November 16, 2025 Breakfast at Hotel Lunch - unagi bowl on train to Ibusuki and Italian Dinner at Fenice Restaurant at Hotel
We awakened and went to breakfast in the hotel at 7:30. Today I tried the dish Suzette ate yesterday, clams in corn soup. The soup was bland but the clams were wonderful. I also ate a couple of slices of Japanese omelet, a sausage, and a croissant with butter and strawberry jam with a whole strawberry in it. At the end of the meal Suzette brought me a cup of plain creamed yogurt that I flavored with the last bit of strawberry jam.
The group then assembled for our trip to Kagoshima on the south coast of the island that included a 41 minute trip by electric bullet train and a 1 hour trip by a local train with a 1 hour stop in the middle at noon. The bullet train was fast and fun and the slow local to Ibusuki was along the coast was beautiful as we rolled into its tropical ecosystem through areas of palms and citrus trees.
At the intermediate stop there was an aggregation of food courts and food stores. We bought a tray of BBQ’d Unagi with rice and a tray of sushi to eat on the second train.
The hotel was located on a huge property with beautifully landscaped areas. It reminded me of the large spas in Europe that have declined in popularity lately but hang on due to their unmatched elegance.
When we were assigned our room it was a small Japanese style room with chairs on the floor and no beds. We requested and paid for an upgrade to a corner suite with a Japanese sitting room, a Western sitting room, a western bedroom with two single beds, and its own soaking tub area with a wrap around balcony with views of the ocean on one side and the manicured arboretum on the other side. Very elegant for $265 extra.
I rested and Suzette soaked in the outdoor and indoor bath areas before dinner at 7:30.
We then walked the short distance through a garden to the Fenice Italian Restaurant Where we were seated at two different tables. I perused the wine selection and then we were joined by Deborah and Kaz, which was lucky because they could explain the menu. Dinner was a seven course dinner. The amuse-bouche was a small of chopped liver served with a small kernel of gelatin and a round cracker.
We selected a bottle of 2022 Chianti Classico for $46.00 when the appetizer plate arrived with a slice of mortadella, a fried fish, a slice of black pig, and a slice of wagyu beef, two slices of blue fin tuna, and a lovely small bowl of Caprese salad with mozzarella cherry tomatoes and basil infused olive oil.
The Chianti was a little rough at first but smoothed out as the meal progressed and was delicious with the main beef course.
The second course was called minestrone soup but it was an onion and cabbage soup that was quite delicious.
Two types of bread were served with olive oil; a slice of baguette and a dark brown bread slice. It was a thrill to have fresh bread.
Third Course - Then came the pasta primi, which I loved. A small pile of cassarecce pasta in a creamy tomato sauce with three or four types of beans, garbanzo, peas, and one or two others. I asked for and was brought a small ramekin of grated Parmesan cheese that I shared with the table.
Fourth Course - Grilled Grouper with a sesame mushroom sauce.
This was the best dish of the meal for me. The fish was incredibly tender and I had never eaten a Mushroom sesame sauce so it was interesting to me. I particularly liked the sauce’s nutty creamy consistency.
Fifth Course - Wagyu Beef in a red wine sauce - The wagyu beef has impressed me. In the U.S. it would probably grade higher than Prime due to its intense marbling. The beef was the star of this dish. The sauce was not memorable.
Sixth Course - Dessert - A real chocolate Torte. I can not believe it. Plus an interesting sweet potato ice cream, a slice of cantaloupe, and a very lovely wedge of sweet satsuma.
It was a very satisfying meal. Kas was drinking whiskey and suggested that we try the limoncello, so we did and it was slightly less citrusy than our homemade limoncello, but very good.
After dinner we retired to the bed. The mattress was too firm so around midnight Suzette placed a duvet over the mattress and I added another pillow to raise the support for my head and we slept soundly after that.
Ibusuki is a warm, pleasant town with tropical foliage.
Bon Appetit
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