16. Kyoto

The disembarkation at Yokohama went with typical Japanese efficiency and we got of the ship at exactly the minute allotted. Unfortunately the traffic on the expressway back up to Tokyo wasn't moving as slickly as the disembarkation and it took a couple of hours before we got to our hotel. 

It was too early to check in and so we went into Ikebukuro station and bought Shinkansen (bullet train) tickets for Kyoto and then went and had some lunch.

After checking in (yes, we had a room in Tokyo as well as in Kyoto for the night), it was an easy enough task to get the Yamanote line to Tokyo station and then, with a little help from a station assistant who spoke good English and looked about 12, found our seat on the right Shinkansen.

The journey from Tokyo to Kyoto took a little over two hours. Along the route there is no rolling countryside as such, just a continuous view of towns, houses, settlements, factories and a few cities. The greenery inbetween is nearly all rice paddy fields.

One does not really get a sense of speed on the train even though it is travelling at over 150mph. However, the way it tilts as it goes around bends makes it look as if the buildings are leaning over. It's a strange optical illusion and nothing to do with the fact that we might be nearing the speed of light. The train staff all bow when they enter and exit the carriage, something you won't see on Great Western in a million years. Something else you won't see is people leaving bags, phones and other personal effects on your seat when you go to the buffet car, but it's commonplace on the Shinkansen.

After checking in to our Kyoto hotel it was nearly dark and so we just had a quick wander around the closest mall and bought a few supplies for breakfast. It had been a long journey since leaving the ship and an early night was called for.

Next morning we set off to explore a bit of Kyoto. Temples and shrines seem to be located every other block so after looking at several in detail, we just pushed on. Eventually we got to the Gion district which is the oldest and most traditional part of the city. There are lots of little wooden houses of which most have been converted into small restaurants or cafes. Being a traditional area, some geishas are in residence although we didn't see any....but there are signs on the street saying "do not touch the geishas", which caused us some amusement. On the other hand, there were many girls both old and young (and a few of the men too) wearing their yukatas. There can't be many countries in the world where the residents are seen in national dress as a matter of course. It's really rather lovely.

We then found a small restaurant for lunch. It was run by a husband and wife team, the former doing the cooking and the latter serving and taking the orders. She spoke a few words of English so we didn't have any surprises when the food arrived. We had cold chicken soup, then a salad and whereas I had cabbage roll filled with chicken and pork for mains, Claire had pork steak in ginger sauce with rice. This was washed down with green tea and it was all delicious.

Once refreshed we walked along the riverside and eventually found the Kyoto Imperial Palace. The vast Palace complex itself consists of several halls and buildings, was mostly restoration work, was very ornate and the small garden was very pretty and typically Japanese with a lake and little bridges.

By now the afternoon was getting on so we took the MRT back across the city to the Kyoto Tower. It's only 100m or so high but there were very good views from the top.

Then it was time to get the Shinkansen back to Tokyo and then the MRT back to the hotel. Thankfully the rain forecast for Kyoto never materialised and so it was a great day out despite the heat. We knew that there was a typhoon on the way and expected to make landfall at Nagoya, which is the first stop on the way back to Tokyo,  and certainly the skies became increasingly grey and threatening as we travelled northwards; in fact typhoon warnings were being displayed on the train. By the time we pulled into Tokyo station some 2 hours and 200 miles later, it was pretty wet. 

The only other item of note on the return journey was watching a young lady in the seat next to us spend over an hour putting on her makeup. I guess it makes a change from playing candy crush.

When back in Tokyo we had planned on going to watch the biggest fireworks display of the summer, but the impending typhoon has caused a 24hour postponement. Thankfully the weather is meant to improve from Sunday lunchtime onwards, so we hope to have a chance to see it that evening instead. In any event we still have a couple of days left in Tokyo to explore.