Onsen Maigo 溫泉迷子

Onsen Maigo – Day 5

Part of the problem with being an early person, was that you felt compelled to make something out of the early hours. Our flight was at 12, we had to get to the airport by 10, so check out at 9:30 and take a taxi there. We woke up at around 6, technically we had about 3 hours, except nothing was open at this hour.

習慣早起也有他的問題,就是總覺一大早還是該做點什麼。我們的飛機是中午12點,10點需到機場,所以9:30要退房去搭計程車。我們醒來時大約6點,嚴格說有3個小時可利用,只是這時候什麼都還沒開。

 

Breakfast first though. The cafe we went to yesterday only opens at 7 so we were too early even for it. Thankfully there’s a McDonald underneath Hakata station (west side B1).

先吃早餐。昨天去的咖啡店要7點才開所以我們今天起的實在是太早了。幸好博多車站有麥當勞(西側B1)。

McDonald

McDonald

While biting into the McMuffin I thought about where to go next. Last time we went to the Ohori Park but due to time largely missed the castle ruins. That was one option, however since we weren’t as early as last time we might only get only an hour there before needing to turn back, not sure if that would be enough to walk all the way around the ruins.

邊吃滿福飽邊想著接下來該去哪。上回我們去大濠公園因時間關係沒能去看城跡。這是一個選項,但這回起的沒上次早,到那裡後可能只有一個小時可逛,不確定夠不夠繞福岡城跡一圈。

 

The other remaining choice was going to Gion and check out some of the temples there. Since we were already on the west side it wasn’t a long walk, maybe just 10 minutes to there.

另外一選項是去祇園看看那裡的佛寺。我們已經在車站西側了,走過去不會太遠,大概10分鐘吧。

 

There was an underground pedestrian/bike parking passage connecting Hakata to Gion station. Everytime I see these huge underground bike storages in Japan I feel a little sad that Taiwan or Australia does not have anything similar. It’s a chicken and egg problem. Japan had an existing bike culture so when they built infrastructures they took them into account, building in bike storages and ramps on the side of stairs for pushing bikes up/down, encouraging the continued use of bicycles. While in Taiwan and Australia bikes weren’t considered a means of transport and became always an afterthought (not to mention Australia’s stupid no bikes on sidewalk rule), the infrastructures were not built to be bike friendly and as result very few people use bikes. I very much think Japan’s bike to station, train to work/school to be the ideal transportation mix. Keeps cars off the roads and keep the shops concentrated around stations.

祇園站和博多站之間有一個地下行人道/自行車停車場。每次在日本看到這些大型地下自行車收納空間就會很感慨,希望台灣或澳洲也有類似的公共建設。雞生蛋的問題。日本一開始就有騎自行車的文化,在建設時就會納入考量,加入停車空間和在樓梯側加上牽車斜坡,鼓勵民眾持續利用自行車。但台灣和澳洲自行車並不被當作代步工具,建設上總是次要考量(更不用說澳洲禁止在人行道上騎車的蠢法規),這樣騎車不方便就更沒人要騎車了。覺得日本這樣騎車到車站,搭車上班上學的交通方式最好了,減低汽車數量也同時把商店集中到車站附近。

 

Anyway, Gion was famous for a series of buddhist temples Touchouji (東長寺), Joutenji(承天寺), Shofukuji (聖福寺). In particular Touchouji has one of Japan’s largest wooden seated buddha statues.

總之,祇園有名在這裡的許多佛寺,如東長寺,承天寺,聖福寺。其中東長寺最有名,擁有日本最大的木製坐姿佛像之一。

 

It was winter and still quite dark when we got there. The temples unknown to me only opened at 9, we could not enter to see the buddha statue and were only able to have a look around the courtyard.

現在是冬天,到的時候天還沒大亮。沒想到佛寺要9點才開,沒辦法進去看佛像,只能在外面看一看。

Touchouji 東長寺

Touchouji 東長寺

Next time I have to come to Fukuoka, either I’m taking a later flight home or I’m going to stay out late and wake up later.

下次來福岡的話,要就是搭晚一班飛機,不然乾脆晚點睡晚點起來算了。

 

We returned, brushed up back at the hotel and headed back out separately to do our own shopping in Hakata station. At least Deitos ground floor where all most of the gift shops were opened very early (makes sense, they were selling to travellers who might need to catch the early train after all).

回旅館梳洗完後各自去車站逛街買要的東西。至少Deitos的伴手禮街很早就開了 (要賣給趕早車的旅客)。

Hakata station

Hakata station

Hakata station

An accident happened when I forgot my wallet back at the Deitos shops while buying sweet cakes. Thankfully the staff stored it for safekeeping and I was able to get it back no problem.

我在Deitos買東西時遺忘了皮夾,在買飲料時才發覺連忙跑回去找,幸好櫃檯小姐有收起來保管,虛驚一場。

 

Instead of calling a taxi from the hotel we walked to the station instead, this way we didn’t need to wait for the taxi to show up. We got to the airport just before 10 (taxi was 1370Y, about the same as last time). Thankfully we showed up early, we knew there was going to be a crowd from our experience last time but this time the line was at least twice as long. We were the second in line to check in and when we finished, the queue had circled all the way around the counter area. The falling yen had really given a boost to the number of Taiwanese coming to Japan.

我們不是在旅館較計程車,而是走到車站,覺得這樣不用等車還比較快。到機場10點 (車前1370Y,跟上回差不多)。幸好找來了,上回搭機就知道人不少,但這回排隊的人至少比上回多一倍。我們是第二個辦理登機的,辦好時人龍已經繞整個櫃檯區一整圈。日圓貶值可吸引了不少台灣人來日本。

 

The Fukuoka airport had undergone some changes to streamline the souvenir checkout (totally needed), and we bought some more sweets and things here. The sweet cake from Yufuin had an expiry of only 2 weeks, which meant I couldn’t bring it back to Australia, some other gifts were needed. I ended up with a few boxes of the famous Hakata chicken cakes (not the large 3D ones, just flat ones cut in the shape of little chickens).

福岡機場對伴手禮店有重新規劃過,調整結帳的動線 (上回就需要了)。由布院的甜點保存期限只有2星期,沒辦法帶回澳洲,所以在這裡另外買了些糕餅。博多有名的小雞蛋糕,但買的不是那個一整隻的立體小雞,而是扁的切成小雞形狀的)。

Fukuoka airport

Fukuoka airport

Fukuoka airport

Dad got a bowl of udon from the small eatery. Nothing fancy, tastes average. At least they had hot food and not just cold sandwiches or rice balls. They could do with a real cafe though.

老爸從小吃店買了一碗烏龍麵。沒什麼特別的,味道普通。至少還有熱食而不是只有三明治或飯糰。不過這機場真該考慮開間真正的咖啡店。

Eatery udon小吃店烏龍麵

Eatery udon小吃店

Mom wanted to use up the coins so she sought to buy a can of coffee from the vending. She got a bit confused by the labelling and bought a cold can instead of a hot can (I wish Australia vending also sold hot can coffees, wait actually, I’d settle for them selling canned coffee that doesn’t taste like just sugar and artificial flavouring).

老媽想從販賣機買罐咖啡把剩下的零錢用一用。不過沒看懂標示,原本想買熱的結果按到冷的了。(若是澳洲販賣機也賣熱咖啡就好了,不對,先要求他們賣喝起來不是光只有糖和香料的咖啡吧)

 

Food on EVA air tasted just as bad as the flight to Fukuoka. At least there’s ice cream.

回程時機上吃的跟來時一樣爛。算了,至少還有冰淇淋。

EVA food

EVA food

EVA food

Onsen Maigo – Day 4

 

I didn’t book breakfast with our rooms, Richmond Hotel didn’t have buffet breakfasts, just 1000Y Japanese or western meal sets. Figured any cafe would be a cheaper.

這次訂房沒有附早餐。Richmond Hotel沒有自助式早餐,而是1000Y的日式或西式套餐。想想隨便一家咖啡館都會比較便宜吧。

 

Finding breakfast was always a little annoying in Japan (for those that wakes up early like us), the Japanese were very used to a toast or bread plus coffee combo, or udons. Me and my parents preferred something a little more filling, usually coming down to McDonalds  and cafes (Doutor which I have a special relationship with). The KITTE B1 had a few restaurants that also served breakfasts but they mostly open at 7:30. At close to 7 the only choices were cafes, which there were several around Hakata station. We first checkout the one in nearby Deitos, the menu looked a little thin. Then the ones in the main station itself. Seattle coffee, just off the side of the main thoroughfare, looked decent with good sandwiches.

在日本早餐總是件煩人事 (對我們這種早起的人來說)。日本人很習慣早餐簡單吃個吐司或麵包加咖啡,或烏龍麵。我和爸媽喜歡吃的稍微飽一點,通常能選的就只有麥當勞或咖啡館 (尤其是偏愛的Doutor)。KITTE B1有幾家餐廳早上也有營業賣早餐,但大多要7:30才開。近七點時的唯一選項就只有咖啡館了,博多車站附近有不少。第一家附近Deitos那間感覺菜單有點少。接著看車站內的那幾家。就在主通道旁的Seattle Coffee看起來三明治不錯。

 

The greeter at the door was very friendly and helpful and obviously had plenty of experience with foreigners. He pointed us to find a table first before we had decided on what to order, later when the croissant came cold he noticed us discussing over it and actively asked if we would like to have it heated. The price was a little higher than Doutor, at same time the portions were bigger and better. Dad still went for seconds eitherway.

在門口的店員相當友善,似乎很習慣招呼幫忙外國人。他指引我們在決定點什麼前先找位子坐,之後當可鬆端來是冷的時,大概注意到我們對可鬆指指點點,主動來詢問是否需要幫忙加熱。價錢比Doutor貴一點點,份量和味道是比較好。不過老爸還是又多點了一份。

Seattle’s best coffee

Seattle’s best coffee

Seattle’s best coffee

Day 4 was an extra day that had not been set in stone.

