15th - 18th Oct 2019
Armed with my Japan Rail Pass I set off from Shin-Yokohama station heading west to Kyoto on one of the Shinkansen (translates as 'new main line') trains (left) known colloquially in the west as 'Bullet Trains', and with good reason. They don't arse about, travel at up to 320km/hr and are always smack on time.
Right: The interior. It's like travelling on a rail-bound jet aircraft with similar windows (the carriages are pressurised) plus a trolley-dolly refreshment service. The conductor, smartly dressed with peaked cap and white gloves (all kinds of drivers and public functionaries wear white gloves it seems) enters the carriage gives an announcement and bows politely before checking tickets, and also on his/her way out. Extraordinary! Actually he didn't check many; not mine anyway.
Anyway, this is purely an intro to Kyoto (and Nippon in general, as its called here). I've been busy touristing and much more to report from various sites to follow, including one sad major disaster......
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| View over Kyoto from the railway station roof garden. |
Armed with my Japan Rail Pass I set off from Shin-Yokohama station heading west to Kyoto on one of the Shinkansen (translates as 'new main line') trains (left) known colloquially in the west as 'Bullet Trains', and with good reason. They don't arse about, travel at up to 320km/hr and are always smack on time.
Between Yokohama and Kyoto the train never seemed to leave a built up area, with mountains to the north. If there was something interesting to photograph it would have been hopeless to try, even though it was a silky-smooth ride, due to the speed we were travelling. It took about 2½ hours to reach Kyoto including three intermediate stops.
Left: The cavernous railway station hall at Kyoto. There were about eight floors including a rooftop garden, a 'sky-walk' and an enormous subterranean shopping 'mall'. Fortunately there are lots of escalators and lifts and at least two Tourist Information Centres. The staff manning these (predominantly ladies) are almost obsequiously polite, smartly dressed, charming and very efficient. So far there has never been any shortage of places to get good advice. Pay attention UK!
Plus many restaurants and coffee shops. Right: This one, which I used on a couple of occasions subsequently, called Pie Face, sold the most delicious variety of small pies with funny faces drawn on them (sorry, no mash Bernie. Bring your own).
As is my normal practice I only looked for accommodation on arrival. On one of the internet sites I found another APA hotel, the Kyoto Ekikita which was again v cheap (£45pn) and, as I discovered, was much smaller but up to the same high standard as the one in Yokohama. It was also within easy walking distance from the station, which I used as my 'hub'.
Left: The Kyoto Tower which provides a very useful and visible landmark when trying to negotiate the city using a rather vague tourist map. The viewing platform is at 100 metres AGL.
Another interesting discovery was the pedestrian crossing system. Controlled by red/green illuminated hands, often red for a considerable time even on the smallest crossings, it is definitely not the done thing to cross when red even if there is no traffic in the vicinity. I think the locals, being somewhat robotically trained, would think it just plain bad manners if you did. When they go green they make a very amusing 'tweet...tweet, tweet' birdy noise with an accompanying 'ping pong pong' sound.
My hotel was close to the British Pub (right) which makes a change from the ubiquitous Irish Bars. It was a very popular venue and, especially in the evening, attracted, as you might imagine, a lot of British (plus other travelling rugby supporting foreigners) even though while I was here there were no World Cup matches being played. It sold 'pints' of various ales and things like 'fish 'n chips'. Used more at lunchtime by Japanese it had a well ventillated smoking area. Smoking is not universally banned here, even some of the trains have smoking carriages. I don't smoke, but I rather approve of that for some reason. My 'anti petty rule' nature I suppose.
Left: In fact it got really packed late on with a good humoured crowd. The 'house' beer is Hub Ale. Not bad even at 900 Yen per pint (about £7).
Most of the beers around town cost this.
Goodness knows what it is like when there is a televised rugby match on. There had obviously been some fairly rowdy evenings which resulted in this sign on the front door.
I dread to think of the reaction if they dare switch off the TVs at a crucial moment!
One minor irritant in this country is that they, as per that tiresome American habit, put prices on things and then add a 10% tax and sometimes a 'service charge' on top when you come to pay. On occasions they do say 'tax included', but not often.
Another thing I had forgotten (or never knew) is that they very sensibly drive on the left here, as in Thailand (as well as many ex-British colonies of course). I can understand why ex-Brit countries do so and the underlying original reason, but I'm not sure why Japan does. I am unreliably told it is something to do with Samurai warriors and their swords. Indeed, purely out of interest, there are (only) two countries in the Americas which drive on the left; Guyana and Surinam (ex-Dutch colonies as per Indonesia). Its an interesting subject and I have done a bit of research....but enough said here.
Left: A view of the city to the north-west from the viewing platform on the Kyoto Tower. 1200 Yen to go up. I can't resist going up these things.
