Happy Ronin's Reviews

An e-BIKE tour around the Funaya houses

The town of Ine is located on the eastern tip of the Tango Peninsula. Along the five kilometers of the bay that surrounds the town, about 230 Funaya houses or traditional fisherman houses with places to dock boats on the first floor, stand in a row. This program offers three types of tours, all of which you can relax and enjoy the beautiful cityscape and scenery with a guide.

• Kyoto
• Experiences Facilities

I really enjoyed this bike tour. Not only was a able to ride an electric bike for the first time, but I was able to ride a very nice electric bike! The two tour guides were really nice and friendly guys. One was formerly in the Japanese Self-Defense Force and the other was a fire fighter. It was easy to see their passion for starting this bike tour. Everywhere we went the locals would wave and say hello and I could see that our 2 guides have good relations with the people in the area. I really enjoyed being able to visit one of the fishing/boat houses, "Funaya". My favorite part of the bike tour experience was learning about the amazing history of the bay and and seeing it`s wild life. The area has a remarkable history of whaling and even up to 2 years ago, their last catch, when a whale comes into the bay a alert signal plays through town and the fisherman gather their boats and work together in catching it. As for the nature and wildlife, I have never ever...ever seen so many hawks before in my life. I remember looking up one time and there were about 25 flying above me. Near the end of the tour as we rounded a mountain bank there was a large red faced monkey in a tree above us. It was amazing to see one so close. Unfortunately the weather was rain, but strangely enough that did not bother me at all and I had a wonderful time.

Taiza Crab at Kyotango Ryugu Project

Rice bowl making experience at a local inn using crabs caught in Taiza, Japan's leading crabbing area. The female snow crabs used as an ingredient are on the smaller side, but the rich miso, bubbly textured roe (fertilized), and unfertilized roe on the inside of the shell are widely enjoyed as delicacies.

• Kyoto
• Experiences Facilities

The staff at Kyotango Ryugu Project were wonderful and so funny and fun to be around. From their crab dance to teaching us Tango べん (dialect), they were so upbeat and made the whole experience really enjoyable. I loved that we got to in the kitchen and not only make maki sushi but also their own special female crab どんぶり(topped rice). The women were so helpful and stayed right by us giving us direction and encouragement the whole time. And even more so, we made a gigantic tray of nigiri sushi! The whole experience led to a remarkable banquet of all the food we made and both crab hot pots and grilled crab. It was delicious and with the cold weather it was the perfect meal.

Tatsumiya Restaurant

食はもちろん、日本の文化に欠かせないお茶。京都府の南東に位置する宇治は、国内各地に数あるお茶の産地の中でも、トップクラスの名産地です。茶摘み前に覆いをかけて日光を遮り茶葉の旨みを高める独特の栽培方法や、優れた製茶・ブレンド技術で作られる「宇治茶」は、最高級の銘茶として国内外に広く知られています。その中でも代表的な、「茶の湯」と「抹茶料理」を通じてお茶の魅力を体感しましょう。どちらも、プロフェッショナルによる本格的な内容です。

• Kyoto
• Experiences Facilities

This was such a unique and special experience. After entering the small beautiful teahouse we were met by three older women clad in beautiful kimonos. This was a pure experience of Japanese customs and etiquette. After watching a full tea ceremony, step by step, and seeing the ceremonial way of drinking the refined and revered Kyoto green team, we were given the chance to learn and try it ourselves. There were about 10 steps just to clean the cup before we even started making the tea. The woman who taught us had been making matcha for over 60 years. She, one could say, is a tea master. She was very helpful and tried to use sweet english phrases like, "Relax and make yourself at home." I enjoyed it so much that I will be looking into making matcha for myself at home.
The matcha themed restaurant and dinner was so impressive in both presentation and substance. The variety of meats, seafoods, vegetables, and legumes were so well blended throughout the meal. From blowfish jelly, ume sea cumber, and pink candied shrimp tempura to nasu miso dengaku (miso topped grilled egg plant), each item and each bite was a surprise full of wonderful new tastes.

The Old Halls of Toyosato Elementary School

The old halls of Toyosato Elementary School, located in Ōmihachiman, Shiga Prefecture, were designed by the office of the architect Vories, who developed his work across Japan from 1908. Even among the over 1,000 works by Vories, this public elementary school is quite peculiar. At the time, it was furnished with leading-edge facilities such as reinforced concrete buildings, long, wide hallways, an independent library, and more. Enjoy touring around the old school buildings, dubbed "the best elementary school in the East", with a Toyosato Travel Guide.

• Shiga
• Tourist Attractions

Toyosato Elementary School is a beautiful school. From it`s remarkable long wooden hallways to it`s church like auditorium, the school is both Japanese and Western in style.

During the tour I came to learn that the reason for this is because the school was designed by the American born designer, William Vories. I liked how Mr. Furukawa, the man who donated the buildings, incorporated a lesson of perseverance a teacher of his once taught him through the story of the turtle and the hare. On the staircase handrails you can see small cute sculptures of both a turtle and a hair depicting their race going all the way up to the top floor. My favorite room in the school was the science room. They had many preserved scientific instruments. From an early ultraviolet light generator and a massive electrometer to a wide variety of taxidermy, I could get a feeling that the students had wonderful science classes. The school is also famous for being the setting for the anime, K-On. I did not know much about this anime, but was able to appreciate it due to all the fans that were visiting while we were there. Lastly, the volunteer guides were extremely friendly and talkative and made us feel very welcome.

A Full Range of Hotels & Places to Stay at MarineTopia Resort

The Amanohashidate Rikyu Hoshi no Oto ryokan inn was opened in 2017 in Amanohashidate by MarineTopia Resort, which offers different types of lodging facilities such as inns, villas, and glamping. The location allows guests to experience the extraordinary, with all rooms facing the Sea of Japan. All seven rooms, each with a different taste, are furnished with items from renowned brands such as Vitra and FritzHansen, giving life to a sophisticated space.

• Kyoto
• Inns

As our bus pulled into Miyazu and up to Marinetopia not one of us were completely sure as to what our accommodations were going to be for the night. Only the word "Villa" was being passed around. Well, we got off the bus, met the manager, and were walked around and paired off and sent into our suites. I must say that what I walked into was much more stunning and beautiful than I imagined. From the beautiful shower/onsen bathroom to the long swimming pool in the backyard, this is a place where I would like to spend a few days. The first feature that caught my eye was the humongous and comfy couch in the center of the living room. The kitchen was elegant with a beautiful wood panel decor and had all the amenities that a kitchen may need. The toilet room was stylish and the toilet itself all of the amazing technology that makes Japanese toilets the best in the world. My favorite room in the house was a side room/building that housed a beautiful wooden table that was embedded into the floor. It is great place to have company and just hang out.
As for the meals, the BBQ that was fully prepared for us was absolutely delicious. There were amazing grade steaks from all different cuts, thick bacon, blackened grilled chicken, and grilled seared yellow fin tuna to name a few. They were wines from the local vineyards and winery and local craft beers. There was an array of deserts but the special surprise was the the marshmallows over the open fire that capped off the night.
For breakfast we taken to the hotel restaurant and given a traditional and beautifully plated Japanese breakfast. The manager also came to our table and gave us remarkably red and robust fresh strawberries that he handpicked from the hotel`s own farm!
Both the stay and the meals were better than I ever could have expected and that was with snow in the winter, I can only imagine how wonderful it is with sun in the summer.