After two and a half days in Tokyo, we flew to the northern island of Hokkaido (Hoe-Kai-Doh). We flew into the port city of Hakodate (Hah-Koe-Dah-Teh). This was Charles' birthday, so we stayed at a very special kind of Hotel, call a Ryokhan, (Ree-Oh-Kahn). A Ryokhan is like a hotel except that it has traditional japanese rooms. When you first enter your room there is a small entry way where you take off your shoes and put on slippers (the japanese word is sue-ree-pah. Say it fast. Yes, it is the word slipper). Then the rest of the rooms are covered with tatami mats. These are a tightly woven grass mats that have a fabric binding around the edges. When they are new they have a slightly acrid smell, but it is pleasant. As they age, the smell goes away.
Our room was actually three rooms, all rather non-descript, in that they were covered with the tatami mat and contained very little furniture. The bedroom on the left was empty, the center room had a table, and the room behind that was a small glass room for viewing the garden. Here are some pictures of the ryokhan.
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