Friday April 18, on to Kyoto.
Another early start. Decided to forgo breakfast in favour of a timely arrival at the station for our train to Osaka. The first step was the free ferry across the harbour from the hotel into downtown Nachisan. The ferry was decorated to look like a duck wearing a hat and I’m only sorry I didn’t take a photo.*
From there it was a short walk to the train station. Luckily we found a Japanese American tourist who had persuaded the train station official into helping her navigate the complicated ticket vending machine, and she bullied him into helping us too. Then it was hot coffee from another vending machine and a sandwich from a nearby hostel before boarding our train.
It was a very boring four hour ride, I’m starting to question my view of train travel as being a romantic means of transport. My cold is worse today, feeling mild malaise and developing a cough, so maybe I was just not in the right mood to enjoy it. I finally finished a novel I have deeply resented being tricked into reading for the last week, and started an ever reliable Agatha Christie novel.
At Osaka station we hired an Uber to take us the rest of the way to our hotel into Kyoto. With our big suitcases, there really wasn’t a simpler way to do it on public transport.
The hotel is a posh little place , typical of those organised by David, but it’s very handy to the picturesque old area of town. I had a quiet afternoon of repose whilst the others went off for a late lunch.
From 5 to 6 each evening the hotel has a happy hour of free sake tasting. I’ve never liked sake, but the one they gave us today was lovely, tasting fresh and almost fruity, and was apparently only 8% alcohol. Simon had tried to have a shower before happy hour but unfortunately our hot water wasn’t working. The hotel staff managed to fix it but it’s not a good look at the price I think we’re paying. Maybe there’s a freebie of some sort coming our way?
Ate far too much at the restaurant we went to for dinner but the set menu allowed you to try lots of different foods so I don’t regret it. (Apart from maybe the small cephalopod which I’d much rather was still swimming free in the ocean.) We walked to a popular bar after dinner called The Bee’s Knees but there was a queue to get in so Simon and I bailed and came back to the hotel. Not as young as we used to be, sadly, also I’m not at 100%.
*OK I weakened and googled it, and now I’m wondering if it’s actually a turtle?
ps They don’t celebrate Easter in Japan. Shinto and Buddhism, remember?