Two Aussie friends visited Japan to see thier grand son. I went to Hakone with them for sight-seeing. I was not sure that they were interested in hot springs and old Japanese cultures. But, I like them. So, I arranged this trip for myself, and hopefully for them.
We stayed in an old hotel, Fukuzumiro (http://www.fukuzumi-ro.com/index.htm). The hotel is 115 years old. In the long history, to write a story, there stayed a lot of famous novelists; Yasunari Kawabata, Jiro Osaragi, Eijiro Yoshikawa and so on. Actually, the hotel is silent. We can listen to only the sound of river near the hotel. The condition is good for thinking about and writing something.
The hot spring of the hotel is not big. But, the quality of the water is good. The hotel doesn't use the water again, so it is very clean. Not using the water again means that they have an origine of hot spring, and they can use the water very much. Non-recycled hot spring water is very heavy. So, after the bath, we become tired. It means that the water is very effective.
After enjoying hot spring, we ate Japanese traditional dishes. We started with Japanese vegetables and Sake. The main dish was Syabu Syabu, a kind of pot food. And, we finished with rice and miso-soup. Unfortunatelly, some foods were bad for two Aussies; for example, raw fish. But, of course, I enjoyed everything.
There is an old bar in the hotel. We went to the bar after the dinner.Many novelists must have used this bar, after finishing writing a story. When I was drinking whisky there, I tried to make a poem.
"Hey an old pond, a flog jumped into you, making the sound of water."
Great poem. Beautiful.
We met other tour groups there. They were a company's salesmen group. We drunk with them and sang Karaoke together. My friends enjoyed very much, because they loves a big party. It must be the best experience for them in this trip. On the next day after Hakone night, we went to Asakusa for shopping. My friends bought a lot of Japanese classical wears; Kimono, Yukata and Jinbei. Now, it is an early summer in Australia. The wears must be good in this season, for them.
3 comments:
In all honesty, you did steal a great poem with your hook hand, didn't you?
Certainly, my "ORIGINAL" poem resembles Mr.Matuso's. But, I think mine is more pop.
I've heard of many engineers take old patents and change small things so they can make a new patent. Do poets do the same?
That hotel looks fabulous, a good place to take foreigners. That is the kind of place that foreigners have in mind when they come to Japan. Old, historic and serving delicious food with fantastic beverage.
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