The path through the bamboo grove will bring you to the door of Fuurin-Oka (“Wind Bell Hill”). Inside the genkan, or vestibule, you can slip off your coat and shoes. A few steps on the warm hardwood floors will lead you to the shoji screens of the main room, where the floor is covered with tatami (rice straw) mats.

This is the washitsu, the “everything” room of a traditional Japanese home — simple, elegant, free from clutter. Almost like a stage, it can be rearranged into a multitude of forms and functions. By day, a living room. By night, a sleeping room. And, as needed, a dining room or entertainment center.

Change into your soft cotton yukatta, the kimono traditionally provided by Japanese inns. Sit in the sho-in (scholar’s seat) and gaze out the window. Just beyond the orchard is the last operating Japanese-American berry farm on the island – all organic. In the distance are the majestic Olympic Mountains.

Move to the engawa (garden veranda). This transition between the worlds of man and nature provides shelter from the elements while offering a view of the private Japanese garden.

In the kitchenette you will find everything you need to make a cup of O-cha (green tea), a snack, or a light supper.

Recline in the special tatami chairs as you watch TV or one of the videos from our library. Or put on a CD of traditional Japanese music and page through books on Japan and Japanese culture — maybe even practice a little nihongo (Japanese language).

Take an evening stroll in the gardens of your hosts’ house, a copy of the Victorian farmhouses of the Port Blakely sawmill period. The cottage garden, kitchen garden and orchard evoke a sense of nostalgia… and may also contribute their abundance to your breakfast! Sit in Grandma’s garden swing amidst roses and native fragrant plants and recall bygone days of island life.

In the meantime, your fluffy futon has been prepared, complete with cozy quilt and pillows of your choice.

Before you retire, there is one more experience you must take time to savor: O-furo, the Japanese bath or soaking tub, the heart of Japanese culture. Enjoy the view of the garden through the rising steam as everyday cares disappear.

In the morning the sun and songbirds awaken you to another day. Choose a traditional Japanese breakfast or American breakfast provided by your hosts, or, for complete privacy, enjoy a Continental breakfast in the fully stocked kitchenette.