Traditional Japanese B & B!!!

So many surprises and things we have done and experienced and today Hiroko and Ken wanted to present us with a present. As our bags are a bit on the overweight size Hiroko wants to give us an experience rather than more stuff to transport home. So tonight they have treated us to a night in a traditional Japanese B & B!!!
First today they drove us to a traditional timber shrine high in the mountains that sits isolated and hidden away from the highways on a small lake. We wander for an hour or so and take in the views of this historical building with it beautifully laid out gardens and the oh so few visitors.
This place is huge and only comes to life on special occasions but being in the mountains it is a great place for someone to escape the crowds and heat of the city's below.
Not many places that we have been able to do that in Japan so it has been a great look into an area that is more remote and without tourists.
Then it was off to the snow fields that have been transported into a flower wonderland. This area is normally covered in skiers but in spring the grounds under the snow when it melts come alive with millions of Lillim's a beautiful tall Lilly that comes up each year in huge rectangular beds down the slopes. There is no better way to see them than to walk down the hill side through the strong smell of spring.
Once we were at the bottom the ski lifts took you back up the hill and you could then view them from above, a truly magical site and 10's of 1,000's of people.
The money goes to charities so the cash registers were red hot that day.
Then finally we are dropped off to the B & B like two little school kids and told to enjoy our time and you will be picked up again tomorrow at 10.
I have no idea where we are as we have been driven around all day but it is still high in the mountains.
Our hosts Speak NO English!! but Hiroko has instructed them to look after us and given us a contact No. if we get into verbal difficulty.
So we are taken to our room with our host pointing out all the features to us in Japanese so missing most of the important details! But we all keep smiling and nodding at each other. We are on the 1st floor and we walk past 6 closed doors with Japanese writing on them so assuming they are the other guest rooms.
Our room is in 2 section and very traditional area with it tatami floor and a low table and two cushions and a TV from the 60's. Off to the other side are 3 single beds and a door into a toilet ( buttons and all ) but no bathroom.
The room lacks some details ... like maybe a picture but is comfortable and I'm sure we can rearrange the bedding to suit.

Through Hiroko dinner was arranged for 6 pm hmmm a bit nursing home time so I will try to rearrange a late time so we can enjoy the traditional bath facilities.
We are then taken down stairs and shown the bathrooms there are 2 private bathrooms for all guests to share. It is a two room configuration. The first area was 2 meters by 2 meters for you to undress you go through a down a step into the open wet area. There was 2 little (tiny) white stools with a shower novel and 2 taps each only 600mm off the floor. So you first shower and soap and wash off then plunge into the huge 2 person hot deep square bath. Well as we had checked it out before we went in we were armed with bottles of sake and glasses.....and as we were not able to understand any instructions we had no time limit so after spending maybe a little too much time in the bath we emerged ready for dinner and a que. Opps so empty sake bottle in hand we head to the dinning room.


Laid out on the table was an amazing Dinner many tiny dishes of just perfectly presented food tastes there was some Tempura grated daikon and Japanese mustard, Lotus root sandwich with fish cake and shiso leaves, Sesame silken tofu in light soy, whole fish skewered and cooked over a smoker with all the little sauces and pickles.

After a great night sleep we against went to the the dinning room as had breakfast all laid out it was truly a work of art. There was a grape that he'd been cut and 4 petals peeled back to exposed the fruit all we can say is presentation presentation presentation....and yes another bath :) sadly with no sake Hiroko was there waiting outside the door to collect us and take us back to the country house.