Day 6: Fast Trains and Food

Do we have to leave?  Is exactly how we felt waking up this morning in Hakone.  Andy got up early and headed for the public onsen and I grabbed a coffee and sat on our deck and listened to the rain. After our slow wake-up we again donned our traditional robes again and made our way down to the restaurant for our breakfast.  We were given our choice of Japanese or Western and we decided with how fancy the restaurant had been this is where we would try Japanese-style and it did not disappoint.  Again we were tucked into our private dining room and received numerous courses of sushi, salad, fruit, and fresh-made edamame tofu and much more.

At 8:30 we called for bag pick-up and promptly checked out at 9AM.  Another black van "limousine" was there waiting and we drove about 20 minutes to Odawara Station where we would board one of the famous bullet trains.  Our driver unloaded our bags and we started to find our way.  As I stood before one of the entry points a gentleman approached me and started pointing and instructing me how to feed my ticket into the machine.  I realized our driver who didn't speak English well had parked and ran into guide us to our platform.  Once on the platform we had about a 25 minute wait for our train to Kyoto.  And while we waited we were treated to the absolutely jaw-dropping visual when these trains came blowing by the station.  The top trains reach 200mph, but ours today being a little older would only got about 165mph which was plenty fast for us.

We had reserved seats on the Green "First Class" car.  Our company had even booked us in the last seats in our car which meant we had storage for luggage now only above our seat, but behind.  First class means you have seats and they do provide hand wipes, but no food.  So it's always advised you purchase something in the station to bring on with you.  We however knew after a large breakfast and a food tour this evening we would skip lunch for this day.  Settled in we were off to Kyoto we would arrive in just a little over 2 hours time.

When arriving in Kyoto I saw a young man smiling broadly and jumping up and down with a sign with our names.  This would be our driver Hiro-san.  He was incredibly warm and guided us through the station and out to his waiting car.  He answered all kinds of questions in route to our hotel and provided us with a map with his do not miss recommendations for Kyoto.  Our hotel Garraya Nijo Castle is a 25 room boutique hotel overlooking the Nijo Castle.  This palace is where the shogun era would end.  As many countries started trading with Japan there grew concern that the interest would eventually lead to a takeover so the shogun saw it in the countries best interest to give the representation of the country over to the Imperial family as they are more about peace and overall country stability.  

Upon entering the lobby we were met with a large glass wall and a Zen garden of maple trees behind it with steam comig out of the ground every few minutes creating an incredible image which was reflected off of large stone tables.  We were presented a cold tea and a sweet while the staff checked us in.  We would be presented with 3 breakfast options during this time for the next morning.  To the left of the lobby is the Michelin Star restaurant where breakfast service would be.  Escorted to our room on the top floor again it was incredibly planned with sliding doors and this time a raised platform on the windows with a couch and table with a full tea service.  The over the top for this room in addition to the castle was our bed has at least 8 large pillows.

We had some time so after sitting on the train we decided to do a walk around the castle, which is nearly 2.5 km around.  The area surrounding the castle is residential so we opted for a stop just over half way at Joy's Coffee Shop, which imports its beans from Hawaii, but roasts them onsite.  Very small we would climb some stairs to a sitting area which we are pretty sure was also where the owner lived. On our walk home we would stumble upon one of the 1600 temples, Benten-do, in Kyoto right next to our hotel.  A beautiful garden, Shensensen, with a pond and koi we would walk in the rain and I would get another page for my book. After our walk we would freshen up as we were being picked up by our guide at 4:45 for a food tour.

A little different from our previous guides this one was younger an dressed in flowy pants, had sun-bleached hair, and lots of bangles like out daughter.  We would learn that she is divorced and has traveled the world as a dive master spending a lot of time in French Polynesia.  Now it seems she does this to support her travel as she heads to Korea often to see friends as well as many other places. Her name was something like Hidayo-san, but we know this is masculine so we did not get it right.  She was very energetic and excited to talk travels once she knew about us and talk diving once she learned about Ally and her studies.  We were off in our car to the Gion area of Kyoto.  Traditional buildings along a flowing river inlets filled with lanterns and lots of groups of tourists on food tours.  Our guide said she would never want to live there due to the crowds and this was low season.

We started our evening at a kappo-style restaurant called Kappo Sanzen-in no Sato. This means it is very intimate, only 7 seats, multicourse meal artfully constructed right in front of you by the chef.  This chef had been working for 23 years and his dishes were incredibly delicious as well as beautiful.  We started with the jewelry box, literally a box you opened filled with seasonal dishes decorated with edible flowers.  Having the guide along Andy was instructed on a sake he would really enjoy.  I had a plum wine with soda water.  We were not rushed and talked with our chef.  Had we not already paid in our trip the meal would have cost us probably around $100 per person with drinks. Reservations are required.

Next we walked on foot through the streets to an obanzai-style (known as Kyoto-home style cooking) restaurant.  As our guide said thinking about it as going to Grandma's house with all your favorite dishes laid out.  Literally in front of us were pot all lining the counter and we picked 6 items and were provided rice.  Cost $12USD.  Andy would switch up to a beer and I would try another wine and soda water.  We sampled everything from squid to chicken to pickled items. We honestly went with what the chef and our guide said were their favorites or most popular.  This place had some locals at one end and we were joined by a couple of foreigners by the end of our meal.  Around for 37 years the name of this one is Tokiyo and again you should book a reservation. 

After dinner we wondered out onto one of the busier streets and our guide insisted we pick up some sweets for later and one for now. Our first stop was at Ritsumi, a traditional sweets shop. Here we purchased several items at the suggestion of our guide.  She would show us the expiration date and these would be our laters.  Next we stopped at a fish-shaped taiyaki place.  Similar to the fresh cooked filled waffles at the shrine in Tokyo these were much larger and you had a choice of bean paste, sweet potato, or custard filling.  We went for sweet potato, but our guide gave us a taste of her custard.  Both were delicious. This particular shop can have a line and is called Naruto Taiyaki Honpo.  Now stuffed we settled into a cab for the ride back to our hotel.  Tomorrow we have castles, shrines, and temples on tap for an 8-hour tour, so rest was in order.