By the numbers
21,181 steps
16.56 kms
Level of Chaos: Hell is Elevators that don’t stop on your floor
Hamburg steak
I was ready to go when I got up and I wanted to get sorted properly after having a coffee and breakfast. I decided since I needed to get a kids ticket as I needed one for the extra train seat, although I don’t know if they even check anyone actually does buy one. The trip I was making today was on a tourist sightseeing train known as Aoniyoshi. It takes you from Osaka to Kyoto via Nara. I had already gone downstairs and came back. The problem started when I had my bags and the elevators decided they wanted me to have a long wait. One opened and I couldn’t fit with my bags, I let that go. Another opened and it was two cleaners with their equipment so no room. Another couple of minutes go by and finally I get one. On checking out I got money back as well on my stay. Around $20 Australian, but it was better than nothing.
I had only been at the train station for a couple of minutes when the train rolled in. I was able to find my seat quickly and put my main bag on the baggage rack so that I would not have to worry about it. I have seen plenty of people pushing the wheeled bags around and they do look awkward. I had my invisible child in the seat and the announcement told us once the train gets to Nara it will change direction. I was on a train where I didn’t have to worry or transferring at all. I got to see the landscape change with rice paddies and even some of the ruins I think I missed the day before as we went past several stations I had been near the day before. It was only an hour and half trip to Kyoto, but another step of the journey was completed.
Walking out of the train platform and into the station proved to be very interesting and I soon found I was walking in the wrong direction once I decided to check the maps. Being a weekend the station was extremely busy and I had to dodge people, which wasn’t hard as they do the same too. I knew the station was big in Kyoto, but I wasn’t expecting how huge it was. I will have to explore the station a bit more to see what I can find. I soon found my way to where I was staying and told them I would be back to check in. What I had planned was to visit the Kyoto railway museum. I found the train I wanted pretty quickly and it would only take me one stop away, which was around a 20 min walk between stations. On the surface there wasn’t much information in English about the displays, but there are links to further information in English through QR codes and even audio. I had to keep closing tabs as I had a few open. Obviously the story of Japan trains started in England with their first trains, then they had to hire overseas help to build their lines until the Japanese had experience to doing it on their own. They had their own issues much like other countries had issues with trains and also natures fury too. There was quite a lot involved in Japan’s history of railways. I had lunch at the station and even used my IC card to pay for it, although I probably shouldn’t as I want to just use it for transport. On the top floor of the museum was an outside area where people were train spotting and I did a little especially when the Shinkansen pulled into the station.
Once it was nearly time to check into the hotel, I had missed the train that was earlier, but had around a 20 min wait so I walked back, but it was pretty muggy. I couldn’t believe how long it took me to walk past Kyoto station as it seemed like it went on forever. The process to get a room was pretty easy and the guy explained everything and then said check in is now complete. I think they are taught to say stuff like that. Japan is the first place I had to scan my passport at. Its like an airport, but for accommodation, no idea if that happens everywhere else. I was going to do some washing, but my head decided that I felt like a headache, so I had a lie down and an hour or so later I realised I had been sleeping.
It was getting dark so I decided to take a train to one of the Shrines. Along the way I picked up some train tickets that I would need when I visit the dinosaur museum, I wouldn’t get the tickets on the day as I would not want to be rushing during a time when the station would be very busy. I went to see the shrine with all the Tori gates known as Fushimi Inari Taisha. The shrine is around 1,300 year old and I thought it would be well lite at night, although I didn’t go wandering too far up the slop as I didn’t want to trip over something. The rules say not to sit on the stairs and some people were, I watched as someone told them to move and they did. No one reads signs it seems. I would come back during the day, but being muggy it might not be much fun or it would be very crowded. I made my way back to my room with a late dinner.
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