Takaragawa really is the single best way to start a trip to Japan. We loved it so much last time that there was no way we weren't going again this time. On our last visit it was the middle of summer. Not exactly the most comfortable time of year to sit in hot baths but still very enjoyable. The surroundings were so beautiful, green and serene and the atmosphere so relaxing that by the time we left we felt we'd been away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life for weeks.
This time it was quite different in that there was still lots of snow around and the trees were anything but green. The first afternoon we dropped out bags in our room and made a beeline for our favourite bath. The near-freezing temperature made for excellent bathing weather and made you forget about the cold, but we agreed that the stark, bare trees weren't nearly as beautiful as summer.
However, much to our delight, the next morning we woke to find it was snowing. We hurried ourselves off to breakfast and then made our way back down to the baths. Takaragawa in summer is beautiful. Takaragawa when it is snowing is magical. There's something very special about sitting in 42 degree water while you get snowed on. Every so often the breeze would come up a bit and blow some of the snow that had settled onto the trees off onto the bathers beneath. Nobody complained. It's an odd sensation to be sitting all but butt-naked in the snow and not think it is cold... We went for another three baths that day and did very little else... There's nothing else really to do.. That's part of the magic.
That night we met Youji. He stuck his head in to our dining room and said 'Bonjourno!' and got the shock of his life when I replied with 'konbanwa!'. He asked if we liked wine, to which I replied that I am allergic to wine (much to the amusement of the waitress who had just confirmed with me that I am allergic to fish). Undeterred, he asked if we liked sake and sent the waitress off to get him a bottle so that he could give us a glass each. It was a rather potent brew, but I drank it to get it out of the way so I could drink something that I liked. But then, of course, Youji came back and saw, with delight, that I had finished my glass of sake and insisted on pouring me some more! I learned my lesson and left the sake so that when he returned a while later, he was disappointed to discover that I did not need a top up.
After we finished our meal we thanked him for the drink and he asked if we would join him and his female companion for dinner the next night. I agreed out of politeness and thought that considering he was quite drunk surely he would forget by the next day and we would be off the hook. Ha.
Tuesday morning we bumped into Youji on our way back from our second bath for the day. He again asked if we would join him for dinner and invited us to his room for a drink. We were heading off to get some lunch but said we would drop by later and once again, out of politeness agreed to dinner. I knew we weren’t going to get away with not doing it now.
A while later we made our way up to Youji’s room but found nobody was there so figured we’d go have another bath (third for the day) and try again later. On our way back from the bath we bumped into Youji and Junko on their way to the baths. I explained we had tried to go visit and they apologised profusely and insisted again that we have dinner together.
So at 6pm we made our way down to the dining room and were ushered in to Youji and Junko’s table. It turns out they are regulars and visit more than a few times a year. All the staff know them and they get special food not listed on the menu as extras. Ha. At Brisbane airport on our way out I had grabbed a little bottle of rum from duty free for no particular reason other than thinking it would probably make a good gift for someone along the way. Seeing as Youji was so fond of rocket-fuel like drinks, we figured the rum was just about perfect for him and he was over the moon when we handed it over. He drank it straight and thought it was great. I had heartburn just thinking about it. Youji offered to go and get some ‘awamori’ from his room (it’s a distilled sake – an Okinawan speciality) for James to try. James attempted to tell him ‘next time’, but accidentally said ‘tomorrow’ instead….. We didn’t finish up at dinner until about 830 and of course it was then insisted that we join them for breakfast. The night had actually turned out to be a lot of fun so we happily agreed before shivering our way down to the baths for another dip.
The next morning we woke to more snow and rushed down for one final dip at about 6am. Then, after some hurried packing, we made our way to the dining room for breakfast with Youji and Junko. As James had told him ‘tomorrow’ when he had offered awamori, of course he arrived to breakfast with his very fancy flask and we got to sample some awamori and aged Yamazaki whisky. Pretty sure that’s the earliest we’ve ever had a drink before!
After a further flurry of packing we trundled upstairs just in time for the bus to the train station and to wave goodbye to Youji and Junko who were also checking out. He was, or course, driving a very new left-hand-drive Mercedes convertible and as they were leaving I heard one of the staff say ‘see you next month!’. Ha. I wish I could go back next month…
Throughout the course of the evening and morning they asked us many, many times to go and visit them in Nikko before we leave. We’re unsure if we’ll have time yet, but if we do, we know we’re guaranteed of a good time!
