Blogs from Kyoto, Japan, Asia - page 10

Vacations, like sunsets, were designed to be temporary. A continuously lit neon sky, filled with rainbow colors from end to end, certainly creates emotions too intense for endless consumption. While no gourmand refuses a piece of rich, creamy chocolate at the end of a delicious meal, even the most dedicated sweet lover would assuredly tire of an endless diet of cocoa flavored goodness. Like a spoiled debutante complaining about not having enough closet space for her shoe collection or an overindulged teen bemoaning his sore fingers after playing video games all day, there is an obvious danger in complaining about being on endless vacation. No one really wants to hear your lament. If only we all had such troubles. However, I have to admit that as we begin our 7th year of continuous travel, we do ... read more

Breakfast at the Shin Osaka hotel is great. Had the Japanese breakfast which consist of grilled salmon, pickles, miso soup. Rice, drinks, tofu and desert are free flow. They have a small flipchart on the tables to teach you how the Japanese eat the tofu and deserts. Sorry, didn't have a picture of the breakfast as I wasn't fully awake at that time so didn't think of taking food pictures. Checked out of the hotel by 10am and head towards Kyoto. Thanks to my 2-days Kansai Area Pass, there is no additional charge needed for the train ticket. The ride to Kyoto is about 1 hr+. This pass is useful if you are travelling out of Kyoto. Since I reach the hotel early, I left my luggage at the hotel and head out to explore the ... read more

The one day we need the kids up early for a day trip, they both sleep in and have to be dragged out of bed. We are heading out to Arashiyama and hope to beat the crowds. For a city with mountains on 3 sides, Kyoto city is remarkably flat. Every bit of flat space is filled with the suburbs of Kyoto. Arashiyama is further out at the base of Mt Arashiyama. We've come to check out the bamboo forest and so have the other thousands of tourists - both Japanese and foreign. The bamboo grove is beautiful but crowded. The surronds are calming but the crowds diminish the vibe. Beyond the grove and avoiding the tourist trap of a traditional garden, we find look-outs that provide a breathtaking veiw of the Oi river and the ... read more

Precautionary back stretches backfire and I'm immobile and in spasm. Not great, but nothing a handful of nurofen zavance and a hot shower can't alleviate. It does delay us by a couple of hours, but the inclement weather isn't motivating us either. Jules is folding the washing and finds a cherry blossom petal has found its way into the basket of clothes. Both of our airbnbs have had parks/playgrounds next door and each has had a CB. For 355 days of the year these trees are bare but we are blessed to be here while they are in full bloom. By 10.30 the kids are going a bit stir crazy in the confines of our Kyoto apartment and it's time to brave the elements. Thankfully previous guests have left their umbrellas behind. We rug up and ... read more

We catch the Thunderbird Shinkansen to Kyoto today. 260 kms in just over 2 hours. These trains are awesome! We saw the sights we wanted to see and then some, yet it feels like we leave Kanazawa too soon. Jules and Deaks went for a run along the Sai River before breakfast. It runs from the snow capped Mt Okura to the Sea of Japan. It is drizzling rain today, but they proudly kept up the tradition of running in foreign lands. The veiw from our 4th story airbnb isn't as dramatic as Tokyo but has it's own appeal. The rain overnight has left the dark shingles shining and the native trees look like bonsai among the power lines and antennae. The hum of the traffic pauses, pierced by the chirp...chirp chirp of the pedestrian walk ... read more