Breakfast; Prince Hotel, New Furama
This was the day I first tried Natto, after an introduction by our tour guide Shallen, on the benefits of these power beans. Based on observation, I think it is generally stored in small containers, together with two small packs of wasabi mustard and soy sauce. I opened it, stirred it about 50 times, and the beans became a sticky bunch. Imagine soybeans in melty cheese kind of consistency. A sniff of the beans reminded me of wasabi. The taste wise, it has this fermented flavour? A little bit like glue? It just has a unique taste which I am definitely not accustomed to. But it was an interesting experience.
I really love the buffet plain congee because it has the Japanese rice flavour and creaminess. It is especially tasty when the hotel provides side dishes like minced meat, salted vegetable, dried shrimp or marinated seaweed (all in Japanese style). Shallen told us that the hotels only included congee as part of the menu in the recent years as more tourists feedback on their preference. The locals will generally go for rice in the morning but tourists usually like something lighter and this is a great option.
Asashiyama Zoo;
When we left the hotel at 9am, it was negative 17 degrees celsius! The Japanese staff of various places we visited were generally very nice, and often came out to wave us goodbye as the bus drove off. We were heading to the Asashiyama Zoo to catch the popular penguin march at 11am. The penguins can only come out for a stroll during the winter, so it is definitely an attraction to look forward to.
Since the zoo is all in the outdoors, we wore our non slip spikes under our shoes for safety. The zoo staff also create holes with a shovel on the icy ground to make it uneven and less likely to slip on. When we reached the penguin march section, people have already stood on both sides of the lane, ready to welcome the penguins. As the penguins made their grand entrance and waddled nearer to us, we were supposed to squat down to their height in order not to scare them. Cute and fat little penguins!
We went to see the polar bears next and one of them was repeatedly doing the same actions. My bf says that the polar bear is exercising. This was the closest I have been to a polar bear.
Do you know that the fur of polar bears is actually transparent? They just look white in our eyes due to the reflection of light.
We had so much laughter and fun in finding this owl in its enclosure. Try to find it! We looked high above on the branches and trees for quite awhile until we heard other people's laughter. They found it and we realized where it was. Apparently, the protruding white clump that we thought was snow is actually the SNOW OWL! It is called a snow owl for a reason, ultimate resemblance. Not sure if I knew I was supposed to be look for a snow owl or was I looking for a usual brown owl.
Some animals were hiding due to the cold weather so it was hard to capture any pictures. We only had about 1 and a half hours at the zoo so we could not explore every area as well. What a pity. With the sun shining, the cold was comfortable but the walk back was slightly tiring.
Lunch; Ramen
Our tour arranged with a ramen shop to fit us all in for lunch. The whole shop can only accommodate about 27 people. As per our tour guide, the locals usually prefer traditional shoyu (soy sauce) soup base as compared to thick tonkotsu soup. That day, we tried the shoyu version with bamboo shoots, 3 large scallops and 3 piece of char siew. It was altered to be less salty for our tour group and it was perfect for me. We sat by the counter, so our noodles were served faster. The noodle is firm and a little like koka instant noodle. We also had panfried gyozas. YUM. The ramen uncle is a cute old man who posed for us when he realized we were taking videos and photos.
We had some time and went opposite to the Uniqlo outlet (we saw so many Uniqlo in Japan!). Their price is definitely lower than in Singapore, although not considered extremely cheap. I could have bought my ultra light downjacket in Japan at about S$60 but who knew Uniqlo was so conveniently located.
Otokoyama Sake Brewery Museum
We had a short tour at the Otokoyama Sake Brewery Museum to learn about the long process of brewing sake from rice. Water is also key to the making of sake and they only use quality water. They also open up for visitors and locals to collect water from their tap as their water is perceived to be better. The locals were filling up multiple large containers of water to be brought home!
We get to sample the various types of sake. Some of the highest quality sake type require a small fee for sampling. Since I am not an appreciator of sake, I couldn't tell the difference between the two types I tried- Sweet and non-sweet. We only know how to appreciate their rice crackers (¥320 each) and bought two packets of it :p.
Dinner; Mombetsu Prince Hotel
Mombetsu Prince Hotel is considered the least classy one among all the other hotels we have stayed in but it is still the better accommodation in that area. The lobby is small but it gives off a cozy feeling.
We had a kimono dress up session planned for us before dinner. As per Shallen, the true kimono is more complex and has more layers. Hence, the attire we would be wearing would be in between a yukata and a kimono. I chose my design and waited for the Japanese lady to help me get dressed. Then, I put on a pair of wooden slippers and off I go. Shallen was the photographer for everyone. Thankfully, we used both our phones because the pictures in his phone were all blur due to the lack of focus.
变成一个demure的小女人
Today is a special crab course dinner as well! Many dishes served are related to the crab. We had crab tofu, crabmeat dumpling, crab shabu shabu, crab meat steamed rice and the actual steamed crab, 1 each! My favourite dish is the steamed rice which is so fragrant after absorbing the essence of the seafood. There is chicken karaage, salmon steak and steamed vegetables as well. They were already preparing our meal during the kimono session and so the food has cooled down. And the salmon steak is one of the toughest and driest I have eaten. It is sliced a little too thick as well. The steamed crab is only average tasting and the meat is quite flaky. The crab also has a prickly shell, so I ate it using scissors and chopsticks so I don't hurt my hands.
My second favourite is the soft serve that might just be vanilla flavoured. Surprise surprise, it turned out to be a super delicious hokkaido milk flavour. Sweet and creamy.
With our full stomach, the men went to work. It was mochi-making time and it requires some hard labour and strength. When we make muah chee, we use glutinous rice flour but the Japanese use the glutinous rice itself to make the mochi. After the rice is kneaded together, you have to pound it until you get a certain consistency.
"Yosho Yosho Yosho."
We ate the chewy mochi with red bean paste and yellow bean powder (which we thought was peanut powder). I can totally eat the mochi plain! Using the remaining white mochi, it was the ladies' turn to make mochi dumpling, wrapping it around the red bean paste. It taste really good!
Onsen time;
The onsen here is the smallest and they have the least amenities provided. Although I think you can take those displayed at the lobby to use in the onsen. Right outside the onsen, there are a couple of massage chairs and a TV for entertainment. Beside it, there is a mini gym area and they even provide different sizes of sports shoe!
Previously when we were at the kimono dress up area, all our slippers were placed randomly and we weren't even sure which were ours. It was no problem of course since the slippers all belong to the hotel. This time, we placed our slippers strategically on the shelf (mine has a white outline) with the pattern black white black white. In this way, we would know whether either of us have left the onsen for the room (We only have 1 key in most of the hotels, so only one person can hold on to it. It is also interesting to note that some onsen hotels uses physical key instead of a room card). It was so funny because when I came back, both slippers were gone. Some people have taken our slippers!
When I went back, my bf was already in the room and he also noted that the slippers were gone. His reaction to the slippers being stolen is so funny. We went back to the onsen area for the gachapon and he used the locker for our slippers LOL. The lockers are free so it was only for fun. Such fond memories.
The trip starts to get really tiring! 😪
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