Our visit to Kyoto began with a ride via the local Yamanote line to Shinagawa to catch the Shinkansen. The morning rush hour in Tokyo is from about 9am to 9:30, and we were right in the middle of it. In general the Japanese lifestyle is one of respect, dignity and consideration.....unless you're on your way to work on the subway !! Basically, if a train if full, expect to be pushed in like sardines until you can't move. In these cases, it is unnecessary to hold on to an overhead strap as you couldn't fall down if you wanted. On the stop before Shinagawa the train emptied and we finally found a seat....but oooops...they were getting everyone off the train, so we had to cross over to another train on the same line.
The Shinkansen cabin is similar to a plane, but with more leg room. We found seats together after a very nice businessman offered his seat in exchange for Linda's. Most likely due to the fact that Anthony's constant chatter was interupting him and this was the easiest way to get a nap. Can't say I blame him as we were up and down to the bathroom several times. Very nice views from the train, but mostly restricted by tunnels and near hillsides.
The Shinkansen cabin is similar to a plane, but with more leg room. We found seats together after a very nice businessman offered his seat in exchange for Linda's. Most likely due to the fact that Anthony's constant chatter was interupting him and this was the easiest way to get a nap. Can't say I blame him as we were up and down to the bathroom several times. Very nice views from the train, but mostly restricted by tunnels and near hillsides.
I found myself getting a headache as the scenery and the focus changed rapidly. Couldn't really feel the 300/kph speed nor the acceleration or deceleration. Took a little over 2hrs to go the 350+ miles. Compare that to 70mph via auto, which would take 5 hours, and you can appreciate the convenience. Very expensive to ride, with tickets running about 25,000Y per person for a round trip ($200), but clearly worth every penny!
We stayed at the Hotel Granvia, which is attached to the rail station, and was recommended by our gracious hosts, who have had numerous friends and associates that have traveled to Kyoto. Incredible accomodations with great views, friendly staff and some really nice restaurants. Here, we eat a snack after at one of the nice but somewhat affordable restaurants in the lobby of the Hotel.
We arrived a little early for check-in and decided to drop our bags and walk around the huge station complex. It's hard to describe how big this building is...it extends more than two blocks and has to be at least 10 stories tall with numerous basement levels.
The whole thing is open-air, except for the basement, and has multiple escalators with stops at each level for shops along the way. Linda couldn't go up as she has a fear of heights, but Anthony and I went to the top and took some great pictures....to follow.
We decided to try the Garden Place buffet on the 15th floor, hoping for a nice view during our dinner. But the food was not appropriate for Anthony, and it was very expensive, so we went to an italian restaurant in the basement and had salad and pizza.....Many Asian restaurants to choose from, but honestly, the plastic food replica's (very common in Japan) turned us off to rice and noodles.....Returned to our room and got to bed early as we were a little tired from our trip. Unfortunately, Anthony was up at 2:30am and didn't go back to sleep. After several hours of him playing with the lights and interupting our sleep, we took a bath and went for breakfast. The breakfast offered was both Japanese style (fish and eggs and salty food) and western style (eggs, bacon, toast, pancakes, cereal).
We caught a cab to the north end of the "Philosophers Walk", near Ginkaku-ji Temple. "The Walk" is at the edge of the nearby hills and along a tree and flower lined canal.
The Ginkaku-ji temple grounds are known for their beautiful gardens with ponds, raked gravel gardens and mounds and beautiful trees. There are numerous temples and shrines along the walk, but most were closed. We have numerous pictures to share, which we will attach at a later date. We hoped to visit several shrines and temples, but Anthony was very tired due to the lack of sleep, and went into meltdown. Grabbed a cab back to the hotel, checked-out and headed for the station for the ride back on the Shinkansen to Shinigawa. Managed to find the station and buy tickets for the return trip without issue. Since it was our first sunny day we were hoping to see Mt. Fuji on our trip back, but didn't see it for whatever reason. The train was almost empty, so we had a little more elbow room and the trip was uneventful.
We stayed at the Hotel Granvia, which is attached to the rail station, and was recommended by our gracious hosts, who have had numerous friends and associates that have traveled to Kyoto. Incredible accomodations with great views, friendly staff and some really nice restaurants. Here, we eat a snack after at one of the nice but somewhat affordable restaurants in the lobby of the Hotel.
We arrived a little early for check-in and decided to drop our bags and walk around the huge station complex. It's hard to describe how big this building is...it extends more than two blocks and has to be at least 10 stories tall with numerous basement levels.
The whole thing is open-air, except for the basement, and has multiple escalators with stops at each level for shops along the way. Linda couldn't go up as she has a fear of heights, but Anthony and I went to the top and took some great pictures....to follow.We decided to try the Garden Place buffet on the 15th floor, hoping for a nice view during our dinner. But the food was not appropriate for Anthony, and it was very expensive, so we went to an italian restaurant in the basement and had salad and pizza.....Many Asian restaurants to choose from, but honestly, the plastic food replica's (very common in Japan) turned us off to rice and noodles.....Returned to our room and got to bed early as we were a little tired from our trip. Unfortunately, Anthony was up at 2:30am and didn't go back to sleep. After several hours of him playing with the lights and interupting our sleep, we took a bath and went for breakfast. The breakfast offered was both Japanese style (fish and eggs and salty food) and western style (eggs, bacon, toast, pancakes, cereal).
We caught a cab to the north end of the "Philosophers Walk", near Ginkaku-ji Temple. "The Walk" is at the edge of the nearby hills and along a tree and flower lined canal.
The Ginkaku-ji temple grounds are known for their beautiful gardens with ponds, raked gravel gardens and mounds and beautiful trees. There are numerous temples and shrines along the walk, but most were closed. We have numerous pictures to share, which we will attach at a later date. We hoped to visit several shrines and temples, but Anthony was very tired due to the lack of sleep, and went into meltdown. Grabbed a cab back to the hotel, checked-out and headed for the station for the ride back on the Shinkansen to Shinigawa. Managed to find the station and buy tickets for the return trip without issue. Since it was our first sunny day we were hoping to see Mt. Fuji on our trip back, but didn't see it for whatever reason. The train was almost empty, so we had a little more elbow room and the trip was uneventful.
1 comment:
Keep up the good work.
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