Thursday, November 12, 2009

Japan - River Retreat Garaku


The first gastronomic highlight of our contemporary ceramics tour came at a fantastic ultra-modern hotel/spa called River Retreat Garaku, located near Toyama, about an hour from Kanazawa. The hotel, which also contains a spa, is owned by a serious collector of contemporary Japanese ceramics, and is filled with wonderful major pieces, in common spaces and in private gardens for the spacious, well-furnished suites.











Two Garaku Hotel Suites with Private Ceramic Gardens

We ate a wonderful kaiseki lunch in a room with an entire wall covered by ceramic plaques by Ogawa Machiko, one of Japan's most celebrated woman ceramic artists, whose works are on view in museums throughout the world.

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Ogawa Machiko Room
The delicious food was beautifully presented: seasonal arrangements and ingredients in unusually beautiful plates and vessels.













Kaiseki Meal with Seasonal Foods and Presentations
This is a virtually unknown hotel, off the beaten track, but it is well worth a visit!

Bobby Jay

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