I visited the helpful Tourist Info Office at the railway station on a few occasions. They began to recognise me with a "Con ishy wah Matthew san" (probably through gritted teeth). One question I asked was "how did the tropical storm 'Hagibis' affect you". They said that it didn't really. There was some rain and cloudy weather but nothing special. There had been some serious flooding in an area to the north-west of Tokyo and from which the press gleaned their apocalyptic footage, but on the whole, and certainly in the south of the country, there was no problem. There was a lot of opinion from the rugby community in the pub that cancelling games last Saturday was an over-the-top reaction to over-the-top scaremongering by forecasters and the media (it sells newspapers). The previous typhoon at the beginning of September was much worse, they said.
Left: By the way, lots of locals stroll around dressed in these traditional kimonos. It's not a fancy dress parade, it is just what a fashionable girl about town chooses to wear, and I think they look very smart. Rather more so than the traditional British garb of T-shirt and baggy shorts.
Right:.......and the blokes do too!
Left: The cavernous railway station hall at Kyoto. There were about eight floors including a rooftop garden, a 'sky-walk' and an enormous subterranean shopping 'mall'. Fortunately there are lots of escalators and lifts and at least two Tourist Information Centres. The staff manning these (predominantly ladies) are almost obsequiously polite, smartly dressed, charming and very efficient. So far there has never been any shortage of places to get good advice. Pay attention UK!
As is my normal practice I only looked for accommodation on arrival. On one of the internet sites I found another APA hotel, the Kyoto Ekikita which was again v cheap (£45pn) and, as I discovered, was much smaller but up to the same high standard as the one in Yokohama. It was also within easy walking distance from the station, which I used as my 'hub'.
Left: The Kyoto Tower which provides a very useful and visible landmark when trying to negotiate the city using a rather vague tourist map. The viewing platform is at 100 metres AGL.
Another interesting discovery was the pedestrian crossing system. Controlled by red/green illuminated hands, often red for a considerable time even on the smallest crossings, it is definitely not the done thing to cross when red even if there is no traffic in the vicinity. I think the locals, being somewhat robotically trained, would think it just plain bad manners if you did. When they go green they make a very amusing 'tweet...tweet, tweet' birdy noise with an accompanying 'ping pong pong' sound.
My hotel was close to the British Pub (right) which makes a change from the ubiquitous Irish Bars. It was a very popular venue and, especially in the evening, attracted, as you might imagine, a lot of British (plus other travelling rugby supporting foreigners) even though while I was here there were no World Cup matches being played. It sold 'pints' of various ales and things like 'fish 'n chips'. Used more at lunchtime by Japanese it had a well ventillated smoking area. Smoking is not universally banned here, even some of the trains have smoking carriages. I don't smoke, but I rather approve of that for some reason. My 'anti petty rule' nature I suppose.
Left: In fact it got really packed late on with a good humoured crowd. The 'house' beer is Hub Ale. Not bad even at 900 Yen per pint (about £7).
Most of the beers around town cost this.
I dread to think of the reaction if they dare switch off the TVs at a crucial moment!
One minor irritant in this country is that they, as per that tiresome American habit, put prices on things and then add a 10% tax and sometimes a 'service charge' on top when you come to pay. On occasions they do say 'tax included', but not often.
Another thing I had forgotten (or never knew) is that they very sensibly drive on the left here, as in Thailand (as well as many ex-British colonies of course). I can understand why ex-Brit countries do so and the underlying original reason, but I'm not sure why Japan does. I am unreliably told it is something to do with Samurai warriors and their swords. Indeed, purely out of interest, there are (only) two countries in the Americas which drive on the left; Guyana and Surinam (ex-Dutch colonies as per Indonesia). Its an interesting subject and I have done a bit of research....but enough said here.
I visited the helpful Tourist Info Office at the railway station on a few occasions. They began to recognise me with a "Con ishy wah Matthew san" (probably through gritted teeth). One question I asked was "how did the tropical storm 'Hagibis' affect you". They said that it didn't really. There was some rain and cloudy weather but nothing special. There had been some serious flooding in an area to the north-west of Tokyo and from which the press gleaned their apocalyptic footage, but on the whole, and certainly in the south of the country, there was no problem. There was a lot of opinion from the rugby community in the pub that cancelling games last Saturday was an over-the-top reaction to over-the-top scaremongering by forecasters and the media (it sells newspapers). The previous typhoon at the beginning of September was much worse, they said.
Left: By the way, lots of locals stroll around dressed in these traditional kimonos. It's not a fancy dress parade, it is just what a fashionable girl about town chooses to wear, and I think they look very smart. Rather more so than the traditional British garb of T-shirt and baggy shorts.
Right:.......and the blokes do too!
Anyway, this is purely an intro to Kyoto (and Nippon in general, as its called here). I've been busy touristing and much more to report from various sites to follow, including one sad major disaster......
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