Guesthouse Moriamon in Adiragawa

Post by Ella

Maki, a vibrant woman in her 30s, fetched us from the Yuasa train station for the 20 minute drive to her guesthouse in the small village of Adiragawa. The Adira region is famous for mikan (mandarin oranges) and the area is chock full of steeply terraced mikan orchards. Guesthouse Moriamon sits nestled at the bottom of one such orchard. The orchard belongs to her family.

This guesthouse was our lodging for night #1 of our Kumano Kodo walk. I had no idea what to expect. I thought maybe something similar to a Bed and Breakfast type inn. Whelp, it was a whole Japanese house just for us. There are two such houses on the property. We were the only guests for the night.

There were four rooms. An entry room and bedroom, with tatami mats. Two sitting rooms, with wood floors. In addition, a small bathroom with toilet and shower, and a kitchen.

In front of the entry room is an area with a bench where shoes are removed. The floors are raised so there is a step up into the entry room. Only bare feet or socks are allowed on tatami mats. Slippers are provided for wooden floors. The four main rooms are each squares and the four squares form one large square. All rooms have sliding doors just as you’d imagine. 

By the way, special slippers sit in the bathroom. They are only for use is the toilet area and always stay near the toilet. You don’t ever wear them into other parts of the house.

As soon as we arrived, Maki got us oriented and then immediately went to work in the kitchen where she and her helper prepared our dinner while we showered and tried to make ourselves presentable.  The shower was small and western style. Japanese pajamas were provided and I used them rather than putting my hiking outfit back on for dinner. 

Dinner was a feast but interestingly, I didn’t feel uncomfortably stuffed. It felt just right. An array of small portions. A healthy variety.  I didn’t take pictures. The dishes kept coming. Bits of sashimi, chunks of trout, pickled plum, bowl of dashi soup, snow peas, the ever present bowl of sticky white rice and more.

After dinner, Grubb collapsed into bed, a futon on the tatami mat floor. It was around 7:15pm. That was it for him. I spent time in a sitting room that had a couch (with no legs) and a Japanese leg heater. Imagine a low, round coffee table with a round tented comforter draped over it. The comforter is heated. One sits on a cushion or the couch and puts one’s legs under the comforter. Toasty warm legs is the result.

Maki and her helper were back the next morning to prepare our Japanese style breakfast and a small bento box for lunch on the trail. At precisely 9:00am, a pre arranged taxi picked us up and took us to the beginning of our Day 2 hike.