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This is Kanamean nishitomiya. I highly recommend this Ryokan.

The path leading to the entrance. It was so simple and calming.

This is Kyogo. She was my personal server/geisha my whole stay. She was very kind and sweet!

When I checked in, she gave me some iced tea and a local summer treat made from gluten and red beans.

They had a lovely library if I wanted to read. They were mostly in Nihongo though, so I passed. LOL!

This is my room! Is it not divine? I love the simplicity! All of a sudden, I was quiet and peaceful! I did not need my iPod,phone, computer, or even my books! I was just lost in my thoughts!

This is was my own personal onsen! Told you it was a wooden hot box! They cover it so that the temperature is kept hot!

The view outside my room!

This is the lobby.

KONICHIWA! KOMBANWA! Here I am in my summer kimono! Bagay diba? Mukha akong SUMO wrestler! LOL!

Kyogo opening a bottle of ice cold beer for me! I am not really a beer drinker, but I find myself drinking more of it here.

My first course was so beautiful: cold tofu with a light gelatinous dressing! As I bit into the tofu inside, I found that it was poached foie gras! The very thin strips of radish provided the right crunch and sweetness to the rich but light first course. Next to it was a very dry cold sake to be taken right after the tofu. This first course was delightful! It was the perfect start for a most memorable meal.

Japanese cuisine is always inspired by seasonal produce. My second meal was a soup with the a most peculiar slimy texture. Think hot okra or alubati. However, it was balanced by monk fish liver and a thin slice of fried gluten. This all sat on a bed of finely chopped chives, which sat on top of a thin slice of ginger! This dish was so delicate, but it also had a heavy undertone to it because of the fish liver.

Then came the sashimi plate! I mean, WOW diba?! Does this look like a summer plate to you? Sea bream sashimi and toro sashimi!

I had to take a closeup for you guys to see how exquisite this dish is!

Then came the next plate which was a melange of various flavors, from Kyoto duck breasts and salmon roe to a young mountain potato and kidney beans. Every bite was well thought of and was just pleasurable on all levels.

Me with my next dish, which was a Chawamushi!

Chawanmushi is actually a steamed egg custard. However, this dish had a twist to eat, as it featured some sweet crab and scallops in the mix.

Then came some grilled cod with a walnut side dish. This was a different way to serve gindara, as it was not sweet but almost bitter. I really liked it.

This was a steamed vegetable and mushroom dish. The white part on top is a root crop, which sits on top of a very young bokchoy-like vegetable and then on top of a mushroom cap, which acts a lid featuring 3 kinds of mushrooms underneath. The soup it created was highlighted with some mirin Japanese sweet wine.

This dish was so Zen-like. I loved the black and white plating. It was white miso soup with what I thought was just steamed rice, but then I tasted the rice, which turned out to be a very thick, like, risotto mixed with ginger and radish. I was then told to mix this rice with some special homemade soy sauce. OMG! It was so good! So simple, but it felt like it was not only feeding my body but my soul as well!

Dessert was a gelatinous dish made from Yuzu fruit (parang kalamansi) and fresh mangoes! WOO HOO! Mangoes in Japan! Mahal siguro nito? LOL!

Kyogo then began to fix my room and proceeded to do the bed turn-down service.

She actually whipped out my bed and had me ready to snooze in 5 minutes!

Bye, Kyogo! She worked at lightning speed! With that....I dove into my bed and had the most incredible sleep.