Travel Blog: Japan 2019

Exploring Japan

May was quite the busy month, I thought to myself that running around the West Coast and Japan would be the adventure of a lifetime.

 My last trip to Asia was to Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia, I was visiting a friend who had just moved there from Ann Arbor, Michigan. I remember taking photos on my phone at the time and wishing I had a great camera. On the same trip, I remember we took a boat to Indonesia and snuck into a 5-star resort hotel and swam in the infinity pool over looking the China Sea.

 This trip to Asia was to Japan. Japan is known worldwide for its traditional arts, including tea ceremonies, calligraphy and flower arranging. The country has a legacy of distinctive gardens, sculpture and poetry. My husband and I had been planning this trip with friends and colleagues in Tokyo and Kyoto for months. Once we received a warm welcome at the airport from Ryo, my husband’s friend and former student. Tokyo is a faced paced city but still quiet. It was bright and sunny during our first few days before going to Kyoto. We stayed at the Seiyoken Hotel. It was small and cozy. An excellent bathroom and life-changing showerhead made jet lag easier to deal with.

It was very easy to walk from the hotel, go to a restaurant featuring seafood, and then hop on a train when necessary. Best of all, the staff was extremely courteous and thorough. The quality of this hotel was superior to most hotels we have stayed in the past. I’m very gald to have stayed at this hotel for many days; we will be returning on our next trip!

View Hotel Seiyoken for your next trip to Kanagawa Prefecture

 Hida Takayama Village

On our stay in Hida Takayama we stayed one night at SUPER hotel. We were happy to arrive after a 6-hour drive from Tokyo through mountainous roads and tunnels and a full day of rehearsals and performance at the Hida Takayam Jazz Festival. The Hida Jazz festival is held at a traditional Japanese village in Dojos with tatami mats. It overlooks a lake and is surrounded by the mountains.

My husband and I arrived with Rio and Dana to the hotel late in the evening. We were quickly greeted and checked in. At the front desk even if it is very late there is the traditional rice balls with dipping sauce to enjoy. SUPER Hotel also has a “pajama cubby” and “choose you own adventure pillows.” It was late so the choice of pillows was limited at 2AM. I chose a natural buckwheat pillow to sleep on. Finally, after loading our luggage into the elevator, we made it to the room. It was small but oh so cozy. We put on our pajamas, enjoyed the sweet smells of the buckwheat pillow as we drifted off the sleep.

It was very easy to sleep, as even with the window open to the street it was very quiet. Best of all they had an incredible Japanese bath that I had all to myself. Black tiles and a separate shower area with bamboo were peaceful and the perfect meditation space. After the bath we came down to enjoy the nice breakfast adjacent to the check-in area. The seating was clean and plentiful. The food was very good. The selection of white rice, miso soup, salmon slices, egg, seaweed, hot dog, and pickled vegetable were perfect. The coffee was very good too. The quality of this hotel is superior to other hotels I’ve stayed at in the past: I would easily return to stay at on my next trip!

This hotel was definitely one of the unique ones that I’ve experienced. With the sound of birds with the serenity of peace, it’s pretty hard to beat! The next time I’m looking for a hotel in Japan, I won’t have to think about what hotel Ideally I would like to stay at.

View Super Hotel for your next visit to Hida

All images taken and edited by Danielle Turano with 5D Mark II Canon and Adobe LR.