken in Kyoto

A ryoken is a traditional Japenese hotel. I was greeted at the and escorted to a seat in the lobby. While they prepared my room key, I was given a cup of sweet lemon tea. All the female staff are in kimonos, and the men are in suits.

View from my room

This is more of a resort, than a hotel. Lots of families and couples. I think Im the only foreigner, and possibly the only single guest. Everyone wanders around in their Yakuta, even the kids. There are hot baths, complimentary beverages and snacks around 5 pm, a full gourmet dinner, karaoke lounge, and an enormous breakfast buffet. But exactly convenient for sightseeing in Kyoto, because I have to get a taxi to the local station, and then a local train, but its beautiful, and certainly an experience.

Dinner:

Menu (is upside down, but reading right to left, each column describes the course).

Some sweet custardy thing inside this. It was delicious

Soup course

Sashimi

Fish course

Ok, this one I didn't really get. They brought raw meat and some greens, and this cool container of water, that you then boilled on a little grill on the table. But couldn't quite get the logistics. The result was very bland, but I think I was doing something wrong...