Today marks the start of our second stint in Kyoto. Originally scheduled to be a 5 night stay, we cut it down to 3 nights in the late stages of planning this trip, so that we could accommodate a trip North to traverse the Alpine route.

So why go back to Kyoto? Quite simply because it is our favourite city in Japan. There is so much to see and do here, the shopping is fantastic if that is on the agenda, and getting around the city is simple.
Also, it serves as an excellent base for day trips to other towns if required.


Checking out of the Kanazawa Central Hotel was pretty simple and anticlimactic. The guy behind the counter, who I'd never seen before, pretty much took the key, said "Thanks" and went back to what he was doing. Usually the hotel front desk staff make a big song and dance when you leave, making you feel like royalty. This guy made me feel like I was interrupting his paperwork. Oh well...I'll never see him again, so I didn't let it get me down for long.

Onto the train station, and we opted to skip breakfasts in order to get the earlier train to Kyoto, since the trains were a little over an hour apart and we didn't feel like waiting for the next one. After some anxiousness when we saw the crowd numbers at the platform, fortunately enough we found seats and were soon settled in for the long, slow and not particularly scenic journey from Kanazawa to Kyoto.

Now this is a route that would be well served by a Shinkansen. I expect linking Kanazawa and Kyoto by a fast train service would be an incredibly popular tourist route, judging by the numbers on today's train. For most of the journey for people getting on at stops between Kanazawa and Kyoto, it was standing room only.

After navigating Kyoto station with relative ease, we made our way North to our guesthouse, Costa Del Sol, which is located about halfway between the train station and the shopping district around Shijo Dori. I'd call it fairly central. After dumping the bags at the guesthouse, we were unable to check in until 3pm (common in Japan) so we went for a walk to a nearby Yayoiken, then down to the Kyoto river to check on the state of the cherry blossom trees.

As expected, especially with the recent rain, the cherry blossoms have started to fall. Most trees appear to be in full bloom, however many are shedding their petals in a cloud of pinkish white snow like clouds every time the wind blows. It's quite pretty, but somehow a little depressing at the same time. I can now see why the Japanese consider the short blooming timeframe of the Sakura to be representative of the fragility of life.

After an hour or so of walking, which included a much needed starbucks pit stop we returned to our guesthouse to check in, and once again I tested that the floor worked properly by laying down and falling asleep on it.

Dinner was back at another restaurant serviced by a vending machine, where you order and pay at the front door, and give your tickets to your waitstaff who bring out your ordered meals in a matter of minutes. It really is a fantastic system, and I could see it working well in any business district, not just in Japan. If I had one of these restaurants near my workplace I'd certainly use it. $7 for a substantial and delicious lunch meal bought out to you in minutes, and all without having to speak a word to anyone? My ideal restaurant.

At this restaurant, they served miso katsu, the cutlet covered in miso sauce that I desperately wanted to try in Nagoya, but was cruelly denied after playing a couple of games of restaurant hide-and-go-seek. It was good. Very good. Still, part of me will always wonder how much better the original would have been in the mother city.
Tomorrow I'll be up at 5am to head down to Kyoto station to try to secure tickets for the Alpine Route, since it opens on Saturday, and will apparently be insanely busy and sold out. Tickets go on sale tomorrow, and the JR office at Kyoto station opens at 5:30am, so I plan on being the first smiling face that Mr Ticket San sees tomorrow morning.

Then, we have our last day of aimless wanderings of the trip. We plan on heading over through the Gion area, to the Eastern temple district, and wander North until we reach the Philosophers path and either a) Get sick of the crowds; or b) Get too tired to walk any further; or c) Probably a combination of a + b; before returning home via some mode of transport.