Wonderful Dinner with Hot Spring

 I went to Arima with my mother and sister. Arima is regarded as one of Japan's oldest hot spring resorts with a history of over one thousand years. It is located on the foot of Mt. Rokko, not far  from Kobe and Osaka.
There are two types of hot spring waters which spring up at various sources around town:  the Kinsen ("gold water") is colored brown with iron deposits and is said to be good for skin ailments and muscle pain, while the clear Ginsen ("silver water") contains radium and carbonate and is said to cure various muscle and joint ailments.

 

Arima is also famous for its bamboo work and writing brush.I dropped by a small bamboo work shop. There are various kinds of works, such as kitchen utensils, ornaments and toys.  I bought a cute owl made of bamboo sheath. While Arima brush is a hand made writing brush which has a cute, one-centimeter doll on the end. When you aim the brush down, the small doll comes out.

The aim of this trip is to enjoy wonderful dinner at a small Japanese hotel named "Oku-no-Hosomichi" literally means "the narrow road to the deep north".  Its owner is Ota Tadamichi. He is a chef of creative cuisine basically Japanese dish, who used to appear on the popular TV cooking program "Iron Chef" and he is now one of the famous chefs in Kansai area.
As well as the delicious taste of all the meals, I was greatly impressed with the way the meal is served.

I love the bowls and plates which suit the meal. The ice cream was served in the nice morning glory-shaped cup(?).  The most surprising thing was the appetizers placed on the goldfish bowl. Real five red goldfish are swimming there.

It was one good example of the embodiment of the season.

Amazing experience.