We take it easy in the morning, perhaps a little too easy. We go downstairs and each enter our own onsen — men and women separated, as is traditional — allowing ourselves a few minutes of pure relaxation.
Once outside, some of us wrapped in bathrobes (me) and others without (Mattia), we stop in the entrance area to dry our hair. It is at that moment that, first on one side and then on the other, the receptionist appears: a shy, small woman in her sixties. With somewhat uncertain English and a shy smile, she informs us with a delicate ‘cloooodiiing’, pointing to the clock, that the onsen is about to close for cleaning. Only she knows what she has seen.
Pretending nothing has happened, we get ready, hand in our keys at reception and leave. We take a few last looks at the temples and I take the opportunity to ask a family who are celebrating if I can take a photo of their little girl, dressed in traditional clothing.
The day before, we had spotted a nice little restaurant at the end of the park, a local grill and steakhouse that was completely full, so we booked a table for lunch today. At the entrance, we are asked to take off our shoes and are welcomed into a beautiful wooden dining room, frequented almost exclusively by locals. Many families were celebrating with their children, and the atmosphere was peaceful, refined and very authentic. The restaurant offers Western-influenced cuisine — there is even onion soup on the menu — and we ordered a hamburger with yuba, the skin of soy milk that forms during boiling and is considered a real speciality here.
In the early afternoon, we walk to the station and, while waiting for the train, we have a snack at Meiji no Yakata cake shop, a charming café next to the station that serves excellent pastries. The direct train takes us back to Tokyo, to Shinjuku station, in about two hours.
For dinner, we eat at Chukumidosa, a restaurant behind our hotel that offers a single dish: octopus cooked on a large griddle in the centre of the table, seasoned with a very spicy tomato sauce. They then use the cooking juices to prepare griddle rice, a sort of typical Korean paella.
In the evening, we try to explore Tokyo in search of a jazz club, but we discover that, as it is Culture Day, they are all closed.
