Day 7, October 1, Speeding to Kyoto
Today was a fairly simple day – activity wise. We awoke early, as has been our habit the entire trip. However, we awakened to better weather: nice and sunny, with no hint of rain. After packing our things and delivering our overnight luggage to the hotel lobby, we ate breakfast. After breakfast, Patrise suggested a walk around outside, to take in the sunshine. We did so and found ourselves walking to the waterfront of Atami. It was a nice sight to see Atami Bay, which leads to the Pacific Ocean, and the many hotels and businesses on the waterside. We walked about seven minutes, returning to the hotel with plenty of time to spare. Patrise shared the story of our walk with some of our travel companions; subsequently, several of them took the same walk and were delighted to see the waterfront as well.
Row 1: photos heading toward the water front; tsunami warning sign.
Row 2: views of the Atami waterfront and one selfie
Row 3: A civic center type builing, two views of Atami Bay
At 9am the hotel vans loaded to take us to the train station, only five minutes away. We had about 40 minutes to wait, so Patrise and I went into the station shopping area, to a Starbucks, which is about the only place we can find decaffeinated coffee (smile). We sat inside of Starbucks drinking our coffee and talking with five of the other women who were on the journey. I left the group about ten minutes before we were due to meet up with Joyce, and went to an ATM, to retrieve some more funds. Then, I went to the meeting place, and rejoined Patrise and the rest of our companions.
Row 1: Sunmi Hotel, where we stayed in Atami, two other hotels
Row 2: Scenes of Atami on way to train station
Row 3: Outside of Atami train station
Row 4: Inside of Atami train station
Joyce gave us our train tickets and instructions, and then we went into the station. We sat in the waiting room briefly, then proceeded to the train platform to await the arrival of our train. While standing on the platform, we saw several of the Shinkansen trains come speeding through the station. They were a fascinating sight: their sleek form, their pointed noses (modeled after a kingfisher’s beak), and their speed; gracious, they surely were something to see!
Our train eventually arrived. We had to board quickly, because they only allow about 1-2 minutes for loading and unloading, before taking off again. We found our seats and settled in. Patrise and I have ridden on high-speed trains before, principally in France and Spain. Still, it never gets old. I really enjoyed zipping along the rails and seeing Japan’s countryside. There are many beautiful views, and you are reminded how much of its economy is agricultural. Farmland blends into local hamlets and towns, with industrial facilities interspersed. Then you arrive at a major city like Nagoya, with all of the urbanity of any other modern city in the world.
Seven rows of various scenes on or from the Shinkansen train.
The trip to Kyoto took slightly less than two hours. We disembarked from the train and followed Joyce to our local hotel, the Ala Hotel Kyoto. We left our overnight items in the lobby, then wandered to places nearby, looking for a restaurant that serves wagyu beef burgers. We went to the one that Patrise had identified on Google, which was actually up the block and around the corner from the hotel. However, once we got through the language challenge to convey what we wanted, the waitress told us that they were out of burgers. We went to another restaurant, this one directly across the street from the hotel, where we had Korean-style barbecue, accompanied with plum wine and sparkling water. Then we went back to the first restaurant, this time to get ice cream. Patrise got chocolate and I got yogurt with lemon.
Scene from In and around the Ala Hotel Kyoto
Having dined, we returned a short distance to the hotel about 2pm. Then at 2:46pm, Joyce announced that it was time for checking in. We got our keys, retrieved our luggage – both the overnight piece and the two big pieces that has now arrived – and went to our room, room 728. I laid down and napped for a couple of hours, while Patrise laid down, but did not sleep. She would up reading quietly, while I was sleeping. After I woke up, I went downstairs to the front desk to get extra pillows and an extra blanket and learned that they had a small laundromat on the 10th floor of the hotel. Later, I bought detergent and we took our dirty clothes upstairs to begin washing them.
That is pretty much the day, today. Like I said at the beginning, not a lot of activity. Tomorrow, we will tour Kyoto for much of the day. More to share then.
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