第四天算是多的,沒有預先決定要去哪。

 

Originally after the railway to Aso was cut, the Aso Boy tourist train had been diverted to run to Mojiko, so it made sense to go to Mojiko/Shimonoseki. Aso Boy was a train designed with a black and white puppy theme and kid friendly, with ball pools, play areas and special parent-child seatings. I figured my parents might want to expience it and maybe consider taking my nephews on it in the future.

原本阿蘇鐵路中斷後,阿蘇男孩觀光列車被調去跑門司港,所以想乾脆就順便去門司港下關。阿蘇男孩是用黑白小狗為主題的觀光列車,適合小孩,車上有球池,遊戲區和特別設計的親子座位。我想讓爸媽體驗一次看會不會想以後帶我姪子們來。

Aso boy train src:jrkyushu

As a side note, it’s faster to take the Shinkansen from Hakata to Kokura then transfer to a local train to Mojiko. The Hakata to Kokura section sees special fare rates (JR West runs it like a commuter segment to compete against JR Kyushu) and non-reserved seats are not much more expensive than the local line express, but can be up to 30 minutes faster.

順帶一提,去門司港搭新幹線到小倉後再轉區間車去會比搭一般特急快。博多到小倉的新幹線票價有特別優惠 (JR西日本把這段當通勤在跑,跟JR九州競爭),自由席不會比一般特急貴多少,但最多可省上30分鐘。

 

Then for December the Aso Boy train was moved to run to the Huis Ten Bosch theme park in Nagasaki (which I had no interest in going), this removed a major incentive for going to Mojiko. Thus it was thought we might instead go to Dazaifu and return earlier in the day to have a look around Tenjin.

然後阿蘇男孩12月被調去跑長崎的豪斯登堡(沒興趣去),這樣就少了去門司港的一大誘因。於是想想可能去太宰府就好了,完後早點回天神逛逛。

 

We got a Fukuoka Tourist Pass from the Hakata station information centre. The pass came in two versions, one which included all metro and buses in centre of Fukuoka (820Y) and a wide pass version that also included the Nishitetsu rail to Dazaifu (1340Y). It cost a little more than a regular Dazaifu round trip from Hakata but it saved buying tickets each time, plus there was a chance of us using the metro again later in the day, the pass will then be cheaper.

從博多車站的服務處買了福岡一日卷。一日卷有兩種,一種是包含所有捷運和市區巴士(820Y),另一廣域版還加上到太宰府的西鐵(1340Y)。比來回太宰府貴一點,但省了每一段買車票,加上晚上有可能再去天神,那樣的話一日卷就算起來有便宜到。

 

To get to Dazaifu from Hakata required going to Tenjin first, walk to the Nishitetsu station, then depending on whether there was a direct service to Dazaifu, potentially another transfer at Futsukaichi. Be careful that sometimes it can be faster to go to Futsukaichi and transfer there anyway as it might be an extra limited express. There is a direct bus from Hakata but it is not covered by the pass and is subject to road traffic.

從博多到大宰府必須先到天神,走到西鐵站後視情況可能有直達太宰府的車,不然要在二日市再轉一次。要留意若是特快車可能先到二日市再轉會比等直達車快。從博多也有直達太宰府的巴士但一日卷並不包含,也需看交通狀況。

Nishitetsu Fukuoka 西鐵福岡

Nishitetsu Fukuoka 西鐵福岡

Dazaifu is dominated by the Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, like a confucian temple equivalent for chinese. The shrine is dedicated to Sugawara Michizane, who was a great scholar and poet back in the Heian period. Originally a member of the court, he was eventually demoted to be a minor official in far away Dazaifu where he died a lonely death. In one of his poems he lamented that he would never see the beloved plum tree in his Kyoto residence. Legend has it that the plum tree loved her master so much it eventually flew to Dazaifu.

太宰府的核心為太宰府天滿宮,類似華人的孔廟。神社祭祀的是菅原道真,平安時代(~900年)一位廣學多聞的大詩人。他原本是朝中大臣,遭到排擠被降為個芝麻小官,發放到遙遠的太宰府,孤獨的度過餘生。在一首詩中他嘆道再也見不到京都家中的梅樹了。傳說梅樹因為對主人的愛慕,有一天飛到了太宰府與他相會。


Stories aside, because of veneration for the man’s wisdom and intellect, it became customary for students looking to get good grades or others looking to become accomplished to come and pay respect at the shrine. The place becomes especially busy before the university or highschool entrance exams kick off.

撇開故事不談,人們因為尊敬菅原的智慧和才華奉他為神,要聯考的學生或想闖出一番事業的人都會來神社求保佑。在大學或高中入學考試前來這裡的人特別多。

 

Initially we detoured to the nearby Komyozenji temple known for its zen rock gardens, sadly the temple grounds were closed, probably because it was the off seasons and they wanted to do maintenance. No big loss as the temple wasn’t far from the main street anyway.

到太宰府後我們先去附近的光明善寺和他有名的枯山水禪園,不巧的寺院主殿沒有開,大概想入冬淡季維修吧。好在寺院和表參道不遠,沒多走什麼路。

Komyozenji 光明善寺

Dazaifu 太宰府

The main street before the shrine is only about 200 metres long, yet there are over 20 shops selling umegae-mochi, meaning plum stick cake. They are grilled rice cakes filled with red beans with little to do with plums outside the plum flower imprint on them. The origin of the cake is not known, all relates to Michizane in some way.

參道只有兩百公尺左右,卻有超過20家梅枝餅店。純粹烤紅豆餅,除了餅上頭壓的梅花外與梅樹無關。餅的來由不可考了,但故事都與菅原有關。

Making Umegae-mochi 梅ヶ枝餅製作

Initially I mistook Kanoya for the popular mochi shop Kasa no Ya, later after we have visited the main shrine we would line up at Kasa no Ya. The one from Kasa no Ya was grilled a little better but the filling much too sweet, felt the one from Kanoya was better to be honest.

一開始我把かのや和名店かさの屋弄混了,不過後來有去かさの屋排隊補吃。かさの屋烤的火候就好,餡有點太甜,真要說可能還喜歡弄錯的かのや多一點。

Kanoya Umegae-mochi かのや梅ヶ枝餅

Kasanoya Umegae-mochi かさの屋梅ヶ枝餅

Amongst the many shops on the main street, a unsuspecting major attraction was the Starbucks. Designed by award winning architect using wood and other natural materials to create a space combining both nature and tradition. The wall and ceiling consisted of criss cross of wooden beams that narrowed in the middle and broaded on either ends, it made the place seemed much longer than it really was. A queue for coffee was quickly building up, we managed to get our coffee and find a table before the crowd showed up and extended the line well outside the shop.

在參道玲瑯滿目的商店中,可能一般不會想到其中的熱門景點會是家星巴克。由名建築師設計,利用木頭和其他自然材料,建構出大自然和傳統交織的空間。牆面和天花板裝置有一根根木頭交錯,中間稍窄兩頭較寬,讓店內有看起來比實際上深長的錯覺。買咖啡的隊伍越來越長了,我們連忙進入買了咖啡後找地方坐下,後頭的隊伍已排到店外了。

Dazaifu Starbucks 太宰府星巴克

Dazaifu Starbucks 太宰府星巴克

 

There was also a Totoro shop here (the other in Yufuin). The shelves lined with plushies and toys from the Totoro anime by Studio Ghibli. I contemplated getting a white teardrop creature plushie, they weren’t too expensive (by tourist goods standards), but I already had a shelf full of Cinnamorolls and only in recent years have I just managed to stop them multiplying. I ended up buying a CD of Studio Ghibli musics performed in Japanese instruments.

這裡也有一家豆豆龍(另一家在由布院)。架上滿是宮崎駿豆豆龍動漫的娃娃和玩具。我考慮是否買隻小白色豆豆龍,以賣觀光客的價位不算太貴,但我已經有一窩肉桂狗了,近幾年才好不容易停止繁殖,再開一窩似乎不太妙。最後決定買一張日本傳統樂器演奏的宮崎駿音樂集。

Donguri no Mori豆豆龍店

While I was mulling over Totoros my parents had become interested in a fish roe shop across the street that promoted products that did not require refrigeration. They wanted to buy some but after asking the staff, found out the ones they liked still required refrigerated.

當我在為豆豆龍煩惱時爸媽也在對街標榜不用冷藏的明太子店逛著。他們對其中一罐有興趣但詢問過店員後才知道他們覺得好吃的剛好是需要冷藏的。

Fish roe shop 明太子店

Beyond the first torii is a statue of an ox. It’s said if you touched its head fortune will rub off on you. There was a queue so I didn’t join in.

第一個鳥居後有一隻銅牛。若摸牠頭就能獲得福氣。摸牛的人好多,懶得加入。

Ox status, it’s said there’s actually 11 of them around the shrine 牛像,聽說一共有11隻分散宮中各處

Then in the gardens before the main shrine area, there was a performer with a trained monkey. We got there in time to catch the monkey climb a pole and slide around on skates.

在神社主院前的花園裡有個人和他的訓練的猴子在表演。我們到時剛好看到猴子爬竿,還有穿輪鞋滑行。

Monkey performance 猴子雜耍

The main ground of the shrine is enclosed behind a large gate, the courtyard within was packed with people waiting for their chance to go up and pray at the shrine. Was it near exam time? I’m not sure.

神社主殿圈繞在牆內,通過門的廣場上滿是人,等著輪他們上前參拜。快到大考了嗎?不太確定。

Dazaifu 太宰府

Dazaifu 太宰府

Dazaifu 太宰府

Dazaifu 太宰府

One interesting thing was that the guardians of the gate looked to be none other than Michizane himself.

有意思一點是大門兩旁的守門神看似正是菅原自己。

Gate guardian 守門神

 

Me and my parents split up once more, I wanted to check out the Kyushu Museum which was for the most part overshadowed by the shrine and ignored by most. My parents headed back to Tenjin for lunch on their own. The transfers were straightforward and they had been to Tenjin a few times now.

之後我們再次各自行動,我想去看看鎮上存在感薄弱的九州博物館,爸媽則回天神吃午餐。轉車難度不大,天神地下街他們也去過一兩次了不至於迷路。

Dazaifu 太宰府

Dazaifu 太宰府

Dazaifu 太宰府

The Kyushu Museum laid off the other side of Tenmangu (turn right at the Tenmangu info centre), do not walk from Komyozenji Temple as that side involved a very steep climb up the stairs. From the Tenmangu you go up a flight of escalators then through a tunnel with people movers.

