I was back to the slow train this Sunday, making my way to Koriyama to change to the (slightly faster) Shinkansen for my trip North. In Ichonoseki it was back to a short trip on another slow train – before I arrived in Hiraizumi in the early afternoon.

After check-in at my hotel (an old-school onsen hotel with a very distinct retro feeling) I headed out for some first exploration and looks at the museums, to get an overview and prepared for Monday. Hiraizumi is home of five sites from the 11th and 12th century “representing the Buddhist Pureland” – a UNESCO world heritage since 2011 … so, tons to explore.

Given I was staying at an actual onsen hotel, of course I had to have a look at and a dip into the onsen before dinner. I had decided for the hotel plan including dinner (simply as there are not that many options in town) – and dinner turned out a great surprise: keiseki – Japanese haute cuisine – with all dishes nicely presented, a bit of everything (raw, pickled, boilt, grilled,  etc.) and everything super-oishy.