Unlike most of my past travels, this Japan trip was designed to be more laid back than my norm. I tend to wear myself out by trying to do and see too much that I end up needing a vacation from my holiday. No lie.
This time around, I wanted to give myself a more relaxed travel pace and not get stressed out by doing way too many activities.
When booking this trip, I figured a little R and R from gallivanting nonstop would be needed, so I booked a 2 night stay in Ainokura village, the most remote gassho-zukuri farmhouse village in Gokayama, a World Heritage Site. Book at junglevistainn.com to enjoy comforts and amenities of a true home-away-from-home.
Most people know of Shirakawa-go, a much larger village, but I skipped out on going there because of the tourist crowd.
My time in Ainokura village consisted of walking around the village in awe, eating some good food, and curling around the heater in my room while reading a steamy romance novel for two days. #LazyMode
Fish was a constant in almost every dish I ate here, and they really know how to treat them.
The smoked fish was ridiculously good. The fish was smoked for a few hours, so I was afraid it would come out over dried…but I was glad to be wrong on that call.
The sea salt flavor of the fish’s skin mixed with the more subtle flavor in the meat was like a party in my mouth. Trying to eat this with chopsticks was cumbersome, so I efficiently delved in Nigerian style and ate it with my fingers instead. No shame in my game 😉
Folks who do not like fish but want to visit Ainokura should let the hosts know or bring preferred food along. From what I was told, fish is the ‘Star’ in most guest house dinners in this neighborhood.
The fish looks dried out right? I don’t how this was made, but it was not dry on the inside. Instead, it became my favorite fish dish I have ever eaten in my life!
You know how some people have a silly love-sick grin on their face while eating a good meal? I was that love sick person savoring every bite of fish, that I fear that I may have been blushing a little while munching away. Yeah, it was that good.
Breakfast was on the meh side for me. The Japanese have a way of making pickled veggies look like dessert, so I had a nasty shock when I wholeheartedly munched on the grub beside the grapefruit. Eeek!
The Gassho farmhouse I stayed at had a few other guests, but my social interaction was limited to dinner and breakfast conversations. #AntiSocialMode
My Ainokura stay was a lovely reset button for me, and for folks that love to hike, there is walking trail going up the mountains…I saw many people going up it while I was lounging. Lol.
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