Moving to Suimeikan in Gero, Japan
After taking the shuttle bus operated by Yunoshimakan down to Gero Station, I headed over to Suimeikan. The Korean pronunciation, "Sumyeonggwan," rolls off my tongue a bit easier—I guess I can't help being Korean. Suimeikan is located right behind Gero Station. It's the largest ryokan that catches your eye as soon as you arrive in Gero, making it incredibly easy to find.
Unlike Yunoshimakan, which feels like a quaint old building hidden in the mountains, Suimeikan is a massive structure sitting right on the street, so wide it's hard to capture in a single photo. While other ryokans give off a cozy and approachable vibe, this place has an almost overwhelming presence.
Since it wasn't check-in time yet, I just left my luggage at the front desk. It was still too cold to wander outside, so I headed to the coffee shop to warm up with a drink.
The coffee shop lets you sit right next to the incredibly beautiful garden nestled inside this monster of a building. The coffee itself is just okay, but the garden is so well-maintained that the price of the drink feels more like an admission fee for the view. Do we even have properly landscaped gardens like this back in Korea? I've been so busy lately that I can't even remember the last time I looked at a real garden. Maybe the Shilla Hotel was the last one...
At first, I was just staring blankly, thinking how cute it was that ducks were living in this pretty garden. Then, suddenly, a huge bird started wandering around. It didn't look like an egret raised by the ryokan, but rather a local resident. It pooped all over the garden and then leisurely flew off somewhere. Was the garden so pretty that it decided to use it as a restroom?
After drinking my coffee, watching the egret, and finally warming up a bit, I decided to take a walk around the town of Gero.
