（すみません、日本語があまり上手じゃない。）
A 2-hour drive from Yamanakako brought us to Shuzenji onsen, a quiet onsen town that has not been invaded by international tourism so it was really a relaxing time for us.
This chateaux relaix brand hotel truly did not disappoint. Service was impeccable from the moment we made the reservation. They emailed to check whether we had any allergies or food we don't eat.
Once our car was spotted, a staff came running out and greeted me by name. How they know who I am baffles me (we noticed that there were only 3 other groups of guests after us). We were shown to our room, Akenobo, immediately and served tea and mochi. I am reminded that the mark of a really top notch establishment is that there is no need to stand in line to check in. Once we were settled and refreshed by the tea, we filled in the check in form in the room. No passports were required, unlike in most other establishments.
We changed into yukata and hung around the ryokan for a while, taking in the beauty and tranquility of the place and feeding the koi with the fish food provided.
山中湖から運転する２時間ぐらい修善寺温泉へ行った。静かな感じだから、一息つく。このチャトーリレー旅館はめっちゃ美しいし、サビスも完璧だった。
到着するところ、職員は慌てって、私の名前が知っている。すごかった！荷物を持って、「あけのぼ」という部屋を連れて行って、お茶とお菓子をくれた。並ばないし、パスポートを見せなかった。
浴衣を着て、ロビーでゆっくりゆっくり、美しい環境を楽しむ、ストレス解消になった。池の鯉が餌をやった。
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We were wondering whether the wooden boat is ornamental until we saw an elderly gentleman rowing it out to place floating lanterns in the water. The attention to detail is impressive.
おじいさんはボートで水の上明かりにを置く |
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The salon
サーロン |
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The salon with a selection of books and beverages such as juice, Mount Fuji spring water and coffee.
飲み物サビス |
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They keep the cups warm. Amazing.
暖かく保つコップ。素晴らしいな。。。 |
The bamboo grove just right at the door step of the ryokan is small but we had the entire place to ourselves, very different from the crowded bamboo grove at Arashiyama, Kyoto.
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You can lie down and gaze up at the sky and bamboo
竹を見る |
We walked around the surrounding area and tried the fresh wasabi soft cream 生わさびソフト, a first for me. I love fresh wasabi so this was a real treat but the amount was too generous for me so I felt bad that I couldn't finish it.
周りを散歩して、生わさびソフトクリームを食べた。
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Wasabi soft cream
生わさびソフトクリーム |
We returned in time for onsen and dinner. They have a complimentary chartered bath for families but I wanted to use the rotenburo (male and female have different timings) so I went to the ladies bath and had the onsen to myself.
The 13-course kaiseki dinner was spectacular!
それから、旅館へ戻って、露天風呂に入って、夕食を食べた。夕食は本当に忘れられない！
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Crab with vinegared jelly, some grilled fish, honey figs with goma sauce
カニ、魚とイチジク |
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Very sweet corn soup with tempura corn topping
トウモロコシトウモロコシスープ |
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Super nice and simple minced mackerel in dashi
鯖だしスープ |
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Sashimi
刺身 |
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Very sweet and juicy tomato in shiso soup
トマトとしそ |
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Ayu (river trout) rice
鮎ご飯 |
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Anago with black rice sushi
アナゴと黒米寿司 |
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My jaw literally dropped when the lady brought in a basket that held the charcoal grill and presented the 鮎 (ayu), river trout, one of Chris' favourite fish.
焼き鮎 |
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This has got to be one of the best fish cutlets I've ever eaten. The coating is extremely crisp and the dip just complements it so well.
揚げ物
The piece de resistance came in the form Shizuoka crown melon and, grilled eggplant and ginger ice cream. The Shizuoka crown melon, true to its reputation was sweet and dipping in juice. I've always loved grilled eggplant with grated ginger and how the chef thought of creating a dessert from these two ingredients that go so well together is simply mind blowing.
デザートは大好きな静岡メロン！めっちゃ甘かった！その上、初めて焼きナスと生姜アイスクリームを食べて、とっても美味しかった！チェフさんは頭がいいと思う。。。 |
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| Shizuoka melon |
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| Grilled eggplant and ginger ice cream |
After dinner, we went out for a stroll again to see the tiny bamboo grove light up and once again, we had the entire place to ourselves.
竹のライトアップを見った。
Chris opted for Western breakfast with omelette and Shuzenji shiitake mushrooms. I opted for Japanese breakfast and totally enjoyed the tamago yaki in dashi.
朝食は和食も洋食もある。
Ryokan:
Asaba Ryokan
あさば旅館
Cost:
¥90,000 for two for one night with kaiseki dinner and breakfast. There was a choice of western or Japanese breakfast.
宿泊費：
一人９００００円 （一泊二食）
Access:
We rented a car and drove from Tokyo, stopping at Yamanakako first. If you go straight from Tokyo, it should take about 2 hours. The nearest station is Shuzenji station and it's a short taxi ride to the ryokan. The taxi fare should not cost more than ¥1000.
アクセス：
東京から電車で２時間ぐらいかかる。修善寺駅を降りて、タクシーで通っている。
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