After finishing our home stay we boarded the bus for a 2-hour bus ride to our ryokan (traditional Japanese inn). Driving through many narrow, winding streets and cutting through the mountains by tunnels we arrived. It was amazing; little stone paths led to each person’s room and were surrounded by gardens and ponds. Our room was set overlooking the river and as we opened all the screens you could see nothing but stars and hear the river roaring by. I couldn’t wait until morning to see the landscape. We met for dinner in a tatami room and had a wonderful meal. It was the first time we hung out as a whole group for the evening and we had a lot of laughs and sake. Soon people started to leave for their hot baths and head to bed. The ryokan is known for the yuzu (a delicious smelling citrus fruit) that was used in the bath, to make juice, wine, spices, marmalades and many other products. Trees bearing yuki and persimmons covered the grounds. A small group of us arranged to meet at 6:30 the next morning to hike the mountains before breakfast.
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