Kyoto a go go

Sorry we are not up to date with our blog. We are going to post all of Japan soon then move onto Colombia.

Flying into Japan was good fun and the flight from Bangkok felt shorter than expected. We got in a little late (a bit before 10pm) so we took a bus into central Tokyo.

Being around the Tokyo station around 11pm on a weeknight was a great experience with all the salarymen finishing work and all heading out for a drink. So many drunken business men everywhere. Not knowing where to find a feed, we followed some into Ramen St and had the most amazing ramen I have had.

After dinner we headed off to our capsule hotel which is an experience in itself. Initially I thought it would be full of tourists but no, more salarymen that were staying over in the city. When you get into a capsule hotel, they provide a locker for all your gear and provide some very stylish PJs for bed. I thought the capsule might be claustrophobic but it was actually very comfortable with surprisingly enough room for the both of us and a TV and charging point for the phone. I slept like a cadaver.

The next day we activated our JR Passes and met up with Amy - John had already headed off to the track. After wandering around for a while trying to find coffee (surprisingly hard in the CBD) we gave up and jumped on the Shinkansen to Kyoto.

In Kyoto, we stayed in an AirBNB. If you go to Japan, you really should stay in an AirBNB to get a feel for Japanese homes. Ours was a bit out of the city and in a large apartment tower. Being in a local district, not a lot of english was spoken but it is no problem - I got very good at pointing at things.

Inside the apartment was great, it was small but everything and everyroom was multi purpose making it a very functional space. Beds rolled up and went in the cupboard when not in use and no space was taken up by chairs (because there weren’t any, you sit on the floor). For Wifi they give you a portable hotspot, which is excellent since you can carry it all around town.

The first day in we hired some bikes and went touring. My favorite part of Kyoto was just riding around the neighborhood and down the back lanes. That said, we rode out to some of the local shrines and temples.

Japan has some of the most amazing food and after our day out riding we collapsed at a local pub (Izakaya) and ate some amazing Yakitori and Edamame.

The next day was supposed to be quiet, but instead we hiked up the mountain to the monkey park, checked out Fushimi Inari and the Bamboo walk. Protip at Fushimi Inari - don’t bother taking photos at the bottom (too many people) the higher you go the less people there are.

Taking a break from Kyoto we took the train down to Kobe to see what it was all about. Unfortunately we did not get steaks but we did find this big ass robot.

Taking the long way home we went into Osaka and got the overview from the observation deck in the sky building.

Then timed our way back to Dotonbori for just after dark. If you go, there is an amazing Gyoza place in Dotonbori - sorry don’t remember the name, but it’s obvious from the line out the front.

The next day was a bit of a rest for me and Jas / Amy went off to Gion for the tea ceremony.

Finishing off this leg of Japan we went back to Osaka for more Gyoza because we couldn’t resist and found a real local hangout and had some more Yakitori (although this time - intestines, cheek and the the guy whipped up some Aussie pork).