Tokyo to Kyoto - Thursday
The rain had eradicated the smog and we woke to a clear sunny day. Afraid of a repeat of yesterday's subway squash when we were carrying luggage, we left by 7 am and found the subways manageable with bags. So we had breakfast at Tokyo Station, very reasonably - three breakfast specials offered A. Noodle Soup, B. Bacon & Eggs, C. Sandwich of tomato, lettuce, cilantro and some sort of sausage that looked like pate, all on a long bun. All came with yogurt and coffee or tea for a bit over 600 yen. Fernie had B of course and I had C.I tried to change our 10 am Shinkansen Hikari tickets to the 9 am but all non-smoking was sold out and I couldn't imagine 2 1/2 hours in a smoke-filled carriage. The wait was pleasurable because we found a comfy waiting room where we read our English language newspapers. I was on watch for Mount Fuji because the sky was cornflower blue and clean of visible smog. Our first sight of it was a disappointment because a fluffy white cloud hugged the peak but as we travelled further around the famous mountain, the cloud disbersed and displayed the full glory of Mount Fuji in the sparkling sunshine. WOW! It was difficult taking photos as the train moved so fast. I think I got a few pictures of telephone poles.
The ride north was shorter by six minutes. It took two hours and 37 minutes. I think there must have been a couple less stops.
When checking back in at the New Miyako Hotel in Kyoto, I was so pleased that they had noted on our reservation that a taxi was reserved for us on Saturday to take us to the pier. Sadly, we are not used to such efficient personal service. Our room this time - #808 - faced south, the back side where they are building a new wing at least as big as the current hotel. We missed the roar of the Shinkansen and the clatter of the multitude of criss-crossing tracks. It was just too peaceful.
We bought subway day passes and headed to Nijo Castle - Shogun territory. Vast grounds and rambling buildings. It felt so good taking off our shoes and walking around in stocking feet - a requisite of entry. Our bruised and blistered feet welcomed it. The worn wooden floors were built to 'creak' so as to warn of anyone approaching. It was amusing to watch other visitors try to beat the system - tippy toeing or sliding, to no avail. When a whole class of schoolchildren traversed it, they created an orchestra of musical squeaks. The castle grounds with the traditional gardens were a bit unkempt but almost more beautiful as a result - more natural. There were so many colours - the red of Japanese Maple, white of the dogwood and plum, pink of the Katsura and pink dogwood, varied colours in the vast arrays of azaleas and camellias, and greens of all shades.
Hopped on to the subway to the Gion district to check out the shops. The craft centre was overpriced and we enjoyed the little independent kiosks more. After trotting around for a couple of hours with a Starbucks break in the middle, we had only bought one little thing. The shopping is not that great. Took the subway back to Kyoto Station and went for dinner in the little conveyor belt sushi bar I had been lusting after for almost a week. I promised Fernie that we could go to a noodle bar after. How I wish we had one of these at home - right in Coquitlam. Sitting there and watching all the artistic little dishes sail by is my idea of dining heaven. At 120 yen a dish, you could eat a feast for not much money. One dish held 5 tuna maki or 5 cucumber maki, 2 nigiri of various types and there were many other odd bits to choose from. I guess I should be ashamed to admit I had eight dishes...........Fernie (the Sushi hater) even had six. He found some tempura prawn nigiri that he had 3 dishes of and some tofu pockets and a couple of other things and he found it not too bad with a large beer to wash it down.
We dropped a message to our UK friends, J&R, at their hotel - the Rihga Royal as they'd be arriving late that night. We timed it walking back to our hotel - five minutes door to door.
posted by O'Leary @ 10:30 PM
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