Back in Japan: Our Ryokan Experience in Kyoto

We spent 1 night in a ryokan (旅館) in Kyoto. A wonderful experience. Felt very nostalgic for me since my father took the whole family to various ryokans growing up.

A ryokan, is a Traditional Japanese style inn. Rooms with tatami mats (shown above), a public hot spring for guests to enjoy (usually natural springs), Japanese style dishes served for all meals and amazing guest services.

Our ryokan was located in Kyoto city, in the middle of a residential area. It was a wonderful retreat :) and we found a very good deal for it. 12,000yen (approx. US$110) a night each with dinner & breakfast! 

Dinner was served in private rooms. Also, keep in mind that you can head to dinner with the inn provided yukatas in most cases!
Dinner was a Kyoto cuisine also called "Kaiseki ryori". 
Kaiseki ryori focuses on the visual beauty of the dishes, taste, the season and of course the ingredients. 

These dishes not only look beautiful but also take the elements of the current season to enjoy. For example, we enjoyed this meal in the winter so we saw many root vegetables such as "gobo". There is a focus on "dashi" since it is Japanese style as well. Given that we are in Kyoto, there were lots of tofu served too. Yes, Kyoto is known for their tofu! Not just the regular tofu we see in American supermarkets, but different kinds such as "yuba"; tofu skin.

Many small dishes are served. During our dinner, we counted 17! 
Let us share with you some dishes....

After dinner, if you go back to your rooms, you'll be pleasantly surprised to see that your beds are made :)
So then, off to the hot spring and time to rest :)