Himeji Castle has just reopened!!
08,Apr 2015 Information, News
Himeji Castle, a world cultural heritage site, has reopened on 27 March after 5 years of preservation project.
Altough the cherry blossom season has finished, it is still worth visiting.
Kifu no Sato is located 1.5 hours away by car.
By train, you can take Super Hakuto limited express from Himeji station toward Tottori and get off at Sayo station. (about 35 minutes)
Free shuttle service available from Sayo Station to Kifu no Sato ryokan (about 30 min)
At a Karacho’s Karakami (woodblock-printed paper) workshop
23,Sep 2013 News
Next time you visit our ryokan, please ask us about the golden panel covering the wall just behind our reception desk.? The story that this mesmerizingly beautiful piece of art tells goes a couple of centuries back in time.? The karakami artists, Akihiko Toto and his wife Aiko Senda are the 11th generation of the karakami maker whose workshop was established in Kyoto in 1624, now the only one of its kind left in Japan.
Before the workshop, Mr. Toto talked about the essential difference between a design made of various patterns which just looks good and a monyo, a symbolic pattern of each karakami woodblock.? Monyo is a deep prayer, Mr. Toto says.? Each monyo has a meaning reflecting Japanese ancient spiritualism where people believe that, in each and every thing that surrounds them in their natural environment, there lives a spirit or a god.? All the monyo, therefore, are positive and are made to bring good fortune and everlasting happiness into one’s life.? During his talk, Mr. Toto directed everyone’s attention to the light that the mica mixed in the pigments was giving off.? “This sparkling light will always be there.“
The process of printing a paper was simple enough for a 3 year-old, but again, it is about how deep your prayer is accompanying every move from brushing the pigment onto the mesh sieve, pressing the paper onto the woodblock to finally lifting the paper off the block.? In today’s workshop, we made a paper to hold an offering for our ancestors in preparation for the traditional Obon festival, a time every year to remember and honour our ancestors.
For me, the workshop was not just about printing a pretty piece of paper but inspired me to live with heightened awareness and a deeper sense of appreciation for everything around us.? There were many gems in Mr. Toto’s words which were the keys to how every one of us can make our ordinary life into an extraordinary one from NOW!
30,Jun 2013 News
Kifu no Sato Ryokan has been awarded again (for the 7th time) in 3 categories by JTB as one of the best hotels and ryokans in Japan for the Year 2012!
We won the awards in the Service, Cuisine and the General (overall) categories. These awards directly reflect the guests’ evaluations on the?questionnaires. Thank you very much for everyone’s support. We feel extremely honored to be chosen for these awards and promise to make further efforts to provide our guests the one-of-a-kind luxury experience at our ryokan.
from all the staff at Kifu no Sato Ryokan
10,May 2013 News
03,Apr 2013 News
It’s the long-awaited cherry blossom season now! ?They should be in bloom for another 10 days or so.
Please come and see them how beautifully have painted the riverbanks pale pink.
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