去九州博物館記得要從天滿宮那側去(天滿宮正殿前服務處右轉),不要從光明善寺那側去,會需要爬很多階樓梯。從天滿宮那上一個手扶梯,過一個有行人輸送帶的隧道就可到博物館。

The Kyushu Museum focused on exhibitions about the cultural transmission between Japan and the rest of Asia, showing excavated artifacts from the Jomon periods onwards, potteries, figurines, arts, these could be compared to other artifacts of similar periods from the rest of asia, showing clear influences.

九州博物館的常設展示以日本和亞洲之間的文化交流,從縄文時代開始展出各類陶瓷,塑像,藝術品,這些展示物跟其他亞洲同時期的物件互相比較,明顯點出彼此之間的相似處。

Kyushu Museum九州博物館

Kyushu Museum九州博物館

Kyushu Museum九州博物館

Kyushu Museum九州博物館

No photos allowed inside.

裡面不准拍照所以沒相片。

 

The museum had a rectangular main hall which presented a brief walk through history, then there were side rooms that featured more detailed explanations if one was interested in learning more. Some covered artifact restoration methods, others artifact replica making, expanded period features focusing on the routes which cultures were exchanged with the mainland.

博物館有一個長方形的主廳,如走入時光隧道簡單敘述各朝代文化的主要影響,圍繞主廳的是許多小房間提供細節給有興趣進一步了解的訪客。有些解釋古物修復方法,複製,還有針對大陸間文化傳播的路徑。

 

Several historic periods were focused on in particularly. Jomon and pre-written history periods where Japan had few influences from the outside world. Big eyed figurines that had come to represent the period, flame shaped pottery and other ornaments.

大致可分為幾段歷史時期。縄文和古時代,日本基本上還是海上孤島,鮮少受外界影響。有這時期代表性的巨眼塑像,還有火焰型陶器和其他裝飾物。

 

The influx of Buddhism which transformed Japanese religious and societal order. There were many buddhist statues and pagodas. There was a very interested column with hundreds of buddhas carved on it, each with his hands held up in a slightly different pose, when one’s gaze moved between them it seemed the buddhas’s hands waved and beckoned.

佛教的輸入改變了日本的信仰和社會結構。有許多佛像和佛塔。其中有一根很有意思的石柱,上頭刻有上百佛陀,每個佛的手勢都不同,當視線在之間移動時看起來好似每個佛的手都在擺動招手。

 

The Heian periods trade with China(Tang Dynasty), where envoys were sent on trade missions. On display were examples of the goods that the ships would carry, silk and silver to china, and incense, books, medicines back to Japan. Replicas were available for one to get a first hand feel for what the texture of the clothes and scent of incenses were like.

平安時代與中國(唐)貿易交流繁多,為通商派任過許多遣唐使。銀和綢布賣去中國,運回香,書籍和藥物。展示中陳列了當時船上會載運的貨物樣品,可親身檢視看看這些衣物的質感和香的味道。

 

In the mongol invasions Fukuoka played centre stage, the mongol forces landed on the shores near Hakata while the defences were mounted from Dazaifu, then the area’s political centre. The main exhibited piece was an urn full of coins recovered from the seabed, it was probably carried upon the ship of a high Mongol official when it sunk off the coast. Outside the exhibition hall, a small scale model of the excavated earthen works that formed part of the forward defences of the area could be found on display.

在蒙古侵日中福岡可是首當其衝,蒙古軍在博多附近登陸,另一邊則以太宰府,當時地區的政治中心,為防衛中心。主要展示的是一個海底撈出來的巨大陶罐,裡頭裝滿銅錢,推測當時是由艘高級蒙古官員的船所載運,在外海遇難沈沒。在展示廳外還有一小模型,描述附近挖掘出的土牆,曾構成太宰府邊境防衛的一環。

 

Then the influence of Ming ceramics on Japanese crafts. There were also forged seals of the Kyoto and Korean courts, created by pirates and smugglers in the Kyushu areas to conduct illicit businesses in the area.

明朝的陶瓷對日本的陶藝上有著顯著影響。另外由於明朝的禁海令,日本變成需通過朝鮮與中國交流,於是九州的海盜和走私商人仿製了京都和朝鮮的官印,好在兩國間遊走。

 

The whole place took about an hour and a half to browse through at a semi-detailed pace. It is a shame the place is not more popular as the items displayed and the way they were exhibited told a very interesting story about the back and forth between the island and the continent.

整個地方有點細看的逛需要大概一個半小時。很可惜這地方不太熱門,裡頭的展示物和講解方式所敘說的島和大陸間來往故事還挺有趣的。

 

On the way back to Tenjin I end up on the Tabito tourist train. Lucky.

回天神時剛好坐到旅人號車,運氣不錯。

Dazaifu Tabito train 旅人號

Dazaifu Tabito train 旅人號

I thus return to Tenjin around 1:30. On the train back I notice that the popular Cannon Ramen is just south the Nishitetsu station. Since it was past lunchtime I might be able to avoid the queues.

回到天神大約是1:30. 在車上查資料時我發覺有名的大砲拉麵就在西鐵站附近。已經過午餐時間了,應該不至於需排隊吧。

 

To my surprise there was still a queue when I got there. About 5 people ahead of me and another 10 quickly showed up behind. Sigh, ah well, just this once.

結果還是需要等。在我前面大約有5人,在我開始排之後又加入有10人。唉,就這一次吧。

 

The ramen came with the eggs and chashu meat presented in a smiley face. It’s a little thicker than the usual Hakata ramen, rich in flavour and the noodle had just the right firmness. It’s good, but if there were a longer queue I wouldn’t be amiss if I skipped the place. The only ramen I genuinely crave remains the milk curry ramen in Aomori.

服務員端上拉麵,上頭用肉和蛋擺成一個笑臉。比一般的博多拉麵再濃一點,味道濃郁,麵的硬度剛剛好。算不錯啦,但若是排隊再長一點我真不吃也不至於會後悔。會讓我念念不忘的只有青森的牛奶咖哩拉麵。

Canon Ramen 大砲拉麵

 

Canon Ramen 大砲拉麵

The afternoon was filled with a quick look around Tenjin. I figured I would search out Animate and see if they might have some Your Name (Kimi no Na Wa) goods on sale.

下午隨便天神逛逛。想說去安利美特看看有沒有『你的名字』的周邊可買。

 

To my dismay, and to relief of my wallet, there’s not much goods yet and there was only a small section for it. I left empty handed. The movie was a surprise hit, there probably weren’t many arranged beforehand and it took time for the goods companies to get on aboard and put out something.

不幸的,對錢包是大幸,周邊不多,『你的名字』只擺一小區。我兩手空空的離開了。這電影上映前並不被看好,大概沒幾個廠商有準備周邊,現在要趕工設計,推出,需要些時間。

 

Tenjin was Fukuoka’s prime shopping district, though its shine had taken a dent since Hakata station developed into a sprawling mega department store, it still reigned as the king of glittery brands and trendy restaurants. Outside of Tokyo I had not seen such a high concentration of department stores all in such close proximity.

天神是福岡的黃金地帶,雖然來近年博多車站重整成一大百貨城,天神在強烈競爭下稍失光彩,依然坐擁各家名牌商店,流行美食餐廳。在東京外我還沒看過這麼密集的百貨數量。

Tenjin 天神

Tenjin 天神

Tenjin 天神

After getting back to the hotel to meet up with my parents, who had taken an afternoon nap. We head out for dinner.

回到旅館,等爸媽睡過午覺,晚點再一起去吃晚餐。

 

This time we went to KITTE B1 as I had intended the night before. I had my eyes set on the curry restaurant right by the entrance, dad took a look and suggested we check out all options first.

這回我們到原本昨晚要來的KITTE B1。我看上了入口的一家咖哩店,老爸看了一眼後說先全部看完再說吧。

KITTE 01 Curry 咖哩店

And so we discover this Nagasaki champon noodle place, whose noodles were topped with a huge amount of vegetables. One of its dish was titled all the vegetables you need for the day. (The curry place had a similar dish too). Convinced by the amount of vegetables piled on in the plastic food sample in the display, we enter and find a seat in the still largely empty restaurant. Japanese dinner prime time seemed to be not till 7 so it was still early.

若非這樣也不會發覺這家長崎什錦麵店,他的麵上頭配上小山般的蔬菜。其中一道號稱能滿足一天所需的所有蔬菜量 (咖哩店其實也有類似的一天蔬菜料理)。我們被餐點模型上堆得滿滿的蔬菜說服了,進去找了位子坐下。

 

The noodle suited our family’s tastes best out of all the restaurants I’d had in Japan so far. It wasn’t too salty, plenty of vegetables mixed with wood ear mushrooms, it was satisfying to have a meal that was light on the tastebuds and stomach. Due to its position and history of trade, Nagasaki cuisine had more chinese influence than any other places in Japanese main islands, might have contributed to its appeal to us.

這家的麵大概是我在日本吃到現在以來最符合我們家味口的了。不會太鹹,很多的蔬菜配上木耳,口味清淡對味蕾或胃都不會有負擔。長崎由於地理位置和貿易歷史,料理上比日本本島其他地方有更多中華料理的影子,比較對我們胃口是這原因吧。

Nagasaki champon noodle 長崎什錦麵

Nagasaki champon noodle 長崎什錦麵

Then it’s off the Tenjin to check out the department store’s christmas decorations.

晚上是去天神看看百貨公司的聖誕節燈飾。

 

The restaurants in Tenjin were packed, with lines outside each one we passed. Teppanyaki, tempura, grills, ramens, sushi, it was a Sunday night, maybe everyone just felt like eating out near Christmas. We were glad we had our dinner back at Hakata station early.

