Eel rice and Cafe Gentiane at Nagoya Station

Previously:
Private Onsen in Ryokan

This morning we headed back to Nagoya for one night before flew back home.  As usual, our morning we started with delicious onigiri from convenient store inside Takayama train station.  There is a waiting room completed with heated room.  Until the train carriage had arrived, then we went search for our seats.

Onigiri pork patty with fried egg

What to not be missed in Nagoya?  Of course, The eel rice bowl.  They produce one of the best eel dishes here in Nagoya.  They are very fresh and delicious.  It comes in a few different version.  Eel rice don which is rice bowl topped with glazed eel.  And there is the eel set that come with tea and condiments.  Remember the 4 steps of eating it!!!  First you divide your eel rice into 4 portions.  Then scoop it one spoon onto the bowl and taste it that way.  Second, another scoop onto the bowl topped with condiments and enjoy it that way.  Third, scoop out another spoon, this time pour the tea combined with condiments as well.  Fourth, which combination tastes the best then have it that way.  Otherwise, skip all the steps if you knew what you like already.

Initially, we were looking for Maruya Restaurant, but instead we saw this restaurant in the Nagoya station and there were quite lots of queue so it must be good.  The queue moved pretty quick though and in no time we got the seats and our food as well.  They tasted absolutely delicious.

Medium eel set 2,500¥

A nice dessert followed, still at Nagoya station.  The station is pretty huge and so many many restaurants here.  We went for one of the cafe named Cafe Gentiane.  We had this hot matcha green tea drink.  The color looked  a little too pale but taste good.  We also tried a few types of cakes and they were good too.  The cakes and drinks price range around 500-700¥

Stay tuned for the next blog still in Japan:
Osu Kannon Temple and Osu Shopping Arcade, Nagoya

Private Onsen in Ryokan

Previously:
Bear Meat Ramen and Hidagyu Maruaki, Takayama

In the evening was time for relaxing and rejuvenating our mind and body.  Downstairs there are this shared bath for women and men (in separate room).  I'm personally a little shy when come to this thing.  But luckily there wasn't any body there and I could enjoy my time there alone.  The indoor bath was too hot to handle but the outdoor one was really perfect because the cold weather helped lower the water temperature, which was great for me.  Don't forget to have a shower before and after the bath.  We also booked the private bath for an hour (extra charge).  Two times soaked in the hot bath in a day.  I think my body was super super calm by then.

Women and men hot bath

Shower zone

Indoor onsen

Outdoor onsen

Private onsen (pre-booked only)

shower zone in private onsen

onsen in the private room

When we came back from the bath, they already made a nice futton bed for us.  With a little caring note on the bed.

Just had some more strawberries before went to bed

Oyado Koto No Yume
6 Chome-11 Hanasatomachi, Takayama
Ph: +81 577 32 0427


Stay tuned for the next blog still in Japan:
Eel Rice and Cafe Gentiane at Nagoya Station

Bear Meat Ramen and Hidagyu Maruaki, Takayama

Previously:
Oyado Koto No Yume, Takayama

For lunch, we ate at one of the shop that selling the boar and bear meat.  Yes!!!!  Bear meat for real.  When we ordered, we didn't pay a close attention.  And the picture looked nice and portion was huge too.  Once we got the dish in front of us, it was still looked very good but when we tasted it, we knew the meat was quite weird, unlike any meat we had ever tasted before.  We read again the menu and realized what we ordered was bear meat ramen,  The meat tasted very gamey, but the ramen itself very tasty.

Beef skewer

Bear meat ramen

Now move on to dinner.  At that night was our last night in Takayama, that's why we didn't want to miss the famous grilled hida beef BBQ while we were there.  This shop from the outside it is a butcher shop but when you go through inside it is a big BBQ restaurant.  They get the freshly cut meat from the butcher shop.  There were many people waiting in line already.  It is a grilling-your-own meat.  The beef sells in here is the premium quality of beef.  No marinated so purely sweet from their natural taste with just a little sprinkle of salt.  And it tasted absolutely delicious or you can dip it in the dipping sauce as well, if you prefer.  But I like my meat simple and no adding sauces.

Set meal 2,980¥

A5 beef 2,490¥

The meat from the set meal (not too sure what grade) was already marbling but the A5 that we got was way more marbling.  It was actually more of white color than the red.  We like it grilled to medium rare so the meat still tender and juicy.  I think that's the best way to enjoy a good quality of cuts.

Bimbimbap

Maruaki/ Hidagyu Maruaki
6 Chome-8 Tenmanmachi
Ph: +81 577 35 5858


Stay tuned for the next blog still in Japan:
Private Onsen in Ryokan

Oyado Koto No Yume, Takayama

Previously:
Takayama Miyagawa Morning Market

For one more night in Takayama, we stayed at the ryokan.  It called Oyado Koto No Yume, about 2 blocks further away from Best Western Hotel.  If you have a chance, please try staying at one of ryokan in Japan.  You will get the classic authentic Japanese services and futton bed.  It is definitely worth to experience. 

As usual, they greeted us with a nice and friendly greetings.  Warm welcome accompanied with a cup of hot green tea and a bowl of warm red bean soup with mochi.  To warm our body from the chilly breeze out there.  After the check in process, we then need to choose our yukata.  There were ranges of different color.  They even had the small size for children as well.  So cute....

Yukata

How to wear your yukata

They have 2 type of rooms, the Japanese style or the Western style.  The Western style is more convenient for elderly with a standard western beds.

In day time, it is our lounge/dining room.  At night become futton bed

Tea and coffee maker

Bathroom is combination of Japanese shower and Western bathtub

view from our window

The two samurais

Western style bedroom

Let's take a look of their private onsen in my next blog.

Oyado Koto No Yume
6 Chome -11 Hanasatomachi, Takayama
Ph: +81 577 32 0427


Stay tuned for the next blog still in Japan:
Bear Meat Ramen and Hidagyu Maruaki, Takayama