Yutoku Inari Shrine Part 2

 After we wandered around the part of the shrine, we were planning on going up to the main part, by elevator, but when I looked up, I realised that even with the elevator, there were a lot more stairs and walking than I could handle.

Instead, we found a lovely, quiet Japanese garden to wander around; there weren't many people there, so it was very quiet. There were a lot of beautiful plants and flowers, but I think the best season would be in the spring for the cherry blossoms.

At the entrance of the garden.

Hannah looks very grown up.

We then left the shrine complex and had a walk down the shopping street. We were hoping to find a restaurant, but there were only souvenir shops.

Hannah did a quick search for local restaurants; we like teishoku, set-meal restaurants. The set meal is a main dish, rice, soup, salad and pickles. Hannah found one that had good reviews just a few minutes' drive from the shrine.

Small, friendly restaurant.

It was already one o'clock by the time we got there. I didn't think it would be busy, but it was almost full.

We were seated in a small room, off the main dining room. It was nice and private and a bit quieter than the main dining area. 

There was a choice of main dishes, all very tempting!

I had a hamburger; Mikey had deep-fried pork cutlet, tonkatsu; Christopher had mixed fry; and Hannah had a donburi dish- I think it was eel!

My meal.

Mikey's meal.

Hannah's meal.

 

I didn't get a photo from Christopher!

On Mikey's tray, there is an orange dish that was almost raw chicken, called Toriashi in Japanese. It was offered with our meals as well, but we changed it for a drink. I can eat raw fish, but the idea of raw meat or chicken makes me ill!

We all enjoyed our lunch, but it was very filling. I was so stuffed I didn't eat again until after 10 o'clock.

The fortune that I bought at the shrine was very interesting. It said that the time is right for business people to start a new business, and that I'll be blessed with money luck. I hope so!

Today is the last day of Silver Week, unfortunately my back is very painful; just making breakfast and obento this morning was hard. I always judge how bad my back is by how long I can stand. If I can stand for over an hour before the pain starts then I'm okay. This morning, however, I was in pain after just 10 minutes; by 20 minutes, I had to sit down. I guess tomorrow I'm back to the doctor!