Satoshi Nihonyanagi
Welcome to my blog, Green Tea Club !
I'll show you all the beauties and goodies in Shizuoka through this blog.
If you have any inquiry, please feel free to post your messages on it.
Hope to see you around in Shizuoka !
Main content starts here.
12/26/2011 [Mon]
Shuzenji Onsen Spa Resort ― Oni-no Sumika [Izu City]
Once upon a time, there was a hotel that lots of genuine writers and painters lived in. It’s called “Kikufuji Hotel” and people used to name it “Oni-no Sumika”, the den of Japanese Oni monsters.
“Oni-no Sumika” is a famous story published in 1967. Now, the name was taken over by a ryokan located in Shuzenji, the mecca of cultural artists.
That is, Ryotei Ryokan “Oni-no Sumika”.
ONI no SUMIKA carries out the very mind of traditional Omotenashi ( hospitality ) being taken in Sekitei, Atami, and you can refresh yourself without being known to others. That’s definitely kind of lovely secret place as though Oni lives in the hidden domicile in the mountain. That time, I was lucky to be let in inside Oni-no Sumika, one of the most luxurious ryokans in Shuzenji. See the dignified gate. Made me very nervous.
Now, let’s get in. There are 12 rooms, actually separated villas surrounding the garden and ponds. So please forget the inside-the-building image because you will walk to your room through the walkway under the sky.
Walking along the pathway, I could see some rooms, “Arashiyama”, “Yamashina”, “Uji”……, the name of Kyoto basically indicates Japanese-style, and “Nagasaki” and “Shimoda” once a trading gateway indicate Western style. I was invited in a room to look around. Appreciate it !
The Japanese style has 2 rooms, Hon-ma living room and Tsugi-no-ma bed room. The spacious room itself gave me an inexplicable comfort, I felt. I opened the door and found a beautiful Japanese garden ! Awesome ！＾＾
The meals will be prepared in Kaiseki Japanese Cuisine style using seasonal best ingredients.
Please see the details from here.
This is the communal open-air onsen bath. It would be very romantic to see a stadium of stars bathing in the natural hot spring. Just relax yourself leaving everyday life behind
Generally, Onsen Ryokan has the aspect that some friends flock together to make a joyful party but here in Oni-no Sumika, it should be totally different. This is the place where you stay with someone you care so much for, like your sweetest girl/boy-friend or beloved family.
Supreme Omotenashi in the circumstance of your own away from the actual world, that is the very image that Oni enjoys his life in the hidden world in deep mountains. And that’s very what Oni-no Sumika is meant to be. Come and visit Shuzenji and explore the world of ONI no SUMIKA to feel Japanese sovereign culture and hospitality. Communicable in English.
Ishi-no Wa Group “Ryotei Ryokan Oni-no Sumika”
Access ： JR Tokyo → JR Mishima → Izu-hakone Railway（ 30 min ）Shuzenji Station → 10 minutes by #1 bus to Shuzenji Onsen → 10-15 walk
Or 10 minutes by taxi from Shuzenji Station
Reference room-rate ： ￥40,000 〜 ／Adult with dinner and breakfast
Booking and Inquiries ： By phone or e-mail
For Japanese (738KB)
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Posted by Satoshi Nihonyanagi at 13:29 Permanent Link Trackback ( 0 ) Comments ( 0 )
12/21/2011 [Wed]
Hatsumode, the first visit to a shrine or temple [Event Information]
We Japanese usually make a Hatsumode, the first visit to a shrine or temple, on the first day of January to pray for the safety of our families. Some go after breakfast or lunch but quite a lot of people visit shrines or temples in the midnight of new-year’s eve to listen to Joya-no Kane, the Buddhist 108 bells and to pray as early as possible on the beginning day of the New Year. I make it a point to have Toshikosi Soba ― soba noodle traditionally we have right before the clock rings the bell at 0:00 that tells the new year’s day ― and visit S-Pulse Dream Plaza for the Count-down Fireworks. And I go back home and sleep and wake up, maybe around noon, and visit some shrines to eat……, no, to pray, wishing a lovely year to come. Lots of food stalls are supposed to be around temples or shrines and that is kind of fun to me ! Junkie, huh ? ＾＾；
Anyway, here I show you some temples and shrines popular in Shizuoka. For further information, please post your message !
