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.
Related posts:
Shear Fluke! A Rare Aussie Cultural Hit in Japan
Jacaranda Journey Provides Purple Haze
AFL – Modern Australia’s Religion and Failed Proselytizing in Japan
‘Single Men Only?’ – Early Japanese Migration to Oz 日本人の豪州への初期移民は「独身男性限定」？
‘You’re Not Taking the Kingswood’…But Japan Did for a Little While
日本語が大きく影響を与えた豪州言語
Waltzing Matildas In The Land Of The Rising Sun
Acrobatic Start to Relations まさにアクロバティックに始まった日豪関係
Sodden But Sublime, Pigging Out in Yokohama
A Little-Known, Bizarre Australia-Japan Christmas Story
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