Built in 1890 (the 23rd year of the Meiji Era), the venerable Fukuzumiro's entire complex is a registered cultural landmark. The area I will be specifically detailing is a Japanese-style room located on the mountain stream side of the building. Outside its window, the view of luxuriant greenery and the rushing river unfolds before my very eyes.
Super Mario, Hello Kitty and Gundam toys peering out through window displays. Shops beckoning from behind the facade of a lantern-lined, Edo-style street. Restaurants ranging from burger boutiques to conveyer belt sushi.
Ah, the joys of Tokyo. Except, this is not the city. This is the airport.
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I arrived at Shuzenji Onsen in late October, before the fall leaves had completely turned. I had come to the area to stay at Kikuya, a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) that was renowned for its old-world architecture and distinctly Japanese baths. Roughly located at the center of the Izu Peninsula, the Shuzenji Onsen area is home to three spots that captured a coveted two-star rating (three being the maximum) in the 2009 edition of the respected French guidebook, Michelin Green Guide Japon: Shuzenji (the central shrine), Chikurin no Komichi (a wooded pathway) and Shigetsuden (a temple).