Tokyo to Kyoto on the Bullet Train

I did a few hours work, then it was time to get moving, and leave Tokyo.

I headed through the market to pick up some supplies. A little bit of homemade onigiri for lunch.

One last Turret Coffee.

Time to head to Tokyo train station.

Finding the bullet train was not as easy as I thought. It turns out, there are quite a few bullet trains to choose from.

I bought the ticket from the machine for $AUD194.50 one way from Tokyo to Kyoto. It’s more expensive that flying, but apparently an experience to be tried.

The train seems to go every 20 minutes or so. It does look a bit like a plane.

The seats didn’t look especially comfortable.

The train left right on time.

The trip was going to be 2.5 hours, so I kept working.

Soon we were arriving in Kyoto.

It was pretty cool, going 320 km/h in a train, but it’s not such a VIP experience that I would rush to do it again.

It was easy at Kyoto Train Station to find the exit to the taxis. I knew the hotel was relatively close to the station, but it was over 40 degrees celsius , so it was a bit too hot to walk.

There is normally not an advantage for “foreign tourists” at taxi ranks, so I took advantage, and queued for the English-speaking driver.

The driver, not surprisingly, did not know how to reach the hotel, which was 6 minutes drive away. He had to hold my phone to see the directions. Very odd, considering he had a sat nav.

Keio Prelia Hotel Kyoto

This was the first hotel with an electronic sign in block.

The room was small, but sufficient.

Time to go for a walk.

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting in Kyoto. I knew it was previously the capital of Japan, and it had a lot of historical sites. I was keen to have the “local” experience.