Day 4
Travel from Kanazawa to Yamanaka Onsen in Kaga Onsen by Hokuriku Shinkansen. We have a reservation at the Kichijo Onsen Hotel for one night with two meals. The hotel provides shuttle service from the station, and it takes about half an hour to arrive, allowing us to enjoy the Japanese countryside scenery along the way.
The onsen ryokan is located by the Yamanaka stream. It is quiet and pleasant.
The onsen ryokan's lobby bar offers tea and desserts. We happily enjoyed today's afternoon tea ☕️, Darjeeling white peach tea. Our room was upgraded to a private bath, avoiding the inconvenience of public baths. Dinner is scheduled at a specific time in the restaurant on the second floor.
In the room, my husband took a bath, and I rested on the balcony for a while. Since it was still early, we went out for a walk. The Yamanaka Onsen Higashimachi area is a mix of residences and shops, but they were all closed at this time. Later, we found out that the real shopping street is about a twenty-minute walk away, and the hotel's shuttle bus can take us there. It is much more bustling!
Dinner is one of the highlights of this trip, featuring Kaga's local kaiseki cuisine.
In the evening, there is a performance by an artist in the lobby bar.
The next morning, we enjoyed a hearty Japanese breakfast and started the recommended Tsurugaikei hiking project. The scenery along the way is beautiful, with babbling streams.
We had a reservation for the 11 o'clock shuttle service to the station. We arrived at the station seamlessly and took the Shinkansen back to Osaka 🚄. We bought a special Hokuriku Shinkansen bento 🍱 at the station for lunch.