The SatNav was a touch awry about the hotel in Kyoto so Sheila asked a cleaning lady on the street who directed us. We stopped at what seems to be a promising building but when Sheila asked the doorman he crossed his arms in denial. Fortunately Sheila sought further guidance at reception which confirmed that this was indeed our hotel.
We had chosen this hotel partly on the promise of parking space, but this proved a touch trickier - and fair bit noisier - than expected. The doorman and the garageman both decided to assist my parking in the cramped underground car park by shouting loudly in Japanese and waving their arms in an unhelpful manner.
The hotel was well-located - opposite the Royal Palace - and the room was as expected, i.e. very compact but with - luxury - a double bed you could walk around and a shower. Sheila set to and quickly got two weeks worth of undies soaking in the bath (we sent the T-shirts, jumpers and shorts to the hotel laundry the following morning).
We then went out for lunch - a cheap and cheerful place down the road which did a bowl consisting of rice, meat and veg (me), and rice & meat (Sheila) for less than ¥1,000 in total. We then found a cake shop that did little tubs of profiteroles (delicious), a Lawson Station for beer, wine and crisps, and back to the hotel for the Japanese Grand Prix which Gilroy had to watch on FilmOn on the iPad because it strangely enough it wasn’t on live TV here.
We had chosen this hotel partly on the promise of parking space, but this proved a touch trickier - and fair bit noisier - than expected. The doorman and the garageman both decided to assist my parking in the cramped underground car park by shouting loudly in Japanese and waving their arms in an unhelpful manner.
The hotel was well-located - opposite the Royal Palace - and the room was as expected, i.e. very compact but with - luxury - a double bed you could walk around and a shower. Sheila set to and quickly got two weeks worth of undies soaking in the bath (we sent the T-shirts, jumpers and shorts to the hotel laundry the following morning).
We then went out for lunch - a cheap and cheerful place down the road which did a bowl consisting of rice, meat and veg (me), and rice & meat (Sheila) for less than ¥1,000 in total. We then found a cake shop that did little tubs of profiteroles (delicious), a Lawson Station for beer, wine and crisps, and back to the hotel for the Japanese Grand Prix which Gilroy had to watch on FilmOn on the iPad because it strangely enough it wasn’t on live TV here.
Japanese breakfast in Kyoto
Breakfast was not included in the night rate but for 1100 yen (about £7) you had a choice of either western or Japanese breakfast, Sheila opted for the latter and I had bacon and eggs for the first time in what seems like ages. After our very nice breakfast on we went round the Royal Palace. Good timing for the 10am tour and all in English (we think this was the only non-Japanese language on offer - our group consisted of more than 50 Chinese, Europeans, Malaysians, Americans and other assorted foreigners). We were led by our guide and followed up by a policeman, presumably to ensure that nobody strayed. We didn’t go into any of the buildings, just gawped from the outside.
The guide books indicate that you need to book these tours well ahead and so it was perhaps an indication that we were there at the end of the season as we did not need to do that .
The guide books indicate that you need to book these tours well ahead and so it was perhaps an indication that we were there at the end of the season as we did not need to do that .
There were a lot of buildings in the Palace complex, and some very fine gates (your status determined which gate you came in, and which waiting room you used). The roofs on some of the buildings were interesting - thick layers of cypress bark which provided a water-proof and insect-proof topping. But pretty as the buildings were, the gardens were better.
The tour was brief - just an hour - but free and then we went walkabout in the neighbourhood until lunch called. It can be difficult to recognise some of these tiny traditional restaurants and establish whether or not they are open but by this stage we had got our eye in. We struck lucky in the restaurant shown below Gilroy had grilled chicken and Sheila had the tempura, both with the usual myriad accompaniments. As almost always in Japan it was pretty, tasty and not expensive - less than ¥2000 (£12) for the pair of us. And entertaining too - the chef prepares the food pretty much in front of you because there isn’t much room in there.
While walking round Kyoto we have become aware of possibly the only dangerous thing in this country - the cyclists who share the footpath with you. The ones coming towards you are OK because you can see them looming up, but the ones coming from behind can be a menace because few have bells, and even fewer seem to use them, so the first indication is when they sweep by about three inches from you. The old biddies are OK because they are going slowly, but the youngsters are often going at a decent pace and could cause serious damage if you suddenly step sideways to point out an interesting sight.
On our second day we walked down to the Gion area of Kyoto which is famous for Kibuki Theatre and Geisha girls. We only saw one proper Geisha, but many faux Geishas who had hired the gear for a day to walk around and take photos of each other. There was an excellent Shrine complex, and several streets of very fine old buildings.
The ones with the red lantern outside are Geisha houses. We stopped at a tiny restaurant for yet another delicious meal at ¥3000 (£18) all in, which, considering we were in one of the top tourist spots in the country was pretty reasonable.
We also saw a small army of ladies planting flowers in the street gardens, and admired the warning to litterbugs.
We also saw a small army of ladies planting flowers in the street gardens, and admired the warning to litterbugs.
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Japan Introduction
Our vehicle
Overnight stops
Food
Tokyo
Izu Peninsula
Central Honshū
Western Honshū
Temples & shrines
Japan Introduction
Our vehicle
Overnight stops
Food
Tokyo
Izu Peninsula
Central Honshū
Western Honshū
Temples & shrines