天神的餐廳可是人滿為患。鐵板燒,天婦羅,烤肉,拉麵,壽司。或許是星期天吧,或是快聖誕節大家想外面吃。總之很慶幸在博多車站預先吃了晚餐。

 

The main attraction was the park by the Nishitetsu station, where there was a skating rink and a christmas train for the kids. Each department store each had a different style and theme going for them, some were a little more invested, others just threw on some lights and called it a day. None compared to the grandeur that was Tokyo’s Shiodome or Roppongi, it’s Fukuoka after all, one of the smallest metropolis in Japan, not even Nagoya or Sapporo.

聖誕節活動主區在西鐵站附近的公園,搭設了溜冰場和小孩最愛的聖誕火車。附近每家百貨的燈飾都有自己的特色,有些比較認真,有些則是掛點燈就算湊湊節氣了。跟東京汐留和六本木的燈飾完全是不同一個等級,不過也沒辦法,這裡只是福岡,日本最小的一個都會區,連名古屋或札幌都比不上。

Tenjin 天神

Tenjin 天神

Tenjin 天神

Tenjin 天神

Tenjin 天神

Tenjin’s shopping streets were a maze, with alleys inside alleys, where one could quickly become lost, stairs leading up and down into various buildings where within were shopping arcades and squares. If only I had spent more time exploring them in the afternoons while more shops were open.

天神的商店街如迷宮般複雜,小巷內還有小巷,很容易就會轉到不知天南地北,樓梯上上下下穿過其他建築接到其他商店街或廣場。如果下午在更多店家還開著時有多逛逛就好了。

Tenjin 天神

I originally also wanted to go to Fukuoka Tower however by this time I was getting tired, so I returned to the hotel with my parents and called it a night early.

原本還想去福岡塔看夜景的,但走了一天已經很累了,還是跟著爸媽一起回旅館提早收攤。

 

Onsen Maigo – Day 3

We had to return the car by noon, since there was still time we headed for a lookout that looked over the township.

車子必須中午前還,還有點時間,先繞去俯瞰城鎮的瞭望台吧。

 

Only we we had to quickly turn back to Ryu no Hige since I had forgotten to return the sewing kit we borrowed. Created some confusion since they were readying the vans to drive the other guests to Yufuin station and the road was narrow. After that we were truly on our way.

不過在此之前得先調頭回龍之鬍鬚一下,我忘了還借的針線盒了。這時他們正準備交通車送其他住客去車站,在狹展的小路錯車造成了一些混亂。在這之後才真的上路。

 

The lookout was a short way up the side of Mt Yufu. Unfortunately it seemed to have been damaged in the earthquake and was cordoned off, so we could only park on the side temporarily and look down from the entrance to the lookout area. The grey township was sandwiched between checkered rice farm paddies, the crop had been harvested so it was all a little grey and brown, in the other seasons the contrast will be brighter. This was supposed to be a good spot to view the morning fog that often shrouds the town, at this hour late in the morning however the view was clear.

瞭望台在由布岳山往上一點點處。可惜似乎在地震中有點損害被拉上封鎖線,只能把車停在路邊,從瞭望台入口處往下看。灰色的城鎮夾在棋盤似稻田中,已經收割大多是灰色土色混在一起,其他季節會有比較亮麗的對比。這裡是俯瞰時常籠罩由布院的晨霧的最佳地點,不過此時已有點晚,沒有一絲霧氣。

View from lookout

View from lookout

The side of Mt Yufu was covered in a thick tall fields of silver grass. The white tails wagged and danced, a expanse of gentle wilderness.

由布岳的山邊長滿了濃密的芒草。白色芒花尾巴搖擺舞動,一片溫馴的荒野。

 

We drove back down to return the car. The Budget Rental in Yufuin is also the petrol station they suggested we fill up on before returning, quite convenient (I believe the rule was you had to show receipt of having filled up within 5k of the return location), while the tanks were being filled up the Budget Rental staff was already inspecting the car. Before I had even paid the petrol the car was already signed off and returned with lightning efficiency. With the full insurance package there really wasn’t the need for the staff to do more than make a cursory look, any scratch and damages were their responsibility. (But if you knowingly had an incident/accident you still had to call them, otherwise insurance doesn’t apply, it’s just for minor stuff that might have been sustained without you being aware need not be argued over)

我們開回山下還車。由布院的Budget租車也正是機場店建議我們還車前加油的加油站(規定是必須出示還車地點5公里內加滿油的收據),挺方便的,當車子加油時Budget的員工就已經在檢視車子了。我還沒付油錢車子就已經超有效率地閃電般簽收完畢。不過也是因為買了全險,他們也只需要稍微確認沒大狀況就夠了,刮痕損傷都不關我們的事。(但若車子真有意外還是必須聯絡店家警察,不然保險不支付,只是在可能不知情形下受的損傷不會跟你斤斤計較)

Yufuin Budget 由布院Budget

Kind of sad to see the car leave, it was a trusty and comfortable drive and stored our luggages well no matter where we went, like we had to worry about now. We drop off our luggage at the store in front of the station (3 pieces for 1100Y) and begin our tour of Yufuin.

看到車子開走有點失落,它性能不錯,開起來很舒服,不管到哪也不用擔心我們現在需面對的行李問題。把行李拖到車站前的特產店寄放(3個1100Y)後,我們的由布院之旅正式開始。

Store with lockers and luggage keeping 裡頭有置物櫃 也可找店員保管行裡

Yufuin is another onsen town that avoided Japan’s lost decades (though it made most of it during the bubble era and slowed to a more gradual growth afterward, whereas Kurokawa made most of its growth after). The town adopted strict building codes such as height limits, which prevented construction of large hotel complexes. Sizes of ryokans were kept small (but not as small as Kurokawa) and the town evolved into a Karuizawa like feel to it, with the main street lined with all sort of cafes, sweets, snacks, trinket and craft shops. The town is also home to a number of art galleries, giving it a claim of having an air of refined taste.

由布院也是逃過日本失落歲月的溫泉街之一(不過主要成長是在泡沫時期,之後便大幅減緩,反觀黑川的成長大多是在近30年,泡沫瓦解後)。小鎮建立了非常嚴格的建築法規,如建築物高度等,防止大型旅館設立,成功的保存了小鄉村的氣息。大多旅館的規模不大(但也沒黑川的那樣小),街市小店林立的發展模式使由布院又有小軽井沢的暱稱,主街上滿是咖啡館,甜點小吃,小紀念品和手工藝店。鎮上也有數家美術館,自許多添一筆高雅品味。

Yufuin street 由布院街道

Yufuin street 由布院街道

Yufuin street 由布院街道

 

Totoro shop, there’s another at Dazaifu 豆豆龍店  太宰府也有一家

Totoro shop 豆豆龍店

Together with Kurokawa, the two onsens form a symbiotic relationship due to their close proximity (about an hour apart) and similarly small town feel. Though Yufuin is much larger, has access to train line, expressway, closer to Oita a major city; it sees four times as many visitors(~4million) and a magnitude more spend per person because it has so many more shops.

加上黑川,兩個相隔不遠打的同是小鎮氣氛的溫泉,形成相輔的共生關係。不過擁有鐵道,高速公路,接近大分都市的由部院規模大的多了; 每年的訪客數為黑川的4倍(400萬),同時因商店數量的差異,平均消費也相差數倍。

 

Yufuin is a paradise if you’re into shopping or trying various foods (or hell, from a different persective). I’m not too into snacks or desserts so we mostly browsed, stopping occasionally for dad to do some sample tasting. Even though there are many shops, most of them maintained a visually unobtrusive, harmonious profile. There are little nooks and alleys, hidden shops and cafes tucked away behind the busy main street for the adventurous.

由布院對愛逛街嚐美食的人是天堂(或地獄,另一層面上)。我對甜點小吃不是太有興趣所以大多時只是隨便看看,碰到有試吃的就停下讓老爸嚐嚐鮮。雖然店鋪很多,外觀上大多維持不突兀,能融合一起。有許多轉角巷弄,遠離大街紛擾的隱藏小店或茶點鋪,適合愛冒險的人挖寶。

Famous croquette 有名的可樂餅

Famous croquette 有名的可樂餅

 

Yufuin street 由布院街道

Yufuin street 由布院街道

The yummy sweets offered at Ryu no Hige is from Akashikashiho (赤司菓子舗), its main store is just opposite the bus centre near the train station. It also has a second store further along just before crossing the stream that runs through town. We leave the buying till later to not burden ourselves.

在龍之鬍鬚吃到的甜點是赤司菓子舗的招牌力作,本店就在車站附近的巴士中心對面。另外再往金麟湖一點在過橋前還有一家分店。避免會需大包小包拿來拿去,我們決定把採購留到下午。

 

Though the main street is impressive by themselves, there are two blocks worthy of mention. The Yu no Tsuba Yokochou (湯の坪横丁) which is a small loop alley with shops built uniformly in the style from the Edo era, and the Floral Village which mimics the looks of a some small British town with low buildings adorned with flowers, retro signages and facades. In the Floral Village there is also an Owl forest where one could see owls up close and supposedly dress up in a wizard robe (I didn’t go in though).

主街已經很夠看了,不過還有兩個區域值得一提。一是湯の坪横丁,一個繞U字一圈的小巷,全部的店皆仿造江戶時期的風格建造。另一是仿英國小村風的Floral Village,一間間用花點綴的矮小屋子,復古的招牌和外貌裝飾。在Village中還有一個貓頭鷹森林,裡頭可以近距離觀賞貓頭鷹,好像還可以穿巫師袍過過癮 (我沒進去)。

Floral Village

Yu no Tsuba Yokochou 湯の坪横丁

The 1.5k walk to Kirin Lake took us about an hour and half. The lake was so named because both cold spring water and hot onsen water wells up from the bottom, this temperature difference causes a glittering effect with the sunset.

到金鱗湖1.5公里的路程走了大約一個半小時。之所以叫金鱗湖是因為湖中同時湧出溫泉和冷泉水,溫度差異在夕陽時形成亮晶晶的效果。

Lake Kirin 金鱗湖

We have lunch at the Marc Chagall cafe on the lakeshore. The burger was okay. There were plenty of restaurants in Yufuin but it would have required backtracking and joining long lines.

