Bullets and castles
Today started off with one more trip to the Disney mecca of souvenirs, a last look around the hotel and a quick couple of train hops over to Tōkyō station to catch the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyoto. We had a bit of trouble locating the ticket exchange counter (we had vouchers purchased ahead of time), but once we did it was quick and easy to get on the train. The Shinkansen platforms are awesome because every track has one on it, so you get to see multiple styles (and speeds) of bullet trains all in one place.
The train ride was great, after a few station stops right outside of Tokyo we accelerated up to top speed and flew past the countryside. It was excellent seeing the areas outside of the city, such a departure from what we have been seeing. The tracks run along the coast most of the way, which afforded beautiful views of the mountain ranges meeting the ocean. Sommer checked out the inside of her eyelids for part of the trip, but I was glued to the window watching everything glide by. This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip for me.
About 3 hours later we were in Kyoto, and it was another mini adventure trying to track down the shuttle that runs to our hotel. In a bit of luck we decided to give up on locating the shuttle and instead take the subway, but as we went down the stairs toward the track we stumbled into the information office that was directly across from the shuttle pick up. Yay for us! The hotel is just a few minutes from the station, and directly across from Nijo Castle. Since it is so close we decided to check in and head right across the street.
The castle was amazing, but the gardens were the highlight. Right inside the gate you are surrounded by the most beautiful trees, most of them interestingly trimmed and surrounded with perfectly placed grasses and rocks. One of the nice things was that there were lots of signs pointing you in the only direction around the castle grounds, so there was no chance of getting lost or missing anything - just follow the signs!
We got there just in time to hear a funny announcement: “Please come to the palace right away!” The Ninomaru Palace was the home of the shogun and was closing, so they were telling us to hurry if we wanted to take a peek inside. I’m glad we made it, the place is amazing - 3300 square feet, built almost entirely of cypress and filled with elaborate carvings and hand painted sliding screens. One of the coolest things for me were the nightingale floors: “To protect the occupants from sneak attacks and assassins, the builders constructed the floors of the corridors in such a way as to squeak like birds when anyone walks on them.” No joke, the floors sounded like you were walking on birds, very cool!
From the castle we went for a walk in the streets surrounding our hotel to get our bearings and ran into an awesome Udon place where we had dinner. You order up your noodles (hot or cold) and then get a sort of buffet of options to put on top of your noodles. I kept mine simple (raw egg, yummy to taste but yucky to see) while Sommer had some tempura vegetables and a bean patty. Throw in some cucumber salad, a piece of sushi and a beer for $15 and we were some happy campers.
We’re about to head out again, toward Gion and Pontocho, Kyoto’s nightlife district. We hope to spot some Geisha and then take a walk down the Kamo River.
