Trip to Mitake Valley

Today I went on a day trip to the Mitaka River Valley. It was a nice day walking along the river, visiting an art museum, touring a temple, and enjoying a tasting at a local sake distillery. The weather was beautiful  as was the scenery - the leaves were just starting to change and it was just a blessing walking around away from the concrete and skyscrapers.

We enjoyed a nice lunch by the river - Not really sure what it was but it was served in a HOT clay pot which was still cooking the dish. Our tour guide said this was more of a Korean type of a dish. There was a raw egg on top and we were directed to stir everything in the bowl which literally was so hot, it cooked the egg! It was very tasty - the rice was a bit crunchy on the bottom which made it even better. There were also dishes of miso soup and tofu something with mushrooms - tried them, didn't like them.

Next we toured a temple which had been brought over from China - there I met a Japanese man who tried his best to speak English and commented on how we as Americans might find their religion as "odd"... not sure about all of that, but they certainly make some beautiful shrines and temples to celebrate their beliefs.

We ended our day with a tour of a sake distillery, felt almost like I was back at Jack Daniels in Lynchburg! I have only taken a few sips of sake, but all I can say is ICK - not yummy but they certainly love the stuff here! I did have a few sips of their plum wine and that was yummy! But it was very interesting to see how serious they are about this process and how much they protect the "pure" water with which they start the drink. It is one more thing that becomes almost holy... 

I will add some more pictures of the trip next...