午餐是在湖岸邊的Marc Chagall咖啡館。漢堡味道還好。雖然由布院有很多餐廳但一來需要走回去,二來要排隊。

Cafe la Ruche

Cafe la Ruche

After lunch I split up with my parents, each off to explore on our own. I decide to check out the Marc Chagall gallery upstairs. On display was a collection of painting with the theme of circus. Chagall had a slightly modern style, using rough brush strokes and large exaggerated features, almost newsprint comic like.

午餐後我和爸媽分開行動,各自去探索。我首先決定看看樓上的Marc Chagall藝廊。目前展出的是以馬戲團為主題的一系列畫作。Chagall的畫風相當現代,在粗筆下誇張的詮釋表情動作,接近報紙漫畫的效果。

 

By Lake Kirin was the Shitanyu, a mixed gender public onsen where one could take a dip for just 200Y. On the southern shore was a shrine with a torii in the lake, reminiscent of the torii of Miyajima in Hiroshima.

金鱗湖旁是下ん湯,混浴的公共溫泉浴場,只要200Y就可以享受。在南岸的天祖神社有一個鳥居樹立在湖水內,有廣島的宮島大鳥居的感覺。

Torii 天祖神社鳥居

Our cake reservations with B-Speak had to be picked up before 3:30. I took a detour through the backstreets of Yufuin on my way back, Yufuin’s ryokans and hotels tended to be situated away from the main street, dotted amidst the rice paddies. Juggling development while keeping the farmland feel is a top concern for the local government.

跟B-Speak預訂的蛋糕卷必須在3:30前拿。回去的路上我稍微繞了下,由布院的旅館大多分散在離主街一兩條街外的農田間。發展觀光的同時如何保持農村氣息是當地政府正面臨的一大考驗。

 

B-Speak is Yufuin’s most famous cake shop, operated by Murata, one of the 3 most famous ryokans. Its cakes (at least the ⅓ portion ones) are usually sold by before noon, without prior reservation obtaining a cake can be close to impossible.

B-Speak是由布院最有名的蛋糕店,是由御三家的無量塔開的。他的蛋糕(至少1/3卷的小蛋糕)通常中午前就會賣光,沒有預訂幾乎是買不到的。

B-Speak

Sold out 賣光了

Our train departs at 3:50pm, we went to check out another dessert shop close to the station, recommended by the young lady from Ryu no Hige, but everything were already sold out. Even in winter Yufuin is packed with people, the place must be absolutely swamped in summer when people come into the mountains to escape the heat and have ice creams of which Yufuin has plenty.

火車發車時間是3:50。我們繞去離車站不遠處龍之鬍鬚Rika地圖上有提起的泡芙店,但櫥窗已全是空的了。就連在冬天由布院依然是人潮洶湧,在夏天肯定更是人擠人,這裡可是避暑聖地,吹著山中的涼風,邊逛邊享受由布院為數眾多的冰淇淋店。

 

We arrived at the train station before the crowd showed up, each trailing behind them a large luggage filled with souvenirs and sweets.

The station’s waiting room also doubles as an art gallery. To be honest despite Yufuin’s claim, I very much feel its artistry claims were overshadowed by its sweets and desserts. Only a very small percentage of its visitors were probably interested much less visits one of these art galleries. I was certainly the only one there inside Marc Chagall despite the cafe downstairs having a long queue.

到車站後不久,準備搭車的人群開始湧入月台,人人拖著裝滿戰利品的大行李箱。

車站的候車室同時也是一個畫廊。老實說雖然由布院官方想塑造這種形象,感覺藝術的賣點完全被甜點小吃蓋過去了。大概只有極少部份的遊客對美術館有興趣,更不用說實際參觀了。在Marc Chagall時雖然樓下的咖啡館是大排長龍,樓上卻只有我一個人。

 

The Yufuin no Mori is one of the first tourist trains by JR Kyushu back in 1989, now the rail company operates a dozen tourist trains throughout Kyushu to boost patronage for lines that would otherwise see very few passengers.

由布院之森是JR九州在1989年開始營運的第一輛觀光火車,現在他們在九州有多至十多種觀光火車,來提升搭乘人數少的路線的營收。

 

The Yufuin no Mori has elevated seating level and large windows to allow passengers to enjoy the scenery outside. The interior makes use of wood to give the whole train a forest like feel. The first generation trains also sports a lounge area with bench seats facing the windows directly and space for one to stand around, chat with a friend, all while enjoying a drink bought from the shop the next car down. (The second generation trains are newer, has brighter interiors but forgo the lounge space for more seats)

由布院之森有挑高的車廂和特大窗戶好讓旅客欣賞沿途的風景。內部各處使用木頭,想讓人有坐在森林中的感覺。第一代列車還有一個觀景車廂,有面朝窗戶的座位還有站立空間,可以從鄰近的餐車買杯飲料來在這和朋友聊天。(第二代車比較新,內裝比較明亮但犧牲了觀景車廂換取更多座位)

 

The onboard shop sells a limited ekiben only available on the train, other snacks and drinks such as Aso milk. B-Speak rolls are also available, if they haven’t sold out already.

餐車有賣由布院之森的限定便當,其他點心和飲料,如阿蘇牛奶。也有賣B-Speak蛋糕,若還沒賣完的話。

Yufuin no Mori 由布院之森

Yufuin no Mori 由布院之森

Yufuin no Mori 由布院之森

 

Ekiben 便當

As the whole train is reserve seat only it can be hard to get a ticket if one walk up to the counter on the day, or even a few days before. The train we took was completely sold out at least 3 weeks earlier (I booked the seat the moment they went on sale a month prior to departure). The 3:50 train is one of the most popular one as it is the most convenient after a day of sightseeing. The later train that leaves at 5pm still had some seats when we left.

由於整輛車都是指定席,發天當天或甚至發車前幾天才去櫃檯買票的話很可能會沒有位子。我們搭的這一班在發車三個星期前就賣光了(我在一個月前一開放買票就訂了)。下午3:50這班車很熱門,一整天逛完由布院後搭時間上再恰當不過。出發時晚一班5點的還有一些位子。

 

Note that to reserve a seat in advance one must do so online and pay with credit card at time of booking. If one wishes to use a Kyushu JR Pass, then one can only try their luck after entering Japan and go up to a counter in person. Even if I had a schedule that could have saved by using a pass, I probably would still have booked the seats online, paying that extra to have a peace of mind.

注意要提前訂位一定要網上訂票,且訂票時就需用信用卡付。如果想用JR九州pass的話就只能到日本後再親自去票務櫃檯試運氣了。就算行程上能用pass省錢我應該還是會用網路訂票,花錢換心安。

 

The train was not that impressive, but perhaps it was due to me being tired at the end of the day and also the fading lights making the interior a little dark. The lounge car was a definite plus and I question the decision to forgo it in the generation 2 Yufuin no Mori.

大概是玩了一整天有點累了吧,列車沒有想像中的特別,也可能是時候已晚,車廂內顯得有點陰暗。觀景車廂算是不錯的亮點,覺得第二代列車取消這車廂有點可惜。

 

During the trip an attendant comes around with a signboard with today’s date on it for passengers to take a photo with it to show they’ve been on the Yufuin no Mori. In the shop carriage there were little train master uniforms for kids to try on and have photos taken.

途中會有列車小姐拿寫有日期的紀念卡牌來給大家合照,證明有搭過由布院之森。在餐車裡也有小車掌制服可給小孩穿上拍照留念。

 

Overall JR Kyushu definitely tried to make the train ride as unique an experience as possible. Thoughts had also been made with regard to the target audience’s needs; there was wifi on board (speed questionable) and luggage space was plenty at the ends of the carrages.

JR九州確實在許多地方有花心思提升搭車體驗,滿足旅客的需求,車上有wifi(速度不怎麼樣),車廂末端也有放置行李的充裕空間。

 

The train reached Hakata at about 6:10pm. We navigated the maze that is Hakata station and out the east gate in good time, the benefit of having been to a place before.

到博多是6:10左右。很快的穿過迷宮般的博多車站從東門出去,一個地方曾來過的好處。

 

Our stay this time is Richmond Hotel, about a hundred metres out and to the right after exiting the station east side. After complaints from my parents about the last trip, this time I went with a little pricier choice. The elevators and rooms are accessed by cards, and each room was spacious (for a business hotel) and had their own aircon control. Power sockets were plentiful and USB chargers were also available. Definitely more comfortable than my usual choices.

這次住的是Richmond Hotel,大概東側出去後往右一百公尺左右。自從上回爸媽反應過後,這回選的稍微貴一點。電梯和房間是用磁卡出入,以商務旅館而言房間算寬廣,也有獨立空調。插座很多,也有提供usb充電。比我一般選的舒服太多了。

Richmond Hotel

After check-in, as I had ekiben on the train already we decided to split up for the night. I brought my parents to the ramen street in Hakata station (note: 2nd floor Deitos on the north east side). I was going to take them to the new KITTE 0101 (note: it’s pronounced Marui) B1 restaurants where I’ve identified a few choice restaurants. My fault for not explaining what the choices were I guess, dad said he wanted ramen and ramen we went.

Check-in後,我在車上已經吃過便當了還不太餓,於是決定分頭行動。我帶爸媽到車站的拉麵街(東北角二樓Deitos)。原本是想帶他們去新開的KITTE 0101 (註:發ma-ru-i)的B1餐廳街,有幾家看來適合的餐廳。不過一開始沒解釋清楚我的計畫,老爸說吃拉麵就好所以就去吃拉麵了。

 

I helped them order from the ticket machine (ramen ordering machines can be intimidating at first. Can I choose more than 1 item at once? What do I press to get the change?)

我幫他們使用機器買餐卷(拉麵點餐機對第一次用的人還有點難,一次可以點幾樣東西,按什麼找錢?)

 

Then I’m off to the christmas market in front of the station.

然後我就自己去逛站前的聖誕市集了。

 

It has always amused me how Japanese do western holidays better than many western countries. Halloween in Australia is barely alive with a smattering of kids dressing up, as we saw last time Japanese put out Halloween themed products everywhere, cakes, drinks, pumpkins in every displays, people dressing up. Valentine? They love it so much they’ve made it into two days, they also switched it around by making it customary for the girl to give the chocolate, and if the guy wished to reciprocate, give something back on white valentine.

