I stayed at this hotel the night before rafting on the Hozu River early in the morning. Although it didn't have hot springs, it had a large communal bath and the food seemed good, so I made a reservation for the night before. The interior of the hotel was like a business hotel. Now, let's enjoy the evening kaiseki course. We started with a sake called "Tamano Hikari." The appetizers included dried yellowtail, simmered purple turnip, ginkgo nuts, roasted chestnuts, and taro, all made from simple ingredients. The sashimi consisted of sea bream, tuna, fatty tuna, and scallops. We had eel hot pot for the main dish. The side dishes included matsutake mushrooms and onions. The grilled dish was ayu fish with roe, which was delicious. The deep-fried dish was roasted Kamo eggplant. Next was a steamed dish with red snapper and shiitake mushrooms. The beef fillet steak was served with a strong salt seasoning. The vinegar dish with shrimp was refreshing. The meal ended with Omi rice and clear soup. I was really full after this meal. Dessert was left to others. Overall, the flavors were strong. The only disappointment was the sashimi. Breakfast was delicious, especially the tofu and dried sandfish. The portion size was satisfying.

I came to Kyoto for autumn foliage viewing after a long time. Looking back, my last visit was in 2006. I was having trouble getting a reservation at a ryokan this year, but managed to secure one at this ryokan through a last-minute booking. I checked their website and Facebook page to confirm that it looked like a nice place to stay. Originally, I planned to visit Tofukuji Temple and Kiyomizu Temple on 11/23, but due to car restrictions in Higashiyama, I had to change my plans. I ended up having lunch at Nakamura-ken, a place I had researched beforehand. After lunch, I visited a nearby spot for some photos. With extra time from canceling Kiyomizu Temple, I decided to head back to the ryokan. Since it was too early for check-in, I drove to a nearby temple. Later, I found out that Arashiyama also had traffic restrictions, so I went to Jingo-ji in Saga Arashiyama instead. The temple is famous for its Gomatsu cherry blossoms. Although I was initially concerned about the maple leaves, the maple trees along the path from the main gate to the middle gate were beautiful. Today, I left Ehime by car at 6 am and arrived in Kyoto after about 4 and a half hours. I spent the day sightseeing and checked in around 4 pm. This trip was with my wife, mother, and me. After dinner, we relaxed in our room rather than participating in the night visit. Dinner was served in a large hall with table and chair seating. At first, I didn't realize there was a set menu, so I was surprised by the continuous serving of delicious warm dishes. I was already satisfied with the many dishes, but then I noticed there were still three more to go. The warm and delicious dishes kept coming, and it was a very satisfying dinner. Breakfast was also satisfying. Despite the ryokan being almost full, the bath was empty, so we had a relaxing time. The bath was located underground, and I noticed there was a pond with a garden and swimming koi. The next morning, we decided to visit Kiyomizu Temple, so we had an early breakfast and checked out. The parking lot was in a narrow alley next to the hotel, and we were informed that we couldn't take the car out after check-in. However, the next morning, with permission from the nearby drugstore, we were able to take the car out easily.