Monday 8 April 2024
This morning we went to the council offices where the mayor received us. Debra gave a little speech in her best Japanese to thank the mayor for a warm reception, and handed the mayor a few gifts. The mayor, in turn, did the same with the help of our guide/interpreter. For the rest, we had our interpreters as usual.
They had made us feel welcome in a way that only the Japanese can do: warm, thoughtful, and elegant, with a blackboard welcoming U3A and with a display of little items representing the two countries.
With some extra time on our hands, we took a few more photos of the cherry blossom. An official group photo was also taken, which I will add later.
After our farewell of Kani City, we're on our way to Takayama and see a hint of snow on top of the mountains.
A short walk to the next building and a few photos of what we passed on the way. Unfortunately it had started to rain.
Sakurayama Nikkokan is a large hall that houses intricate models of the major temples of Nikko.
Around lunchtime we have a few hours to spend at leisure, so the first thing we do is get something to eat. At a street stall, we buy a kebab of Hida Beef and further down at the supermarket, a melon bun and sushi.
Trying to find something to do we discover a touristy street with preserved old houses in which there are many shops. The shops and an earlier bought raincoat keep us dry for a while.
At 3.15 pm, we gather at the gate of Takayama Jinya and are given our group entrance tickets.
Takayama Jinya is an old government building, restored in 1996, where the officials, amongst other duties, collected tax in the form of bags of rice that are stored in the adjacent grainery. It also contains a courtroom and interrogation room. The head offical had his living quarters in the same building as well.
Glad to be out of the rain, the bus drops us off at the hotel. We go and find our room, which is a pleasant surprise. We no longer have to step into the bath for our shower, and a very luxurious, full automatic toilet is in a separate room by itself. The light turns on... It flushes when you get up... and above all, all the toilets here have a built-in bidet, and some even have heated seats! 😊
Not wanting to go out in the rain again, we went to the hotel restaurant for dinner and a glass of wine in a relaxing atmosphere.
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