|
Name of Temple or Shrine |
Cities located |
Access |
|
Mishima Taisha Shrine |
Mishima City |
10 minute walk from JR Mishima Station |
|
Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha Shrine |
Fujinomiya City |
10 minute walk from JR Fujinomiya Station |
|
Bishamonten Myohoji Temple |
Fuji City |
10 minute walk from JR Yoshiwara Station |
|
Shizuoka Sengen Shrine |
Shizuoka City |
15 minute walk from JR Shizuoka Station |
|
Kunozan Toshogu Shrine |
Shizuoka City |
20 minutes by bus from JR Shizuoka Station |
|
Oi Shrine |
Shimada City |
5 minutes on foot from JR Shimada Station |
|
Hattasan Son-eiji Temple |
Fukuroi City |
15 minutes by bus from JR Fukuroi Station |
|
Kasuisai Temple |
Fukuroi City |
10 minutes by bus from JR Fukuroi Station |
|
Yusanji Temple |
Fukuroi City |
15 minutes by car from JR Fukuroi Station |
|
Okuni Shrine |
Mori Town |
10 minutes by car from Enshu-mori Station |
|
Ryotanji Temple |
Hamamatsu City |
5 minutes by car from Kanasashi Station |
|
Hokoji Okuyama Hansobo Temple |
Hamamatsu City |
60 minutes by bus from JR Hamamatsu Sta. |
|
Jissoji Temple |
Hamamatsu City |
10 minute walk from Kanasashi Station |
|
Iinoya-gu Shrine |
Hamamatsu City |
40 minutes on foot from Kanasashi Station |
Join us in Twitter φ(・ω・ )
“Shizuoka Guide” is our official English blog website for events & sightseeing. Always with you ! ＾＾
Posted by Satoshi Nihonyanagi at 10:41 Permanent Link Trackback ( 0 ) Comments ( 2 )
12/20/2011 [Tue]
Shizuoka Mt. Fuji Green-tea Plaza ― Tokyo Office [Information]
In the first basement of Tokyo Kotsu Kaikan, Yuraku-cho, Tokyo, stands our Tokyo office. It was just renovated and has been newly opened since Nov 2, 2011 with function not only of tourist information office but of a creative idea. That is, a tea-room. You may be served free green tea if you visit there as a customer but if you like to learn the traditional how-to and taste the real sweetness of green tea, please come and get seated at the table. You can enjoy exclusive green-tea using 100% pure water of Mt. Fuji served by a professional green-tea instructor, though not free, with a special selection of Shizuoka snack.
This is how.
・Choose one variety of green tea and also one sweet.
・The instructor will tell you about green tea ( histories, production areas, tastes )
・Taste the first cup to find the loveliness of authentic flavor.
・Maybe bite the snack to extract each sweetness.
・Taste the second cup and enjoy the difference.
・Taste the third cup and refresh yourself.
As of Dec 19, there are five kinds of green-tea ( of Makinohara, Kakegawa, Honyama, Fuji and Kawane ) and five varieties of snacks.
Kakegawa green tea won the prize for the section of “fukamushi-cha” deep-steamed tea and Kawane of the “sen-cha” steamed tea. Anyway you chose one among each five. Of course you can ask them for brochures of Shizuoka or also you can buy some souvenirs or the green-teas you’ve tasted there. Some speak in English. The inner aspect is imaged a cocoon ball, by the way. It will make you feel mellow !
I’ll keep the up-to-date menu in the other PDF.
Enjoy Shizuoka’s best renowned and first-rated green-tea !
Shizuoka Mt. Fuji Green-tea Plaza
Access ： 1 minute walk from JR Yuraku-cho Station
Green-tea with a sweet ： ￥400
Open Hours ： 10:30 – 19:00 ( Green-tea must be ordered by 18:30 )
Closed ： from Dec 29 through Jan 3
Join us in Twitter φ(・ω・ )
“Shizuoka Guide” is our official English blog website for events & sightseeing. Always with you ! ＾＾
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12/12/2011 [Mon]
Shuzenji Onsen spa resort − Goyokan [Izu City]
I’ll start with “Goyokan”, one of the most unique ryokans among traditional ryokan inns in Shuzenji Onsen spa resort. Established in 1926, it used to be a B&B style accommodation available with very reasonable rates, but recently, since Sep, 2011, it has been renovated and reborn as a ryokan style that also serves dinner and breakfast. 8 rooms in all, or maybe I should say 8 varieties because each room has characteristic features according to its master’s taste. Not alike other ryokans, nakai-san ( serving ladies ) won’t come into your room for preparing dinner or beds. Just relax yourself alone in your room.＾＾
Now, let me introduce some rooms of Goyokan. Though “Ryokan” may make you imagine typical “Japanese style”, these rooms will blow off your fixed idea. “Stylish” I would say. They may look Edo style at a glance but in fact, they are designed in reference to Feng Shui, the Chinese fortune. Each room has a theme color, like this room, for example, “White room – Taketora ( bamboo and tiger ) ” is set out basically with white things such as wallpapers. The pictures of bamboo grass and others are all hand-written. You can find varieties of drawings in Goyokan. Keep your eyes onto everywhere !
