December 26th, 2007
Kyoto!
Set the alarm for 6:00 am, headed out the door at 7:00. I decided to walk to the station because I didn’t want to leave my bicycle there for three days. I have seen police there ticketing bicycles in the past, and I don’t want them thinking mine is abandoned there. That means it’ll be a long walk home when I get back.
Check-in time at the hotel was 1:00, so I wanted to arrive around noon so I could explore the train station and figure out the lay of the land before the hotel. As I said yesterday, there was one train transfer on the way here that concerned me, since it only gave me a minute. I allotted extra time, assuming I would miss it. I didn’t miss it; it was right next to where my first train stopped. That’s good, in that it got me here earlier, but bad in that now I have to carry my bags around for 2 hours before I can check in.
I arrived in Kyoto at 11:00, after passing through Kobe, Osaka, and a whole mess of little mountain towns. Actually, I did not notice any break or “country” between Kobe, Osaka, and Kyoto. From the train, they may as well all be one gigantic city. I noticed about the time we hit Kobe that the mountains were getting farther and farther away. Kyoto is out the flatlands of Japan.
The Set-up
So I had two hours to kill. The first thing I did was look for the hotel. It was easy enough, I could see the sign from the 12th floor of the train station. Yes, the 12th floor; that station is insanely large. After that, I stopped for lunch at, well, you know. They have them here too. Id have eaten anywhere that let me sit down by that point. I’m carrying a big heavy backpack on back as well as my laptop bag. This backpack was the worst investment of the trip. It must weight 20 lbs. empty. It was wheels and makes a great carry-on bag, but it just sucks at carrying things otherwise. Still, it was better than a big suitcase for only two nights.
After that short break, I went back up to the 9th floor at talked to the people in the tourist information center. The old man inside spoke English, and gave me a map. Not just a map like I had, but one with pre-filled “walks” on it. It tells which bus to take to that part of town, where to get off, and where to walk. That was so simply, I decided that the rest of the trip would be based off this information. He also told me the cheapest way to get around was to buy a two-day tourist pass for 1000Y. This pass lets me ride the bus with no limits. I don’t know if Okayama has something like that, but I am going to look when I get back. That’d be just great for exploring! He also informed me that the Imperial Palace is closed until January 4th for New Years. Argh!
After I finished with the tourist information place, I went down to the bus station and picked up two one-day passes as the old man said. No problem. I checked my watch and it was 12:30. I headed back to the hotel and checked in. The man at the counter said “Room 417, bed 1” as he handed me the key. “Bed ONE?” Huh? My eyes bugged out at that. Do NOT tell me I have signed up for some kind of double occupancy deal! One of the big pluses of this trip was to get AWAY from my roommate for a little while. Throughout the evening, I half expected some stranger to walk in the door, but none did (at least not yet). I dropped of my bags and let my back recuperate for about 20 minutes.
Kinkakoji Walk
At 1:15, I picked out the old man’s paperwork and the bus pass, and headed downstairs. I walked across the street to the train station, through that building, and on the other side of the station is where the buses stop. I waited for bus 205, and at 1:30, I was on my way to Kinkakoji Temple, one of the biggest tourist attractions in Kyoto. It’s also the farthest away, so I figured I should get it done first and see how much time I had left.
It was quite a distance away. It took over 40 minutes to get there (and 40 more coming back, obviously). The “walk” That my map described, started with Kinkakuji Temple, also know as the Golden Pavilion. It was pretty nifty. There were many other buldings and gardens there too. Then I walked down the street to Ryoanji Temple. Which has one of the most famous rock gardens in Japan. Lastly was Ninnaji Temple, which had not only one of the big five story pagodas, but a palace. I don’t think it was an Emperor’s palace, but it’s pretty darn nice.
The Night Eater
The last temple closed at 4:30, so then it was time to hop on the bus and return. By the time I got back to the station, it was after 5:15 and fully dark. I wandered around town for about two hours, looking at places to shop (it’s expensive here) and finding somewhere to eat. I finally hit the hotel again around 8:15. There’s plenty more to see, but my feet and back say they are done for the evening whether I’m ready to quit or not.
So that’s Day One of Kyoto. Now I am here, settled in, and set up in my base and ready for a long day of adventuring tomorrow. I only had time today for one of the tourist “walks” due to the distance. Tomorrow, I expect I should be able to do three or four of them. I’m not sure how Friday will go yet. It’s supposed to rain.
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