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Arai Ryokan, Shizuoka, Japan

It’s not just the about the taste here

As the weather gets colder I remember my last trip to Japan in October where Autumn was rapidly approaching. The Japanese approach to Kaiseki is quite elemental, their foods are usually sourced locally and the menus change with the seasons.  It seems a little strange to be writing about this meal eaten so long ago,  it was one of the many meals which has simply slipped through the cracks in terms of blogging. As a bit of an experiment I decided rather than write up the meal, I’d write up an appreciation of the meal and its surroundings, which is really what you have to do if you get the opportunity to experience eating in Japan.

Ryokan’s in Japan can be almost be called a traditional deluxe hotel. Having been to Japan a number of times I was determined to splurge and an overnight stay in a Ryokan complete with onsen (hot spring bath) seemed the perfect way to do this. The Ryokan in question was Arai Ryokan based in central Japan in Shizuoka. As an idea of what a pain it was to get to this place, it required a 2 hour Shinkansen ride from Tokyo, transfer to a 40 minute local train, then another 15 minute by Taxi. That said, it was worth every last bit of effort.

Also included in this experience was a full kaiseki style dinner. With our reversed seasons it was just touching on Autumn in Japan (we were unfortunate enough to just miss the golden leaves by 2 weeks) but the food and presentation more than made up for this! Our table was set up in our room with each course brought in by our server who then left between courses. 

My favourite part of Japanese dinners would have to have to be the soup/tea served at the start of every meal. Individual burners were placed at every setting ensuring that our tea was piping hot with a squeeze of lime.

As is rather evident the theme of the night was Autumn and not only was the menu based around foods available only in autumn, the plating and decoration was decidedly leafy based.

Despite not really being a fan of wasabi, I would have to say my favourite part of the meal would have to be grinding the fresh wasabi. Our server kindly demonstrated for us pointing out that the more vigorously the wasabi was ground the stronger the flavour would be. The difference between fresh wasabi and the green packet that comes with your boxed wasabi was amazing! I usually can’t handle wasabi at all, but at its mildest could finally see what the fuss was about.

Of all the dishes of the night the sushi would probably have to be the biggest disappointment. After experiencing the Tsukiji, the Tokyo Fish Markets a few days beforehand any type of sushi was going to be a disappointment, but the defrosting was clearly evident in these few bites.

An interesting note, the dish on the right is an eggplant dish and we all had quite a bit of difficulty eating around the bamboo cage the plate had been presented in. The mini-daikon was adorable! Much to our embarrassment when our server came to collect the dishes she demonstrated that the bamboo cages came off the plates with a quick pull. Oops.

At this point the food just kept coming and coming to the point where I found myself almost in a food coma. I know from the pictures the portions don’t seem all that large, but by the end of the meal we were all pretty much comatose on the ground.

The night finished with a simple fruit and jelly dish, at which point we all collapsed back into our chairs and thanked our server as she took away the last of the plates. The sheer variety and plating of all the courses in our meal really showcased what I loved about our meals in Japan, the amount of dedication required to ensure that everything sat just so blew me away. Of course we didn’t sit around too long in our rooms as there were 3 different onsens still open!

As though to prove the previous night wasn’t a fluke, the next morning we were served a full traditional Japanese style breakfast! I’m not sure how long I would survive in Japan if I ate like this every night… Breakfast consisted of individual mini-steamboat as well as a 3-tier lunch box.

The lunchbox was ingenious! It was rather like opening a treasure box with each layer something different (kinder surprise anyone?). Each of these dishes was served cold with the steamboat to compliment.

Unlike dinner, breakfast was served in one bang and I think this shot pretty clearly demonstrates just how much food was involved. The thing is, I don’t think any one particular part of the meal stood out for me, what makes it memorable was the entire experience. I don’t remember what it was like biting into the Tamagoyaki but I do remember the fun in opening each level of our boxes.

If you do get the chance to experience eating in Japan, remember it’s not all about how it tasted. My best memories come from the people I was with, the sheer visual presentation of the meals, the service and help from the locals. That and the fact that Japan is just a fun fun place to go to.

Arai Ryokan
970 Shuzenji Izu-City
Shizuoka Pref. Japan
Ph: 81-558-72-2007
Fax: 81-558-72-5119
Web: http://arairyokan.net/english/