When planning our vacations, we typically choose from three main categories of accommodations.
The first group is mostly opportunistic. Location and cost/performance are the main criteria, and we generally don’t end up staying more than once.
Second are our go-to choices in a particular city. They are the ones we feel especially comfortable in, and become our home away from home when we travel overseas.
Examples include Novotel Dongdaemun in Seoul and Fraser Residence Nankai in Osaka. Both are located in interesting neighbourhoods with good transportation links and plenty of amenities.
Finally, there are the properties that are a destination in and of themselves.
They reside on our travel bucket list, to be crossed off one by one until we, well, kick the bucket. So far, we’ve been to Hotel Marqués de Riscal in Spain, Ritz Carlton Osaka and Shiraume Ryokan in Kyoto.
Generally, bucket list items are meant to be one-and-done. But when it comes to Shiraume, once is never enough.
And that was why, six years after our previous visit, we found ourselves crossing Tatsumi Bridge and strolling down the pedestrian path along the tranquil Shirakawa river.
Gion is Kyoto’s traditional geisha district, where centuries-old machiyas and ochayas still line the streets, quietly witnessing the passage of time.
In the grand scheme of things, six years was but a passing moment, and nothing had changed between then and now.
Well, maybe not nothing.
Two new residents had moved into the neighbourhood. They were still as statues, and we had to stare intently at them to confirm that they were not simply ornaments.
Both were herons, but any similarity ended there; it was clear that their personalities were polar opposites.
Yamaguchi-san was practical, staring intently at the sushi chef working at his counter behind a glass door, hoping that persistence scores her some tasty treats.
Okuhara-san, on the other hand, remained perched on Shiraume’s roof. Standing completely motionless and gazing far into the horizon, she was evidently a dreamer without any worldly desires.
It’s not often that we get to appreciate the wonders of nature, so we cosplayed as bird watchers and silently observed until one of them actually moved.
I didn’t time how long that took, but they were definitely very focused on what they were doing and were infinitely patient.
Once their spell on us was broken, we crossed the private bridge to Shiraume and went through the formal check in procedures.
We were lucky enough to secure the Umeichirin river view room on the second floor again. And like before, we opted for the complete ryokan experience that included both dinner and breakfast.
The total cost for the two of us, including meals and all applicable fees and taxes, came up to ¥92,107 per night. It was not cheap, but on a cost/performance basis, it was definitely worth every yen.
Since our stay was during the shoulder season in early March, at the tail end of winter and before sakura trees start blooming, the price was already near the lower end of the spectrum.
Floor maps were provided to help us navigate the maze-like two storey building, but it was compact enough to navigate by just wandering around.
And wander around we did, until we found the staircase leading up to our room.
Everything in the 40sqm Umeichirin was exactly as we remembered. From the spacious bedroom with the fluffy futons, to the large dining area with floor seating…
…to the sturdy safe that was as chunky as it was old, and generous in-room amenities that included his-and-her yukatas, stationery, slippers and split-toe tabi. Or, as I like to call them, ninja socks! 🥷
Drinks, both hot and cold, were all complementary. No nickel and diming, and no exorbitant minibar charges.
The bathroom was equally well stocked, with fancy toiletries and thick, criminally fluffy towels.
There was even a pre-filled hinoki bathtub that came with a side bottle of bathing sake that promised to leave our skins soft and smooth.
A separate room housed the toilet, which, of course, featured a fancy Japanese-style bidet. In an otherwise old school environment, it stood out as the most technologically advanced item.
After completing a full tour of our abode, we went back to our private dining area where welcome tea and sweets were waiting for us.
I was expecting either sencha, matcha or hojicha, but what arrived was truly unexpected. It was a black bean tea that carried an undercurrent of soothing savouriness.
Equally surprising was the accompanying wagashi. The dark brown one was red bean and tasted more savoury than sweet, complimenting the tea well.
Its white counterpart was strawberries and cream with delightful bits of hidden fruit inside. Again, the sweetness had an unexpected umami-ness that was quite intriguing.
Time passed by slowly as we nibbled on our snacks, sipped from our cups and admired the scenery outside the wood-framed window.
I picked up one of the folders on a side table and leisurely flipped through its pages. Inside was information about the ryokan and its history, as well as a poem by Isamu Yoshii:
Like this,
I miss Gion so much.
Even when I am lying at night,
I hear the sound of stream in Gion.
What I long for is
Sound of stream in Gion.
What it is like now,
The SHIRAUME Ryokan?It was simple but evocative and I’m sure it sounds even better in its original Japanese form.
The folder also contained an entire “How to enjoy Shiraume” section, basically a Ryokan 101 course for beginners.
Topics covered include:
- Room layout, furniture and decoration
- Kaiseki dinner courses, ingredients and presentation
- Post-dinner suggested activities
- Futon turndown service
- Breakfast choices and dining locations
- Private bath facilities and opening hours
Being the conscientious and dutiful students that we were, we made reservations for the private bath and enjoyed a relaxing pre-dinner soak in a large hinoki tub.
After washing up and changing into our yukatas, we parked ourselves at the mini library on the first floor while waiting for our designated dinner time.
Five minutes before 7pm, we left the library, wandered around, got a little lost but eventually found the staircase back to our room.
Our private dining area was set up with an elegant Japanese table setting, and we settled onto our zabuton cushions, which were paired with comfortable arm and back rests.
For the next two and a half hours, we remained seated. Course after course was presented, explained and served by Sahoko-chan, our kawaii kimono-clad server from Mie prefecture.
Eight courses were served that night, specifically:
- Appetiser (razor clam, fiddlehead fern, cod bud, horse tail, Japanese garlic, white asparagus, happy bean)
- Soup (snapper, mugwort cake, rapeseeds)
- Sashimi (yellow tail, minced radish)
- Grilled Dish (sweet seabream, rice crackers, cherry flower shaped radish, dried sea cucumber, mountain peach, sweet beans cake in three colours, salmon with egg yolk)
- Fried Dish (Japanese butterbur, homemade ham, new onion sauce)
- Hot Pot (Kyoto beef, bamboo shoot, fresh spring wakame seaweed)
- Rice (spring beans, sakura shrimp, fish eggs powder, miso soup)
- Dessert (ice cream with mochi, sweet beans, strawberry)
The culinary marathon lasted well into the night and by the time it was over, we were totally exhausted. Food coma hit us immediately, and we fell into a blissful slumber soon after.
Ten hours later, we were ready for Round Two. This time, it was a traditional breakfast in a private room on the first floor, offering an exclusive view of a carefully manicured zen garden.
Once we finished every last morsel of food, we went back to our room to pack up and prepared to check out.
After checking in the day before, we had spent the entire time inside Shiraume without stepping foot outside. It felt like we had gone back in time and was a pleasant escape from our daily lives.
But all good things must come to an end and we reluctantly bade farewell to Tomoko-san, the elegant proprietress of the ryokan.
“Please visit us again,” she warmly invited, adding with a wry smile, “but don’t wait for another six years!”
As we boarded our taxi that would take us to Kyoto Station, she gracefully handed us a bag of Uji matcha cookies with a handwritten note.
Tomoko-san, if you happen to read this, the cookies were honto ni oishii. As always, thank you for your wonderful hospitality and we hope to see you and Team Shiraume again, real soon.
