11. Beniya Mukayu

We negotiated our way from hotel to the metro to JR Shinkansen train line this morning without getting lost and in time for me to wander the shops in the depths of the Kyoto Train Station. It's always a relief though, isn't it, when you are safely on the right train?

This was part of a street window display by a company called Nichikon which Google tells me makes aluminium electrolytic capacitors. Not sure what they are or what it has to do with a line of gold fish - but it sure beats a window full of industrial gear.

Spring shrubs are coming into bloom everywhere - this white azalea was in a garden next to the stairs down to the metro.

John sat on the platform reading the English paper from the hotel minding the baggage. Remember I was worried that there’d be only Japanese signs when we were catching trains? Thankfully there’s English on all the signs and plenty of very helpful staff.

There’s a whole world of shopping under the station. I went into a shop called Doux Archives and bought a pair of sox. Grey of course! Apart from our slightly wet freeze in Takayama, it's been glorious weather. Today was a short sleeves kind of day.

This beautiful girl looked after me. She could be a model couldn’t she? Like many Japanese girls she has a perfect complexion.

You know how I make a beeline for florist shops? Pardon the pun.

Here’s your daily dose. If I’d found this florist before, we would have had the white sweet peas in our hotel room. Can't you smell them?

There's a great food hall down there too - I bought us both a salad lunch to have on the train. There was a mind-numbing choice. Bento boxes, tempura, salads by weight, French bakeries, hot food shops, restaurants. I just followed the crowd and joined the longest queue.

When I arrived back on the platform, a Japanese man who was packing up his rice cake (I think that's what this is!) boxes had given John one as a gift. We are finding the Japanese people just so kind! The texture of rice cakes is soft and springy and stretchy so quite fun to bite into.

Our train this morning was called a Thunderbird! Our reserved seat said we were in carriage one, so we found that corresponding number on the edge of the platform. It’s a little confusing though, because there are the same numbers in different colours and they don’t line up with each other. I guess you are supposed to know what colour your train is. We stood on blue 1, and it turned out we ought to be have been on yellow 1. It wasn close thank goodness.

Just before we left Kyoto, it started to drizzle and continued for much of the trip. What a wonderful way to travel it is - quiet, quick, comfortable and with power point to charge devices. No wifi though. The doors inside this train opened by waving your hand in the right place. Space age! By the time we arrived at Kaga Onsen, it was fine again.

We expected a car and driver at Kaga Onsen Station. What we got was two cars. Two drivers. One was holding up a sign saying Mr and Mrs Dark. The other was holding up a sign saying Michelle Dark. I wish I'd had the presence of mind to take a photo - it looked so funny! It took quite a bit of pointing at ourselves and quite a bit of laughing to make them understand that we were not three people. They didn't seem to mind as one just went back to the taxi rank at the station.

The seats of Japanese taxis are covered with white stretch lace, and the driver operates the door remotely.

Beniya Mukayu began as a hotel in 1928 in little spa town of Yamashiro. The present owners, Mr and Mrs Nakamichi, are third generation, and the 17-room boutique hotel is now up on a hill overlooking the town, part of the Relais & Châteaux group.

The approach though is through a neglected neighbourhood and the entrance is in a big bare carpark. There is bare gravel either side of this garden. I had seen a similar photo to the one above and I'd imagined that it was in a forest!

The town looks to me as if it was once very fashionable and is no longer. And my first impression was that the hotel desk and foyer area need refurbishment. My heart sank. I hate to be disappointed when I have high hopes.

After five minutes of absorbing the quite incredible energy of Beniya Mukayu, I had forgotten that impression. I was totally won over.

The owner's father commissioned an architect called Kiyoshi Sey Takeyama to do the plans, and the younger Mr Nakamichi and his wife work closely with the designer Kenya Hara not only for the furniture and artwork but for simple things like water bottles, stationery etc. It's a total design brief. Mrs Nakamichi buys for the hotel on her travels.

We were welcomed on the front path by a couple of staff and the Manager Edward, a graduate from the UK who has been here for six months. We felt as if we knew each other after the email to-ing and fro-ing of the past few months. His introduction over a freshly squeezed apple juice was superior to most, comprehensive and warm. Then he took us on a guided tour of the hotel before showing us our room.

The colour palette is neutral, walls rendered or preformed concrete, floors plain concrete, hallways carpet. Spaces are uncluttered, but each piece of decoration has been carefully chosen.There is a library full of interesting books and the Endei spa uses product made from local herbs. I'll let you know what I think of it tomorrow night.

This is our bedroom with a high balcony overlooking the garden. I'll show you the garden tomorrow too.

The roof of our balcony has an interesting round hole which I imagine throws a lovely shadow in sunny weather.

Views over the gardens.

The corner of our bathroom.

Our bamboo enclosed hot tub on the balcony is filled with water from the town's hot spring. It undergoes no purification and it's crystal clear. Of course it cures all sorts of health problems!