Wednesday 25th March
Fukuoka to Kyoto
Today it is raining - hard!
After checking out of the Crowne Plaza we get a taxi to the station - a journey that takes no longer than 10 minutes to walk takes almost as long in a taxi, but at least it's dry. The last 5 feet were soaking though; I felt very sorry for the taxi driver, smartly dressed in white shirt and black trousers, who gallantly got our suitcases out of the boot of the taxi.
Jo can occasionally get the wrong end of the stick when interpreting signs and symbols. This sign in the station for the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) allowed a little too much scope for her imagination!
We had rehearsed the route to the Shinkansen ticket gate so knew where we were going, but were still unsure of the exact procedure for getting through the ticket gate. No need to worry, it was just like the ticket gates on the London Underground, but this did not prevent a determined attempt by Jo not to retrieve her ticket. Some shouting (considered very rude by the Japanese) got the message through.
When I was investigating the holiday I had become aware that large suitcases could prove a problem on Shinkansen. If one had 'oversized' luggage one could be subject to an instant fine. After the initial booking of the holiday I mentioned this to Trailfinders, who then re-arranged our train tickets so we were booked in 'Green Car' (first class), in seats with reserved luggage space. In hindsight that was a lucky bit of research. It would also transpire that Trailfinders had always reserved seats at the end of the carriage for us, as these always came with reserved luggage space.
The train journey was fast and comfortable, giving not much more than a glimpse of the countryside, but interesting nonetheless. The terrain was a bit of a mixture, some of it a little like north Wales and some flatter, with paddy fields. We left Fukuoka at 10:15 arriving in Kyoto at 12:59 - some 600kms in under 3 hours.
Kyoto station, like all Japanese stations is something of a maze, not helped by there usually being several levels. Our instructions were that there was a shuttle bus to the hotel leaving from the Hachijo Exit. Luckily we found the correct exit and the place where hotel shuttle buses dropped and collected. The first bus we saw looked right, but turned out not to be the one for us. Fortunately we didn't have to wait too long for the one to our hotel. I think we were the only people on the bus.
The hotel, Hotel Higashiyama seems a step up from the Crowne Plaza in Fukuoka, and is very nice, although the room is still relatively cramped - but well appointed. I was delighted to see that the room has a book on the bedside table - Accidentally Wes Anderson - this was the book I was given by Sue last Christmas! I thought the person showing us to our room spoke good English; it turned out he was a Mexican/American. We would meet him again later in the restaurant.
I think we must have concocted lunch in our room from the remains of our food tour yesterday - I seem to remember eating the delightful sponge cake about this time.
Jo was keen to visit Kyoto Botanical Garden, so we took the opportunity of a 'free' afternoon to see it. Google Maps plus Suica Mobile swing into action again and after some subway navigation we arrive at the Botanic Gardens. We have arrived too late to visit the greenhouses (one of the largest in Japan!), but are just happy to wander round. It was raining when we arrived, but slowly it reduced to not much more than drizzle. There is some cherry blossom! And again a number of keen Japanese (mainly girls) taking photographs of themselves under the blossom. As an aside I just looked up the Garden's website and see that the cherry blossom 'officially' started on March 24th in 2026 - so we are here at the start!
We return to the hotel and have a short rest before dinner, which we take in the hotel restaurant. I chose a 'set' menu that is normally 12,000 yen, but for guests is 10,000 yen. It comprises:
- Chef Selection of Hors d'oeuvres (Herb-flavoured firefly squid fritters with balsamic sauce fragrant with Japanese pepper)
- Seasonal Potage (Fresh fish poele in the Yuan style, braised spring cabbage and clam chowder)
- Grilled Omi beef loin with wasabi flavour
- Freshly baked bread and butter
- Chef's recommended dessert (a delicious creme brulee)
- Coffee
The beef was unbeatable. The one thing that confused me was the 'Freshly baked bread and butter' I couldn't believe they would serve bread and butter pudding - and I was right! This was just bread, and was served with the Potage, not after the beef.
Jo had something completely different. Again it was a 'special' menu for guests. it was an 'Assorted Amuse Box & Bouillabaise in a Paper Pot'. The Bouillabaise in a Paper Pot was rather alarming. It was literally a paper pot over a kind of fondue burner. I thought the whole lot was about to set fire to the restaurant when the waiter probably had the same thought and put it out. Jo reported that the assorted amuse were tasty and quite acceptable!
The end of another day in Japan...