Sep
22
Tokyo to Kyoto Day one
Yay! The A380 is a fat pigeon to me! the seats were pretty comfortable, biege in color. Overall the takeoff of the plane was smooth. At this moment, the excitement seems to be rather dull. Perhaps tiredness took over. Lots of movies and games to play on the new Krisflyer console. They have added multiplayer games like Mahjong and some tank 3d game that is played at 3 frames per second. Ugh, the horrors.
We reached the Narita airport at around 8am. So cool! Coming down from the fat pigeon A380 and walking through the airport is pretty alien. Yup the term was used to address foreigners in this country. You can see me dozing off in the plane, once I get the pics from Jie. Immigration was pretty busy with 2planes from Singapore landing at the same time.
First stop, the JR office at the basement of the airport to get our JR vouchers exchanged for the rail pass. The JR pass office was very helpful in making a reservation to us to get seat on board a Shinkansen to Kyoto! I’ll say this just once. They are very polite and considerate. So polite that sometimes feel like a barbarian in the middle of this untainted wilderness. Every thing has been smooth so far!
Thanks to the JR pass we can take the Narita express free! The Narita express is fast! Very much faster than the mrt back in Singapore. Very comfortable with clothes seats, toilets at the junction of each car, drink vending machines in the front. It was raining when we took the train.
We should reach the Tokyo station around 11. Then catch train to Kyoto! Time now is 951am.
We reached Tokyo station at 1100. Navigating through the crowds in Tokyo station is easy with all the English signs. But pulling the luggaage all around the station, going against crowds, conquering stairs, finding the correct track all in the middle of this frenzy, seems like a mini urban adventure slotted into a big one.
Hikari411! We bought some cheap sushi and rice up the train for lunch!
This shinkansen is fast. Really damn fast! Just multiple the speed of the mrt by 10 times LOL! Every tree and shrub just fly by in a green hue.
We should be reaching Kyoto at about 1414h. One thing that amazes me is this freaking bullet is always on time! The distance between Tokyo and Kyoto is approximately 512km. Weee! All that covered in 2h 50mins!
Travelling via the train allows you to see more about japan’s countryside. Seems pretty much to me like those quiet towns seen in movies where they cycle to school, go home around 5pm and he day starts again next day. Much slower paced than the busy cities. The country side looks more spacious than the cluttered Tokyo view.
We arrived at Kyoto station! This is one big station with a few rail stations, hotels, offices and shopping centers! It has a dark solemn and concrete look. Perhaps to give it the look of power and status.
A short walk to the inn took about 10minutes. First impression on our way there gave us the creeps. The way in was a quiet alley, a really quiet one.
We reached our inn Ikoi no Ie about 3.30pm. The room has tatami mats! Jie says the receptionist is cute! LOL, the room is nice and cosy. Not too small for 2 persons. Tatami mats are great to lie down on. They don’t feel cold in this chilly weather. Oh, the weather! It is cool at about 22degs. 2 layers or a long sleeve shirt would do the trick. The girls are hot enough to go out in mini short skirts and boots everywhere with that Ayumi template look. ^^
Kyoto tower was pretty interesting, just across the street from Kyoto tower! We could see our inn from up there. I saw the Kyoto sunset there! Beautiful with no clouds! All it took was 10 minutes for it to set.
Then back to the inn for some rest. More up tomorrow!
P.S: The set for Day One can be found here.
