Dining at Sanai

We had the most exotic dinner imaginable. We had a small tatami room reserved just for us. When we entered, they had laid out the table with 7 or 8 dishes - the hors d’oeurves. They had a selection of sashimi (some sushi with fish, some without), tofu dishes and various vegetables. Then they brought in another collection of dishes – again a mixture of fish, beef and veggies. This went on for 3 or 4 more courses. They also had rice and a couple of kinds of soup. We began by eating most of what was served on each plate to having a taste of things because we were too full. It was unbelievable. The service was spectacular!!!
The next day we went back to the bus stop where we were picked up by a different tour bus. The woman guide was wonderful – she didn’t speak a word of English but made sure we knew where we were going and found English brochures for us everywhere we went. This bus was posh with wonderful seats and even a tiny chandelier! Big change from the day before.
We also visited the home of a famous Japanese songwriter, Rentaro Taki. He was a young man who was a musical prodigy, writing songs particularly for children – and still famous today. The guide sang one of his songs – and though it was new to us, all of the Japanese knew the piece.