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Kikuya Ryokan

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Seaotter71
Seaotter71
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Kikuya Ryokan

  • April 4, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Seaotter71 from Monterey, California
Kikuya Ryokan

One of the highlights of a Ryokan stay is dining on kaiseki, a traditional, multi-course dinner. It is said that kaiseki is a meal at one with nature. It reflects only the freshest and highest quality local ingredients, the season, and local culinary traditions.

I should confess that I am not a huge fan of Japanese food. I like California sushi, Shabu Shabu, and Japanese curry houses. Unfortunately, I am not a fan of fish, even when cooked. Still, I was looking forward to the ritual of the meal. And even then I was worried of committing some etiquette transgression.

Dinner was served in my room by my hostess. As expected, dinner was laid out in a beautiful array of serving ware: porcelain, glass, wood, and lacquer. It was a truly sumptuous sight—if I liked fish that is. I can’t remember when the hostess slipped out of the room, probably in an effort to allow me to save face as I struggled with the meal.

I started with the miso soup, and tried the appetizer-sized items. Some were quite nice. I was now faced with a choice. Do I tackle the sashimi (raw seafood) or the small fish grilled whole, and impaled on a stick? I started with the sashimi because it looked so fresh. As I tried each type and found myself unable to eat more than a bite or two of what I am sure is the best sashimi I would ever eat, I could hear my sashimi loving friends screaming "Infidel!" inside my head.

I was now down to the impaled fish. There it was, upside down with a stick in its mouth, over a basket of still warm coals, a drop of condensation hanging from its snout. "You know you want me." it taunted. "I may be fish, but am one of the few things on this table that has been close to a heat source…" I was delirious with hunger by this point.

After silencing the fish by eating it, I sat there for what seemed an eternity, wondering if the dinner was over. Eventually I got up and went to the onsen for a nice soak. To my horror, I returned to my room to find the table cleared and a fruit dessert waiting for me. I had taken off before dinner was done.

The next morning, when my hostess returned to serve breakfast, I attempted to apologize using her Japanese-English dictionary, and probably made a bigger fool of myself. It might have been the hunger, but I thought breakfast was great. Everything from the taro cake-looking squares to the quick-fried minuscule fish was pretty good.

Don’t allow my experience to deter you. I am sure dinner was excellent. And even so, it is one of the most memorable meals I’ve had, just for the sheer care that was taken in preparing and presenting the meal.

From journal Ryokan Experience in Japan

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