After a long ride back down from the mountains and then up a low mountain pass, we went down one of the nicest roads I've ever been on in Japan - nothing particularly dramatic, just one of the best examples of rural scenic beauty around - and were in Takebe. In many ways, this was the least interesting of the villas. The town is too big to be picturesque but too small to have a lot of attractions to compensate. The villa was right next to a Japanese inn (and the same staff managed both); foreign visitors could expect to be stared at curiously by the guests next door. Last but not least, the villa was supposedly designed by a well-known architect, but as a place that fit the villa / traveler concept, it had some problems. Probably the most common complaint was that there was no real living-room type space in which visitors could relax and socialize. Nevertheless, there was at least one place where people could relax: the excellent hot springs bath shown below.

It actually turned out to be quite an enjoyable stay. We dressed in the yukata provided by the villa and relaxed with our alcoholic beverages of choice, then headed to a local restaurant for sushi. It was surprisingly cheap - one advantage to being outside the major cities.