很有趣的,明明有許多節日是源自西方的,日本人卻比許多西方國家更會慶祝。在澳洲萬聖節只不過是幾個小鬼穿點衣服,大多人幾乎沒有在慶祝的。但如上回來日本所見,日本到處都是節慶裝飾和產品,蛋糕,飲料,櫥窗裡滿是南瓜,一堆人換裝打扮。情人節?他們喜歡到要有兩個,也把習俗轉了一下改成由女方送巧克力,若男方想回禮再在白情人節送東西。

 

Christmas is no exception. The christmas jingles were on repeat in the shopping streets, department stores tries to outdo each other with decorations, and a big christmas market with wine and beer and food in the station’s courtyard.

聖誕節也不例外。商店街反覆播放著聖誕歌曲,百貨公司在裝飾上互相競爭,車站前擺起充滿啤酒,葡萄酒和美食的聖誕集市,熱鬧極了。

Xmas market 聖誕市集

Xmas market 聖誕市集

Xmas market 聖誕市集

Xmas market 聖誕市集

Xmas market 聖誕市集

Hakata station roof 博多車站頂樓

Hakata station roof 博多車站頂樓

It was almost 8:30pm, I scored a strange roll of sushi for cheap from the stalls below the station’s department store and headed back to the hotel, grabbing a carton of milk from the 7-11 on the way. Japanese milk is awesome.

快8:30時我在百貨地下街的食品區買了一盒特價但不確定是什麼的壽司,回旅館途中又順便在7-11買了一罐牛奶。日本的牛奶可是超好喝的。

 

A late dinner of sushi, milk and B-Speak rolls for dessert.

宵夜就是這卷壽司,牛奶,點心還有B-Speak蛋糕捲。

B-Speak roll

Supper 宵夜

Onsen Maigo 溫泉迷子 Day 2-3 Ryu no Hige 草屋根之宿 龍之鬍鬚

Kusayane no Yado – Ryu no Hige (草屋根の宿 龍のひげ) is a unique ryokan. It’s not in Yufuin proper, instead about 10 minutes drive to the west, its old name was Sansou Yumuta no Mori (Mountain House of Yumuta Forest) before it revamped as a high class ryokan in 2012.

草屋根之宿 龍之鬍鬚 是一間很特殊的旅館。不在由布院 (湯布院) 主區域內,而是往西開車10分鐘處,前身又叫山荘 ゆむ田の森,在2012年重整成一間高級旅館。

 

Actually, Kusayane no Yado – Ryu no Hige is not its full name, the ryokan has two areas, Ryu no Hige are cabins while its other half Bettei Yumuta (Annex Yumuta) consists of an separated wing of 5 double rooms. The full name is thus Kusayane no Yado – Ryu no Hige/Bettei Yumuta (草屋根の宿 龍のひげ/別邸 ゆむた). The meaning of Yumuta is not known, my guess is that it’s Yu meaning hot bath and Mu for village, or a homophone of Yu-Me (Dream) as Yu-Mu. (Correction: Found out it’s 湯無田 as in hot bath, nothingness, field)

其實 草屋根之宿 龍之鬍鬚 還不是全名,旅館有兩區,離屋叫龍之鬍鬚,另一區一棟5間雙人房的分館稱別邸 ゆむた。合起來為草屋根之宿 龍之鬍鬚 別邸ゆむた。ゆむた意思為何不知,猜測是湯的ゆ和村的む,也可能是夢ゆめ的諧音。(改:問了Rika是ゆむた原漢字是湯無田)

 

The ryokan earns its name by the beard of dragon grass (リュウノヒゲ, lilyturf) grown atop the roof of its main hall, the grass shields the building from the sun and acts as an insulation in winter, making the inside cool in summer and warm in winter.

龍之鬍鬚取名來自母屋屋頂上種的龍鬚草(麥門冬草),可隔絕炎日,同時也是保暖的絕緣體,屋子內冬暖夏涼。

When initially looking at the comments a few things stood out. The comments are very consistent, they talk about how the place exceeds expectations, how good the food is (and how much there was) and how well the staffs are.

一開始研究時注意到幾件事。一是他的評價很一致,大多提到這地方超出預期,食物多好吃(且量很多)還有恰如其分的待客服務。

 

Every room (Ryu no Hige and Annex) faces Mt. Yufu and has a half open air onsen bath.

每個房間(離屋和別邸皆是)都面對由布岳和半開放式的露天溫泉。

 

There’s something very personal about the place, the way its facebook posts are written and the way its website is built.

這地方給人很個人化的感覺,從臉書上的發言,網頁的設計上都很溫馨。

 

It doesn’t promise luxury, nor does it promise tradition or history. There’s no hundred year old main buildings, no Japanese garden with little streams or zen pebbles. Actually there’s no garden at all, just landscaped footpath connecting the cabins. It doesn’t even have a bar or reading space or lounge area. It barely has a lobby. In short, it has essentially no public spaces for guests to stroll or hang about.

他不提供豪華享受,也不靠傳統或歷史。沒有百年老屋,沒有日式庭院的小溪或充滿禪意的碎石子。其實連個花園也沒有,只有連結小屋之間的走道旁稍有修飾過。沒有酒吧或讀書間或聊天室。連大廳也是小小的。簡單說,基本上沒有公共空間給住客閒逛或打發時間。

 

It’s often said, make the guests them feel at home. Many hotels, resorts and ryokans certainly strive to do this, with plenty of services and hospitality and asking about how they may serve you. What makes Ryu no Hige stands out is this is the first time I’ve felt the true meaning of the saying. It is the combination of the comfort of its cabin and the delicately balanced distance of its staffs that truly makes one forget every worry in the world and more at home than home.

常聽到『賓至如歸』這句話。許多飯店,渡假村,旅館宣稱這是他們努力的目標,提供許多服務和招待,並且常詢問有什麼他們可效勞之處。龍之鬍鬚獨特之處是這是我第一次感受到這句話的真諦。舒適的小屋和服務人員保持的微妙的距離,讓人確實將一切煩惱拋到腦後,感到比在自己家中還更自在輕鬆。

 

What will immediately strikes you after turning off the road, down and up the small path into the carpark, is how low profile the place is, figuratively and literally. There’s only a single sign by the main road pointing out this is where you should turn. Atop the hill at the entrance of the carpark, there’s a small hut where the staffs already awaits your arrival.

轉入叉路,尋小路下坡後再向上開往停車場,立刻注意到的是這地方有多低調,字面上和比喻上皆是。公路上只有一個看板指出該在這裡轉入。在坡頂的停車場入口有個小亭子,服務人員早在這裡等候住客駕臨。

 

There’s no planted flowers or other rock decos, no signboard saying welcome or where to go. The whole carpark could pass as a scenic lookout carpark on the side of the road.

沒有花叢或石頭藝術,沒有看板寫著歡迎或往哪走。不細察可能會誤以為是那個觀景點的路邊停車場。

carpark

Next you’ll notice the ryokan is missing, that’s because the main hall is actually situated slightly downhill and has such a low profile that with its grass roof, blends perfectly into the surrounding landscape. Blink, and you’ll miss it’s even there.

然後會注意到的是沒看到旅館。這是因為母屋位於山坡另一側,視覺上很低調,加上屋頂上的草,無縫融入自然中。稍一眨眼就會忘記它的存在。

Ryu no Hige main hall 龍之鬍鬚母屋

Ryu no Hige main hall 龍之鬍鬚母屋

A moss lined path graciously curves to the entrance of the hall, plain and devoid of furnishing save for the ryokan’s name to one side. The colours are subdued throughout and easy on the eyes. The interiors similarly without excess wall pictures, statues or other trinkets, only a few vases of flowers dotted the space, elegant without hinting utilitarian.

小徑兩側鋪著苔癬,以高雅的弧線通道母屋門口。簡約,除了一旁寫著旅館名字外沒有多餘的裝置。處處色調柔和悅目。內部裝潢一樣,牆上沒有多掛畫,擺設雕像或其他小玩意兒,整個空間只散洛這幾只花瓶點綴,優雅而不顯實用主義。

 

The staffs initially thought we were from China, probably because in my email I mentioned we speak english and chinese. A friendly, spirited Taiwanese young lady was assigned to us and showed us to our room and gave us a detailed introduction to its features.

一開始服務人員以為我們是中國來的,大概是我在信中提到我們也說中文和英文吧
。負責我們這次住宿的是位在日本工作的台灣人,是位活潑友善的女孩Rika(後來請問的)。她帶我們到我們的小屋,介紹房間和旅館的設備。

 

Ryu no Hige has 5 cabins, each slightly different, of the twins, Tsukushi (つくし) and Warabi (わらび), Warabi was traditional Japanese style while Tsukushi which I chose for us was described as modern Japanese style.

龍之鬍鬚的5間離屋都不太一樣。つくし和わらび兩間並排為一對,算是雙胞胎。 わらび是傳統和式而我們選的つくし說是現代日式。

 

I had chosen Tsukushi instead of Warabi because it had a clearer view of the mountains. Warabi was situated closer to the main hall, there’s another cabin directly in front and below, though not obstructing, could see the roof of it.

選つくし是因為他看山的視野比較遼闊。わらび比較接近母屋,前方坡下有另一間小屋,雖然不至於擋到但可看到屋頂。

Ryu no Hige map 龍之鬍鬚房間位置 src: http://ryunohige.com/

The inside of Tsukushi was made of fir wood (I think?), from the floorboards to the furnitures and pillars and frames, the colour light and soft. There’s a foyer, on the wall hung a shoe horn doubling as the space’s only decoration. Step onto the raised floor, to the right was the door to the toilet and baths, in front leads into the main room.

つくし內部以杉木為主,從地板到桌椅匡柱,顏色淺淡柔和。一進門是玄關,牆上掛有鞋拔,充作這空間唯一的飾品。踩上和室架高地板,右側是通往衛浴的門,正前方則是主間。

Cabin entrance 離屋門口

Shoe horn in the foyer 玄關掛的鞋拔

Foyer 玄關

 

The living room had two areas, the tatami sleeping area and a living space with sofas. Japanese paper sliding doors could either be closed to create two separate spaces or completely slid to the side to create one continuous wide open space. To note the slide doors slides into the walls and to the side of the closet so when fully opened there are no doors in sight, it is truly without boundary (save for one pillar in the corner).

