Watanabe Inn

Watanabe Inn

During our time at Miyajima we stayed at the Watanabe Inn. Once we arrived at the island we decided to walk to our ryokan rathan than call and have them pick us up. Since we walked, we had to traverse through the main part of the town full of restaurants and stores. We left the main touristy areas to find our ryokan, which is nestled in the midst of the Japanese houses on the island, right next to a bubbling brook and near a shrine and a Buddhist temple. The Watanabe Inn is a ryokan housed in a traditional Japanese building and is run by the Watanabe family. It only has 3 rooms, and it is lovely and intimate!

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Fudouin

Fudouin

Koyasan is on Mount Koya and is the headquarters of the Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism. We were fortunate enough to be able to stay at Fudou-in, a Buddhist temple, in the town. Koyasan is located in the mountains just a two-hour train ride south of Osaka. Getting to Koyasan required a ride on a rural train with a few change-overs. Eventually we got to Gokurakubashi Station and took a cable car up the mountain to our final stop. From the station we took a cab through Koyasan to our lodgings at Fudou-in.

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Nishimuraya Honkan

Nishimuraya Honkan

During our time in Kinosaki Onsen we stayed at the exquisite Nishimuraya Honkan. This ryokan has numerous awards and recently was added to the Relais & Châteaux group of hotels and restaurants. The wood structure of this ryokan dates back over 150 years and the latest addition was added in 1960 by the prominent architect Masaya Hirata. From its walled exterior the ryokan doesn’t look like anything special, but once we entered into it, we realized this was an experience we would never forget.

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