Japan Travel Page

 

February, 2007

Most people living in Japan are on winter vacation during the year-end/New year’s period. I was no exception this past New Year’s. Some friends of mine planned a trip to Kyoto and I was invited along, but didn’t commit before they booked a room in a ryokan (Japanese-style inn) so, left without a place to crash in the old capital, I planned on just staying in Tokyo. Well, on December 29th I bought myself a new digital camera as a late Christmas gift to myself, and decided from there to put it to good use over the winter break. I was interested in traveling around the Kanto area and taking pics of places of historical and cultural significance. That’s about the time I started to lament not committing to a room at a ryokan in Kyoto with my friends. But then I thought “what the hell,” I’ll just hop on a Nozomi Shinkansen train (bullet train) bound for Kyoto the next morning. Just to be spontaneous about the whole thing was a little thrilling. I had no hotel room reservation and no train seat reservation during one of the busiest travel periods of the year but, hey, why should I have let that discourage me?

Well, the next day I got up very early and took a local train to Shinagawa station, which has the nearest shinkansen station to my house. I proceeded right to the shinkansen ticket window and was promptly told that tickets were all sold out. Thinking that my little adventure was over before it started, I started to walk away from the window. But, just then the window clerk called me back and informed me that a seat had just become available. “I’ll take it,” I said and snatched up my first piece of luck of the day.

The Nozomi (のぞみ)Shinkansen

Let me just say that the Nozomi Shinkansen ride is the smoothest, fastest ride I’ve ever been on, train or otherwise. It sped me along from Tokyo to Kyoto in just over 2 hours. Along the way, I saw an amazingly beautiful view of Mt. Fuji, which the train passed right in front of. Unfortunately, I was a little slow in making my way to a good vantage point from which I could snap a picture and the mountain was soon left behind, unable to be seen from my location on the train.

I arrived in Kyoto around 11am and searched around, on foot, for a hotel with a room available for 3 nights, including New Year’s Eve. I went from dump to dump looking for anything available only to be told at several places to forget it and check out Osaka (30 mins away by train) instead. On my way back to Kyoto Station to do just that, I stopped in at a small hotel only a 2 min walk from the station. Well, I found my second big piece of luck for the day; a nice, cheap room (￥6100 per night) available for 3 nights. I quickly snatched up that piece of luck as well. I met my friends later in the evening and we had a very cool weekend. Check out the photos below.

Kinkakuji Golden Pavillion - taken at sunset

                 

           

      Nijo Castle at twilight

    

  Old Imperial Palace

    

Kiyomizu-dera      

     

   Ginkakuji Pavillion