主間分為兩的區塊,榻榻米的睡覺間和有沙發的起居空間。可將紙門關上形成兩個完全獨立房間,或是完全打開連結成一個寬廣的空間。紙門完全滑入牆內和衣櫃側邊,完全打開時是看不到門的,空間視野上無分界(除了角落的一根柱子)。

 

Shelf 起居間的櫃子

Front door leading to living area 前門通到取居間

Tatami area 榻榻米間

The side facing Mt Yufu consisted entirely of glass doors that keeps out the cold air. Spotless, there’s not a smudge or spot to be found on them. The eyes gazes past them without the slightest hinder, to the deck outside, over the railing and drawn to the rolling mountains in the distance, all in one breathless wonder filled sigh.

面由布岳那側是整片玻璃門,隔開外頭的冷空氣。一塵不染,上頭找不到一點手印或污漬。視線毫無阻礙的看過去,到外頭的陽台,越過欄杆,注目於遠方的山巒,皆在一息讚歎之間。

View of Mt Yufu from room 房間看去的由布岳

Deck 陽台

View from room 房間看去的景色

A water cooler sits in the corner. No need to fetch water from the basin. There’s a TV in the living area and another smaller one by the tatami for those needing some bedtime drama.

角落有個給水機,不用像其他住宿從水龍頭取水。起居間有台電視,榻榻米旁也有一台小的,為睡前想看點電視劇的人而備。

Small tv 小電視

Water cooler 供水機

There’s tea and drip filtered coffee on the shelf. On the tea table packets of delicious Japanese sweet cake from a famous shop in Yufuin.

櫥櫃裡有茶和吊掛式咖啡。茶桌上是來自由布院一家名菓子店,超好吃的小甜點。

Japanese sweet cake, taste excellent 附的小甜點 很好吃

It’s not too sweet like many Japanese sweets are, the taste is much more subtle 不像許多日本的甜點會很甜 這個的味道更細膩一點

Return to the foyer and open the other door. The wash basin/vanity is on the right, upon sits rows of care products, and an entire travel set of Shiseido. On the opposite side of where one came in is another door, the light automatically turns on when one enters the toilet. To the left is another door, here there are racks with 3 set of baskets and towels, a small changing room space before one enters the bathroom. Open this final door and one at last enters the bathroom. The first half is the shower area, the other half lies a huge onsen bath, enough for at least 5 people to comfortably bath in at same time (though Tsukushi is limited to 3 guests only).

回到玄關滑開另一道門。右側是洗臉台,上頭放著贈送的一套小罐資生堂產品。入口對面是另一個門,進入廁所時頭頂的燈自動亮起。穿過左側另一道門,這裡架子上擺著3個籃子和3套毛巾。一個進入浴室前的小更衣間。打開最後一扇門,進入浴室。一半是淋浴區,另一半則是一個大溫泉池,要5個人同時泡也夠 (つくし設定是最多3人)。

Wash room 梳洗台

Change room leading to bathroom 更衣間 過去是浴室

Lots of towels available 提供的毛巾很夠

Shower area 淋浴區

 

Half open air onsen 半露天溫泉池

Onsen 溫泉

Note the number of doors mentioned. The bathroom, change room, toilet, wash basin/makeup room are all separated, there is no concern about affecting each other. A person can be on the toilet, another drying hair before the vanity, and another changing out of their clothes to go into the bath, all while another person is sipping coffee in the living room and yet another sleeping in the tatami room (again, this cabin only allows up to 3 guests).

注意提及門的次數。浴室,更衣間,廁所,洗臉/化妝間全部都是隔開的,不用擔心互相干擾。可以一個人用廁所,另一個在洗臉台前吹頭,一個在更衣間脫衣準備進去泡澡,同時還有一人在起居室品咖啡,另一人在榻榻米間睡覺。(重申一次,小屋住宿最多只准3人)

 

The glass doors in front of the bath can be slid open (again, completely into the wall) and the right side window opened to create a half open air bath. Or if feeling cold, slide out a few or shut them completely. The mountain view could be enjoyed while one baths.

溫泉池前的玻璃門可以滑開(同樣的,完全滑入牆側),右邊的落地窗也可打開,形成一個半露天風呂。若覺得冷也可以只留一扇或完全關閉。邊泡溫泉可以邊欣賞外頭的山景。

 

The onsen water here contains a little more iron and has a reddish tint, with a slight sulfur smell. Of course, it’s kakenagashi, to be enjoyed even in the middle of the night.

這裡的溫泉水含鐵成分比較多,色澤略紅,微帶硫磺味。當然了,這裡是放流,半夜也可享受。

 

Two forms of yukata was prepared. The more common yukata and the samue (shirt and pants) combination if one felt yukata to be a little cumbersome. Plus haori and tanzen.

準備的浴衣有兩種。除了常見的浴衣,另外還有比較舒服靈活的作務衣,若不喜歡穿浴衣可選擇。

 

I don’t have too many photos to show. Once inside the whole person becomes so relaxed I often forget to take photos. All a person feels is the mountains, the woods, and the comfort of the cabin.

我沒有太多房間的照片。一到裡頭立刻正個人放鬆下來,也就忘了要照相了。感受的全是山,森林,還有小屋的舒適。

 

Sometime before dinner I hopped over to the lobby to ask for a sewing kit for mom to fix her shirt’s button, at the same time also asked if they could help me book the popular B-Speak cake rolls for tomorrow. Originally I had trouble explaining the sewing kit to the lady at the desk (this is a little bit above my Japanese….), thankfully the Taiwanese young lady came back and helped with the situation. I cannot thank her enough, and feel a little bad because we caused her a lot of extra efforts, as will be mentioned further down.

晚餐前某個時候我去櫃檯一趟,老媽上衣扣子掉了,跟她們借個針線盒,另外請問她們是否可以幫我預訂超人氣B-Speak蛋糕捲,好明天拿。一開始我想不出該如何問針線盒(日文太爛),幸好Rika這時回來了,幫忙解決了所有問題。真是太感謝Rika了,也要說聲抱歉,添了許多麻煩,見本篇下面。

A red Mt Yufu 由布岳夕陽下成紅色

Path between cabin and main hall 母屋和離屋間小徑

Path between cabin and main hall 母屋和離屋間小徑

Outside of Tsukushi 離屋外

Dinner is served at 6:30pm. No exceptions.

晚餐固定是6:30。沒有例外。

 

The meal is served at the main hall in semi-enclosed rooms. The walls do not extend to the top of the rooms, probably to help with ventilation.

用餐是在母屋的半獨立個室。大概是為了通風,隔間牆並沒有延伸到天花板。

Menu 獻立

The first dish was a warm boiled fish in soup dish. Immediately it warms the body and gently eases the stomach in readiness.

第一道菜是溫暖的煮魚配湯。一吃立刻全身暖起來,也溫和地告知胃該準備進食了。

Warm boiled fish in soup dish 煮魚配湯

Perhaps because the young lady was also from Taiwan, she asked if we would like our rice and miso soup to come first (instead of last as is usually the case for Japanese meal) which my parents gladly accepted.

或許因為Rika也是台灣人的關係吧,她詢問我們是否想要先上飯和味噌湯 (通常在日本是最後上),我爸媽很開心地接受這提案。

Miso soup and pickles for rice 味噌湯和配飯的醃菜

There’s a hot water kettle/thermos and tea set in one corner so one could help oneself to some tea at anytime.

一角擺著熱水壺和茶具,想喝茶時隨時可自己泡。

Tea set 茶具

It’s little details like these which initially seemed insignificant that leaves a strong impression.

這些看似微不足道的小細節讓人印象深刻。

 

I ordered some sake, something which I never usually do.

點了一小瓶米酒,通常我是不會加點東西的。

Warm sake 溫米酒

Sashimi, in addition to the wasabi there’s a yuzu and pepper too for use on the fish with stronger taste (very spicy and very good, it’s slightly cool and sweet from the yuzu first then the pepper kicks in). The young lady looked up each of the fish’s name (and each ingredient in every dish) in chinese to help explain the dish to us. (I’m ashamed to say I don’t remember all of them)

生魚片,山葵之外還有一種香橙加胡椒子的佐醬搭配味道較重的魚 (很辛很有味,一開始香橙涼涼甜甜的,然後才感到胡椒後勁)。Rika還查了每種魚的中文 (還有每道菜的各個材料) 好一一為我們解釋。(很慚愧的我沒能記住幾個)

Sashimi, next to the lemon is the wasabi (top) and yuzu pepper (lower darker) 生魚片 檸檬旁是山葵(上)香橙胡椒 (下較深色的)

Fried pumpkin, pork with dandelion leaf. The slight bitterness of the leaf counteracts the fatty pork perfectly.

炸南瓜,豬肉,和蒲公英。葉子微微的苦味正好平衡肥肥的豬肉。

Fried pumpkin, pork with dandelion leaf 炸南瓜,豬肉,和蒲公英

The main dish. Ryu no Hige’s signature meat grill. The beef and chicken were from Kagoshima (southern Kyushu).

The chicken was what’s called a chi-tori, meaning local chicken, very meaty and bitey.

The beef was very good, succulent and seemingly just melts in the mouth.

Yes, all this for 3 people. Some people might be able to finish this, we don’t have a shot. We’re told that if we cannot eat it all, they will use the meat to cook a new dish for us for breakfast. It’s almost like their trademark as many many people mention this in their comments. So if you ever visit, only cook what you will eat, leave the rest for the next day.

The grill is deceiving, it’s the infrared flameless type which provides an even and strong heat.

