We started our day with a traditional Japanese breakfast which I have to say I didn’t really enjoy. I have enjoyed taking one or two things from the buffets at various hotels to mix with my western choices but having only fish and seaweed in front of me didn’t really work for me. The egg mixed into rice wasn’t bad and Kathleen showed us how to wrap it up in nori using our chopsticks and that turned out better than I had expected. And I always enjoy the miso soup for breakfast. But I did have to go back to my room and eat some cookies to get the seaweed taste out of my mouth.
We boarded the bus for the last time this morning and headed into the mountains to a small village called Miyama. Here we were taken to an elementary school which had been closed and was being repurposed as a sort of community center. After seeing some of the classrooms we were taken to the cafeteria where we were handed aprons and bandanas in preparation for a cooking lesson in which we would make our own lunch. The first course was fairly simple, parboiled spinach mixed with ground sesame seeds. Next we did a stir-fry composed of julienned carrots and green peppers and shaved burdock root (don’t ask, it’s supposed to be really good for you and didn’t taste bad). Then we prepared something called Chirashi or 
“scattered” sushi which is shown in the picture. It consisted of a vinegar rice base with thinly sliced scrambled eggs, radishes, shrimp, mushrooms, dried bonito flakes (that’s the pink stuff), and snow peas. I think this was also the one where they stirred the baby fish into the rice before-hand. Anyway, it tasted really good. They also demonstrated making miso soup.
After lunch we went just down the road to tour the village which is one of only a few remaining towns featuring thatched roofs. Our guide was a craftsman who specializes in repairing thatched roofs. Except in special circumstances new houses are not allowed to have thatched roofs but maintaining old ones is encourages by government subsidies. While at the village we had an opportunity for a short visit to an Indigo museum with a demonstration from the artist who owns and operates it.
Back in the bus we headed for our final and long anticipated destination, Kyoto! It turns out that Kyoto is a city of about 1.5 million people and so far, what I have seen of it is all very modern. But we will have five days to explore so we will see what turns up. For dinner we went to a local restaurant and were served a western/Japanese fusion meal consisting of and appetizer plate, sashimi, a tofu salad, roast chicken, some kind of sweet pizza with honey and fruit, a fish soup, a rice dish and miso soup. The whole thing took two hours to get through so we were pretty tired and not too enthusiastic about the final courses. Usually, the service on these multi course meals is very efficient with one plate being whisked away before you even knew you were finished and another one put in front of you. Here things were much more leisurely. Most things were served family style in groups of four. And maybe the sake didn’t help.
Haiku:
Houses with thatched roofs
Bright spring flowers blossoming
Peaceful mountain homes