Gay, in this context, meaning enjoying ourselves, and it was for a fleeting instant that the joy came through a geisha, but the headline was hard to resist.
Still in Atami, we moved on from the Jacaranda Festival to the very surprising Kiunkaku.
Japan’s Meiji era is an amazing time in history as Japan moved from a feudal country to industrialized nation and world powerhouse in decades, becoming the only non-Western country to do so. It was an absolutely scintillating transformation and the Meiji-Taisho eras from which Kinukaku, a former ryokan inn, draws its influence. Many swoon at the influence of the times, but it bears a strong resemblance to my native Melbourne’s mid-19th century Gold Rush and Marvelous Melbourne era, so I have never quite caught on.
But Kiunkaku was different! The inn was beautifully designed with both Japanese (mostly) and Western influences and an absolutely sublime garden.
I moaned at an entrance fee I considered fairly hefty to see a defunct hotel (610 yen just to get in!), but probably would have paid twice that and still been satisfied once I went through the entire property. Loved it!
Once finished with the tour of the inn, famous for hosting a number of renowned Japanese writers, and its gardens, Mrs. Kangaeroo and I spent the rest of the day sauntering around the hilly seaside city of Atami and scoffing ourselves sick at the hotel’s buffet before walking it off with another stroll along the beachfront at night.
