Royalty in crab
Eat, bathe, and be merry ...
One of the most popular winter foods in this land is crab. So
what is it from this seemingly simple shellfish meal that pulls
hardworking people away from their 60-hour weeks?
The royal treatment, tucked into a value-for-money, all-inclusive,
one-night package, is offered by most ryokan along the Sea of
Japan.
A one-night package to Kinosaki, renowned for its seafood,
usually includes train tickets, a one-night stay in a ryokan, crab
dinner, breakfast, and access to all seven onsen in town.
 This may sound like a regular tour package but it fell nothing
short of a royal holiday. After a wretched two-and-three-quarter-
hour ride on the local express, hotel staff were there to
receive us and other guests upon arrival at the JR train station.
Parked just outside the station were private mini buses ready to
take guests to their hotels to save them the ten-minute walk and
the headache of fumbling through a map. When we arrived at
the hotel, we could already smell freshly barbecued crab. In fact,
the wonderful aroma was everywhere, in our room, on our
sheets, even on the towels.
Not a moment after we finished our tea, Yuko, our room
attendant, came in to announce dinner. Guests had the luxury
of being served dinner in the privacy of their own rooms. With
a hotel full of guests, they had their hands full. However, dinner
was flawlessly choreographed from the perfect timing to the
warm hospitality. The meal consisted of sashimi, nabe, barbecued
beef, a large spider crab, a small steamed crab, tofu, hors
d'oeuvres, soup, desert, and if you were still hungry, a bento for
a midnight snack. Aside from all the delectable little dishes, our
favorite was the small crab, which was still steaming in its dish,
ready to be eaten after the nabe. If you don't know how to eat
crab or just don't feel like working for your meal, the server will
break your crab for you.
Having feasted on a decadent ten-course meal, we then a stroll
along the canal to take in some evening air. In Kinosaki, going to
onsen is favored, which accounts for people wearing yukata and
geta on the streets. At night, the dark desolate tourist town,
which was dimly lighted by yellow lampposts and a few souvenir
shops, was pleasantly brightened by the clopping sounds of
wooden clogs. Even though Kinosaki is a very popular tourist
area, it still had a small town atmosphere. After a warm soak
we returned to our room. The table was cleared, the futons were
made and to our amazement, tea was brewing. Given that we
never had to wait, get stressed or ask for anything, we felt like
royalty. We melted into our futons and slept like kings that night.
The next morning, breakfast was served in the same manner
and the bus was ready to take us back to the station.
The shops near the station are worth a look if you want
souvenirs. There, you can buy a crab just pulled from the sea,
have it packed in a foam box filled with ice and take it with you
on the train. A medium size crab can cost ¥10,000.
Text: An Nguyen
Photos: Wes Lang
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