Blogs from Kyoto, Japan, Asia - page 73

Hey to everyone! Firstly I'd like to say thanks to the guys that posted the comments; keep 'em coming, they're a great to read in a country where practically no-one speaks you language, yet alone knows you name! This is my Kyoto update, and it's actually a bit of a cheat because I am currently sitting in a delightful backpacker hostel in Hanoi that is quite reminiscent of Byker Grove (mainly for the shreikingly loud colours - and that's not an entirely bad thing). Really it's very nice - probably the best hostel available in Hanoi, yet still dirt cheap, and with breakfast thrown in for only around $5 a night. Certainly it beats Japan on the value scale, which was hideously expensive but totally worthwhile as I had so much fun. Back to Kyoto - ... read more

We went to Kyoto and were staying at a Ryokan - a traditional Japanese guesthouse - called Heianbo. We were a bit freaked out that it might be a bit too traditional (squat toilet, small uncomfortable futon etc) but it turned out to be really nice. We found Kyoto a bit weird though - the public transport system revolved around buses and the places that we wanted to visit were quite far away. Also, when we tried to walk places we got lost in the massive railway station or the small little crooked streets etc. We did visit Toji Temple with the highest pagoda in Japan, and Gion, the Geisha district, but did not manage to spot a geisha. We had a day trip out to Nara which was really nice. It has a lot of ... read more

This weekend was a public holiday, so we joined thousands of Japanese on a weekend break in Kyoto. Unfortunately we couldn't find anywhere to stay but it was close enough for us to nip back and forth between Osaka and Kyoto over two days. It was good to get a feel of less developed Japan as we headed out to the outskirts of Kyoto...we even managed to see some Geisha...another tick on the list! ... read more

Travelling North. Matsushima, Natural beauty in abundance. A truly wonderous place - never the less it is similar to many coastal areas dotted with islands. A beauty that would captivate all. Never assume anything. I had wrongly assumed that since Matsushima is one of Japan's three most beautiful locations that it would be natural beauty uninterrupted (something I was craving after the endless artificial commercial madness of Tokyo). Matsushima is a working port - despoiled by man. The tourist boat I caught around the islands ran at maximum revolutions the whole journey, pumping diesel fumes and noise pollution the entire time, that was OK because all the channel markers, commercial fishing leases, cargo ships and the geo thermal power stations took my focus off the boat I was on. The tour itself provided insight into Japanese ... read more

I arrived in Kyoto yesterday having spent my fourth, and last, night in Tokyo at the Asakusa Riverside Capsule Hotel. It was cheap, friendly and comfortable enough once the mild sense of claustrophobia had dissipated. I would recommend it to anybody who doesn't mind sharing their personal space. The "Hikari" left Tokyo at precisely 12.06 p.m. and arrived at Kyoto's extremely impressive new station at exactly 14.43 having devoured several hundred miles between the two. The time went quicky thanks to: an excellent "Bento" box (packed lunch of suchi etc), the smoothness of the "Shinkansen" which dampened the sense of speed and the fact that Tokyo, Nagoya and Kyoto seem to form part of a single, unbroken conurbation extruded between the mountains and the sea. My first impression of Kyoto was of another typically crowded city ... read more