Now, what do you think ? All rooms look so fresh and creative, don’t they ? Most of the rooms are suited along Katsura River that flows in the center of Shuzenji town and I felt very refreshed by sitting on a couch by the window and listening to the stream. As you can see in the picture, Futon ( Japanese-style bed ) is ready right before you check-in so that you can lie about anytime.
Onsen comes next. It may be good enough for you to enjoy it in the large common bathroom but here I would strongly recommend you to book the private onsen room ! It also stands by the river. Pleasant with sounds of the stream. However, here is a surprise. The bathroom is equipped with a speaker with i-pod connection on it, and you can listen to your favorite music even during bathing. Be sure not to stay in it until you get dizzy. The large common baths below, by the way, can be reserved for the private until 18:00. It’s too luxurious to use them just for yourself, don’t you think ?＾＾
Basically, there are three types available for the accommodation plans of Goyokan. That is, with dinner and breakfast, with breakfast, or without any of them. Dinner is the alternative of Japanese or Western-style. Especially, their Italian dishes are wonderful ! Also try their rice porridge cooked with onsen ! And you know what ? Goyokan is a family-run and that enables them to offer services with family-like warmth, like you may hear “I’m home” or “welcome back” as families often do. Goyokan is definitely a traditional and high class looking ryokan that everybody loves.
Shuzenji Onsen・Goyokan
Access ： JR Mishima Sta. → Izu-hakone Railway（ 30 min ）Shuzenji Sta. → 10 minutes by bus from #１ bus stop to “Shuzenji Onsen” and 1 minute walk
Reference Rate ：
￥10,650〜／adult, one night without dinner & breakfast
￥11,910〜／adult, one night with breakfast
￥15,690〜／adult, one night with dinner & breakfast
Inquiries ： By phone, e-mail, or through website ( acceptable in English )
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“Shizuoka Guide” is our official English blog website for events & sightseeing. Always with you ! ＾＾
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12/02/2011 [Fri]
An Onsen Resort with histories and traditions − Shuzenji Onsen [Izu City]
45 minute ride on the bus took me to Shuzenji Onsen in the center of Izu Peninsula. Though I’ve ever reported about Shuzenji Onsen several times before, I here introduce again some of the tourist spots of Shuzenji briefly. First definitely comes the picture of town which always reminds me of Arashiyama, Kyoto. It may always look small but luxurious to me, the very Onsen resort that Japan can boast of, I would say.
Shuzenji Temple
This is “Shuzenji Temple” established by Kobo-daishi more than 1200 years ago. It’s also known as one of the best spots for Koyo ( autumn leaves ) around this season.
Tokko-no Yu in Katsura River
You can’t tell about Kobo-daishi without “Tokko-no Yu” hot spring. About 1200 years ago, Kobo-daishi saw a benevolent boy in Katsura River washing his diseased father’s body and thought the water would be too cold for them to get poured. So he stood on the riverside to tap a rock with his Tokko, an instrument for Buddhist rituals. Then, believe it or not, hot water blew out. This is how Shuzenji Onsen began. Tokko-no Yu is the very origin of Shuzenji spa resort. There you can now enjoy it as Ashiyu foot spa free of charge.
Typical Image of Shuzenji
Walking along Katsura River, you will see the picturesque sceneries as in the picture with autumn leaves and the red bridge.
Chikurin-no Komichi
Going across the red bridge, you will get into the well-known “Chikurin-no Komichi”, the pathway in the bamboo forest. This is the very image of Japanese traditional cultures. Actually, there used to come old great literary figures and artists in Shuzenji and they left a body of works that have become representative of Japanese literature. Accordingly, there are lots of traditional ryokan inns in Shuzenji and this time, I’ll introduce some of them, especially some of the most luxurious ones to let you know what is the tradition !
Shuzenji Station
The autumn leaves around Shuzenji are now at their best, by the way. I strongly advise you living in Japan to visit Shuzenji this weekend !＾＾ It takes only 1.5 hours from Tokyo by train. Please enjoy the Japan’s best autumn in Shuzenji !
Shuzenji Onsen spa resort
Access ： JR Mishima → Shuzenji Station by Izu-hakone railroad（ 30 min ） → 10 minutes by #１bus to “Shuzenji Onsen”
Join us in Twitter φ(・ω・ )
“Shizuoka Guide” is our official English blog website for events & sightseeing. Always with you ! ＾＾
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