Blogs from Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan, Asia - page 15

We were very excited about the next part of our trip, the historical Kyoto (again with a HUGE list of things and places we wanted to see!) and most importantly, our first experience of the Shinkansen (bullet train)! We had to catch our train from Tokyo station, we arrived early so we had time to grab some breakfast and stop off at a Circle K to spend the last little bit on our Suica cards on lunch for the train. We then had a hell of a job cashing in our Suica for the ¥500 (£2.87) deposit – we have put a note on this at the end of the blog! Shinkansen…faster than a speeding bullet? It was probably entirely obvious to everyone on the platform that this was our first Shinkansen journey…we were like kids ... read more

One palace covered, one palace not covered In the end of this trip in Japan we went to Kyoto. Kyoto was for more than a thousand years the capital city of Japan and still today there are thousands of historically important sites in and around the city. Before we came to Kyoto we thought the entire city would resemble a museum. Instead we came to a city that wasn't much different from any other city in Japan. Well, at least it wasn't very different from the three other cities we visited on this trip, Tokyo, Hiroshima and Himeji. Even though Kyoto at first glance might look like just another Japanese city there are plenty of important historical sites within the city limits. There are over 2,000 temples and shrines, there are palaces and many museums. Seeing ... read more

Monday, March 17th The Kyoto Marathon There’s just so much to do in Kyoto, I wanted to make one more trip and sweep up everything I missed. I planned a loop around the city, stopping at all the major sites I missed as well as some of the minor ones. I left Kure around six-something in the morning, scheduled to arrive at Kyoto around 9:00. On the shinkansen over, I studied Japanese using some of the books that the JET program gave Ellen. I got so in to it that my stop came soon so I packed my things and got off the train. Once off, I realized that I forgot something important – the hat that Auntie Leslie made me! That hat has been the official hat of this trip. I’ve worn it ... read more

Back in January 1996...that's a long time ago... I was in the middle of my last year at University. Preparing to graduate in Economics and writing my last paper on the ODA and FDI relationships between Japan and ASEAN. I had never been before to Asia, I was just 22 years old, I had studied Japanese, 2 hours per week at University for 2 years....and I was convinced that over the next few years, I would be living in Japan...or Asia. That I knew... First few years at University, I was a student leader convinced of a bright future in the political spheres...than made a switch...and became a pretty rewarded golf teacher for Club Med...all over sunny places...while being a full time student. Than came January 1996. I was doing my last few months at University...going ... read more

Grosse journée hier! Beaucoup de marche.. mes pieds sont en compotes! Aujourd'hui je vais utiliser davantage le métro sinon je ne serai plus capable de bouger pour les prochains jours. Mais j'ai vue de super beaux endroits. Je serais bien rester toute la journée à regarder le Pavillon d'Or mais je devais me bouger les fesses pour voir d'autres places. En plus puisque c'était samedi il y avait beaucoup de gens. Il y en avait beaucoup aussi à Arashiyama, une destination pas mal touristique. Le seul point négatif.. pas une miette de vent dans la forêt de bambou.. ça aurait donné un autre genre d'ambiance. Je suis aussi passé par le château Nijojo dans le centre de Kyoto mais c'était un peu ordinaire. De retour, une petite pause bière et ce gâteau vert.. Kyo-Mackiya. Très bon.. ... read more