Today we are off to Kyoto. Our train was scheduled for a 10:07 departure. Hiro (our guide from yesterday) alerted us that it might be early or late by 15 seconds. You don’t mess around with the Japanese when it comes to their trains. Hiro warned us to be sure not to board the 10:02 train by mistake and be ready to board at 10:07 otherwise we might be staying another day in Hakone.
It’s with much regret that we leave the Ten-Yu hotel and bid farewell to their Onsen, their foot baths, but most of all their breakfast.
Arrival at the train station was uneventful. We headed to the Starbucks for a place to sit and some air conditioning. I then pulled out the station map that Hiro drew for us. See below.
We found our boarding area and were overwhelmed by the speed of the trains whipping by. Since we were early we decided to wait in the air conditioned waiting room below the tracks. Everytime a train would zoom by without stopping the entire building would shake. Our train arrived on time as predicted and boarding was not a problem. The seats were very comfortable (see below)
Shortly after the train left Hakone we were offered treats for purchase.
The trip took about 2 hours and was very smooth. We had three stops prior to reaching Kyoto. It was easy to follow our course because Hiro made a train schedule for us. See below.
We learned yesterday that Kyoto served as the capital of Japan for over a thousand years and is known for its temples, shrines, and beautiful gardens. Sounds like some long walks, a lot of standing, and a lot back pain are in my future.
According to Hiro, and further explained to me by my friend Fred, the Japanese use a series of about 2,000 characters in their written language. These characters are called Kanji. In Kanji “To” means eastern and “Kyo” refers to the previous capital of Kyoto. So when the capital was moved to the eastern city of Edo it was renamed Tokyo. Kyoto is a UNESCO world heritage site and apparently is famous for many things including its tea ceremonies.
We again arrived too early to check into the hotel but we had a tea ceremony scheduled to take up the time. This was a quaint activity where we were instructed in the history and significance of making and drinking tea. The people were nice but I wasn’t all that interested in the activity.
After our tea lesson we returned to the hotel. Unfortunately there was a long line to check in but we finally got that accomplished and made it to our room. This looks like another wonderful place for us to rest. I haven’t checked everything out yet so please let me fill you in on the details later. One thing is evident and very much appreciated is that we again have a toilet that salutes you upon arrival. I will spare you a video this time.
Tonight we have dinner plans with a friend of one of Patrice’s biking chums. More about that tomorrow.
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