主餐。龍之鬍鬚的招牌烤肉。牛和雞肉是鹿兒島產的(九州南部)。

雞是地雞,也就是土雞,肉感十足很有嚼勁。

牛肉肉質很好,柔軟多汁,似乎入口即化。

沒看錯,3個人吃這麼大一盤。或許有些人能吃完吧,我們很有自知之明直接投降。她建議我們說,若吃不完廚房會用剩下的肉在早餐時做成另一道菜。算是這裡的特色了,評語中常會提到這點。所以若有機會來龍之鬍鬚,切記要吃多少考多少,多的留隔天再戰。

烤架是無煙紅外線式,火候強烈均勻。

Chicken, beef and veges 雞和牛肉 蔬菜

Sauce 烤肉沾醬

Grill 烤架

On goes the meat 開始烤吧

Soft boiled egg with chicken? The egg was done just right, the yolk soft and slippery and the white slightly firm to give a contrasting texture.

糖心蛋和雞肉? 蛋煮的剛好,蛋黃軟滑,蛋白QQ的,互相襯托。

Soft boiled egg with chicken? 糖心蛋和雞肉?

Salmon fillet sandwiched with potato. Slightly charred persimmon with orange and tomato. In the middle is chinese mustard (芥菜). All on white cauliflower sauce. The chinese mustard is a little peppery.

鮭魚排夾馬鈴薯。稍微烤過的柿子和橘子,番茄。中間的是芥菜。配白花椰菜醬。芥菜微帶點辛刺。

Salmon fillet sandwiched with potato 鮭魚排夾馬鈴薯

Soba sushi. Rice wrapped with soba noodles on a soup of cooked buckweat. It’s a refreshing dish, the texture of noodles and rice in the mouth was very interesting.

蕎麥麵壽司。蕎麥麵包飯,底下湯含煮蕎麥粒。味道比較清淡。麵條和飯同時的口感很有意思。

Soba sushi 蕎麥麵壽司

Japanese Spanish Mackarel (Scomberomorus niphonius 鰆) fried then boiled with mushroom and red bell pepper. It smells incredible and is full of flavour, yet does not have the oily feel of fried food.

鰆魚,先炸再煮,配香菇和紅椒。很香,味道很濃郁,卻沒有油炸食物的油膩感。

Japanese Spanish Mackarel 鰆魚

Japanese Spanish Mackarel 鰆魚

Fried daikon mochi. It’s not as sticky as regular mochi making it quite easy to eat, and soaked up a lot of flavour of the stock.

炸羅蔔麻糬。沒有一般麻糬黏,很容易吃,吸收了很多高湯的味道。

Fried daikon mochi 炸羅蔔麻糬

Fried daikon mochi 炸羅蔔麻糬

Pudding with rice puffs (ポン菓子). It’s a very light sweet taste, the rice puffs gave it a very fun texture.

米果布丁。味道微甜,加上米果的口感很有趣。

Pudding with rice puffs 米果布丁

 

Delicious would not do the chef justice.

單用『好吃』形容這餐會是對料理長的不敬。

 

After the most creative and delightful dinner we return to our room. It was night, the bright full moon silhouetting the black mountain peaks, a thin wisp of cloud capped Mt Yufu. The tranquil landscape was like a scene out of a book.  

在充滿新奇喜悅的晚餐後回到房間。天早黑了,明亮的滿月畫出漆黑綿延的山峰輪廓,一縷絲綢薄雲幫由布岳圍上頭巾,閃閃星斗倒映林海中點點燈火。眼前的寧靜猶似壁上躍下的潑墨山水。

Full moon over Mt Yufu 滿月由布岳

Everything was quiet, with the thick glass doors nothing can be heard of the highway in the valley or guests in other cabins. There’s a stereo system next to the TV, it can play CD, usb, and more conveniently bluetooth. It springs to life with Ghibli orchestral music. A curious thing, never having felt the need for familiar music in hotel or ryokans, now it felt the most essential thing.

房裡很安靜,厚玻璃門隔音效果很好,聽不到山谷裡的大分高速或其他住客。電視旁有一套音響,可以放CD, usb, 更方便的是有藍牙。音響啪的開始放送宮崎駿交響樂曲。很有意思,從前在飯店或旅館時從不覺得需要聽點熟悉的音樂,現在卻覺得沒這不行。

Music stereo 音響

There are a dozen guest books in the room, filled with praise from amazed guests. We asked dad to write something since he had the best handwriting, but he forgot.

房內有留言簿,十多本內滿是住客驚嘆讚美之詞。有請字最漂亮的老爸寫幾句,但他忘了。

Guest book 留言簿

The bed was warm, soft with good support. Each bed had two futons, a harder base and a softer one on top.

床很溫暖,很柔軟彈性也夠。每張床有兩個床墊,底下的比較硬,搭配上頭的軟墊。

 

It was then it dawned on us that despite the heater was on, the room was not stuffy. I remembered something I had read on their website. Looking around I soon found the answer. Beneath the TV shelf was a set of grills, which at first looked abit like designs for a drawer. Put your hand closer and you can feel a gentle cool breeze. Each cabin has an under floor air cycling system that brought in fresh air from the outside to keep the room comfortable.

這時意識到雖然有開暖氣,但房間一點也不悶。我想起在官網上有看過什麼。我四處看看後很快找到了答案。在電視櫃下有一排格子,看上去有點像是抽屜還是什麼。手放過去便會感到微微涼風。每間小屋都有一個屋下換氣系統可從外面帶入新鮮空氣,保持房間舒適。

Under house air cycling system 屋下換氣系統

I woke up around 5 (fell asleep very early night before). My parents had not yet risen, I slid the doors close till there was only a small gap and turned on the living space lights without affecting them. Made some coffee, and sat on the couch and waited for the sunrise.

我大概5點睡醒 (前晚很早睡著)。我爸媽還在睡,於是我把紙門拉到剩一條縫後打開起居間的燈,沒有打擾到他們。泡了杯咖啡,坐在沙發上等日出。

Paper doors divide the beds and living space 紙門隔開寢間和起居間

It was the most remarkable view. The sun was behind the mountains and the peaks cast shadows on the cloud above, like rays of dark light. The snowy peak glimmered in the golden light, the whole of Mt Yufu was basked in a warm reddish glow.

景色太令人印象深刻了。太陽是從山後升起,山峰影子投射到雲上,像是黑色的光柱。山上的白雪變成一片金黃,整個由布岳籠罩著一股溫暖的紅光。

Morning scenery 早晨景色

Morning scenery 早晨景色

Morning scenery 早晨景色

Morning scenery 早晨景色

Morning scenery 早晨景色

Morning scenery 早晨景色

I went for a bath, the cool morning air fresh and golden sun on the face.

泡澡時,早晨的冷風和金光同時撫摸著臉頰。

Bath in the morning 早晨風呂

Bath in the morning 早晨風呂

Bath in the morning 早晨風呂

Bath in the morning 早晨風呂

Breakfast was served at 8:30am, again no exception.

早餐是8:30,同樣不能提早。

 

There was a platter of various sides, a curious mix of japanese and western dishes that matched well together.

早餐有一盤各式小菜,引人沉思的日式西式巧妙混和。

Breakfast 早餐

Breakfast 早餐

Breakfast 早餐

Fried tofu 炸豆腐

Boiled sides 煮物

Pickles and plum 醬菜和梅子

Enoki? 金針菇?

Onsen egg 溫泉蛋

Salad 沙拉

 

The rice came in 3 bowls, two large one small, without prompting. The small one for my mother.

送來3碗飯,2大碗1小碗,事前沒特別提出過請求。小碗是給老媽的。

Two sizes 大小碗

Our unfinished meat from the night before came as a marinated stir-fried dish, a straightforward approach that focused on the taste of the meat.

昨晚沒吃完的肉重新登場,簡單的醃肉快炒,凸顯肉美味的直球。

New dish using last night’s meat 昨晚剩的肉做的

During the meal the young lady brought to us a map of Yufuin, annotated by hand in chinese using many coloured pens, of the various shops and recommended sweets, cakes and other foods. It’s hard to imagine the effort it would have taken to translate and write them all out in detail.

用餐時Rika拿出一張由布院的地圖,上頭用各種色筆寫有中文,細膩討喜的標式出有特色的店家還有推薦的糖果糕點和其他小吃。很難想像花了多少時間精神來翻譯,標寫出來。

Hand written map 手寫地圖

 

Yogurt with honey(bottom), orange and raspberry creates a pineapple on top 優格和蜂蜜(下), 用橘子和樹梅裝飾成鳳梨

 

Coffee 咖啡

Back to the cabin, enjoying the music and scenery, chatting with my parents.

回到房間後繼續聽著音樂和風景,跟爸媽聊天喝茶。

Deck 陽台

Mt Yufu 由布岳

At last, it was time to say farewell to this small, unforgettable ryokan. I call the front desk to let them know we will be checking out, and the staffs came over to help with our luggages.

美好總是有結束,該是跟這間令人流連忘返的旅館告別的時候。我打電話到櫃檯告知我們要準備退房了,Rika和另一位小姐連忙來離屋幫忙搬行李。

 

Before getting into the car I remembered to say, “Osewani nari mashita”, thank you for all the care given. I wish I knew better sentences to describe my gratitude for the experience.

上車前我記得該說什麼『お世話になりました』,感謝照顧。如果我會別的日文,能更貼切表示我對這次經驗的感謝就好了。

 

They helped direct us back out the car and waved us goodbye.

她們幫忙導引倒車,然後揮手和我們告別。

 

Most excellent food, most excellent room, most excellent view, excellent value, most perfect service. Even now there’s the urge to book a flight and visit again come summer.

吃滿分,住滿分,景色滿分,CP值超值,服務完美超滿分。現在不時有衝動想夏天再去一次。

 

Ryu no Hige Website 草屋根之宿 龍之鬍鬚官網:http://ryunohige.com/index.html

Tsukushi cabin for 3 on weekdays is 84000Y (28000Y per person). This may seem a little high, be assured it’s worth spending one night here than two at a regular ryokan in the 10~20k per person range.

つくし住三人平日84000(一人28000Y)。乍看可能很貴,住了就知道,其他一人一萬~兩萬的旅館兩晚不如住這一晚。

One thing to note, the telephone number in GPS navigation is incorrect. You must set the location manually or use the mapcode [269 292 760*44]

另外要注意GPS用電話的住址是錯的 需要手動設定或用mapcode 「269 292 760*44」