(Continued from Journal 2011: Day 6, The Day of Nothing)

Our last morning in Tokyo.  We decided last night that we’d take an alternate route to find breakfast this morning, so we headed south, underneath the expressway to (wait for it) Denny’s.  Yes, that bastion of grand slams, cops n coffee, and truckers back home exists here.  And you know what?  It was actually pretty good.  Of course I was the only one who opted for the Japanese-style breakfast while the rest (hmph) chose french toast and eggs and crap (/sarcasm.)  Grilled salmon, rice, and thankfully the kind waitress let me substitute a tofu salad for the natto that was in the picture on the menu.  (“Natto desuka?” “Hai.” “*laughing* N!  Natto wa tabetakunai!” “*she laughed knowingly*”)

That accomplished, there was nothing left to do but go back “home”, take in the view one last time, make sure we got everything, check that everything was switched off, and with a certain amount of dread in our hearts, head back to the train station.  We would have to take the Yamanote again, this time to Shinagawa.  And we had the smaller bags in tow.  We let that big steel door clang shut one last time and headed back up the hill to Shibuya station.

Thankfully, the schedule was approaching normality, and it wasn’t nearly as packed as it was two days ago.  It was still busy, but man, we let out a big sigh when we got on that train and could actually breathe.

At Shinagawa, we found the Shinkansen platform and camped out there with the rest of the crowd until the train arrived.  We took turns going upstairs to pick up some munchies for the ride, and I grabbed a tonkatsu bento, some green tea kitkats and a Kirin. Got to love a country where you can grab a beer to take on the train.

Now, from everything I’d read and researched prior, for a weekday, in the middle of the day, it seemed really crowded.  There were a lot of moms with small children donning masks, all toting smaller luggage.  When the train arrived and we got on, it was clear that we weren’t the only ones leaving town.  The thing was packed.  I guess there was at least some truth to the stories that people were “fleeing” Tokyo in a panicked horde!!  Well, maybe not a panicked horde, and maybe the masks were for the usual allergy symptoms this time of year, but it was a departure from what I’d consider the norm.

We were on one of the Hikari railstar trains.  Think a 5-across airplane, only with wider seats and (much) more legroom, and you’d be right on the money.  The train doesn’t stop for very long, so when it pulls up at the platform, you’d better have your s–t in order.  Get on, stow your gear on the rack above (or in front of you) and sit down, because in a couple of minutes you’re moving again.

When that train quietly pulled away we all took a big sigh.  It was time to start over, as it were.  Try and forget that we’d just been (at least in a small way) part of a historic disaster, if we could.  It didn’t take long to realize that we were going fast (MAMA I’M GOING FAST!), really fast.  About 150mph fast.  Not bad.

I was surprised though at the number and length of the tunnels that we passed through.  I suppose I should have expected it, given the terrain we were traversing.  We’d go through deep valleys with tiny towns splashed on the hillside (how you could get a car around in some of them I’ll never know) into a tunnel, and repeat.

When we emerged from one somewhere in the middle of Kanagawa, though, there was Mt. Fuji in its snow covered glory.  The closest I’d ever been (previously was at Hakone) and it was a clear day.  Taking pictures of anything moving at 150mph is a tricky proposition.  For every one photo I kept I probably deleted two because a pole or building popped up in the way, blurring things unrecognizably.

When we got closer to Kyoto, it had started to rain, and the clouds were balling up over the tops of the mountains.  More rain, and then suddenly.  We were at Kyoto station.

This is probably not the last time I will say this, but Kyoto station is a massive, massive complex.  I perceived it to be bigger, at least physically, than any station I’d seen in Tokyo, including Tokyo station and even Shinjuku.  It also has a decidely different feel to the place than any station in Tokyo, which, at least to me, all have a similar aura to them. I have better pics of Kyoto Station for a later post.

The worst part, was that the line we wanted to get to (the Sagano) wasn’t really clearly marked.  So we wound up having to ask if we were heading in the right direction.  Yeah, we were.  Walk walk walk.  I’d even put Kyoto station up against some airports I’ve been in.

Then we got to the platform we wanted.  Again, full of people! No! Fortunately the Sagano terminates at Kyoto, so the train empties, and you’re able to jump right on and grab a seat.  UNfortunately, it was right about rush hour, and everyone else was heading out of town back to their homes.  Ah well.

I will say that having the rail pass here (and for the remainder of the trip) was a big help.  The alternative was to purchase the Kansai Surutto card or some other equivalent, or get separate tickets every single day.  All you have to do with your rail pass is show them to a person at the ticket gate and on you go.

When we finally arrived at Saga Arashiyama station it was nearing dark, and still slightly raining.  So we hightailed it to our home-away-from-home here in Kyoto, found it, and got acquainted with the place.

The Arashiyama Hanare is where we called home for this leg.  It’s basically a 3-room (5 if you count the toilet and bath area) home behind the owner’s main home.  Shoji doors, Tatami floors in two rooms, and the kitchen is a very old school stone floor, with an equally stone sink.  In typical anachronistic Japanese fashion, though, also outfitted with one of those new magnetic conduction cooktops and a microwave.  If you’re a party of 3 people (or 2 with 2 small kids) definitely look into booking this one.  If it has a fault its that its almost too quiet, you’re afraid to make too much noise and disturb the neighbors.  I’ll see about doing a separate post on the place, with photos….

The grocery store down the street and around the corner was our next stop, since we had to eat.  This place was great, lots of pre-made sushi and other awesome foods, along with the usual grocery fare, and a big carton of sake (which I never finished!)  I wish I’d taken photos but I didn’t want to, you know, be that guy.  When in Rome and all.

Then it was time to peruse the maps, and figure out what we would do tomorrow.  Oh, tomorrow.

Oh, and it got plenty cold!  Paper and wood do not insulate very well!  Just so you know!  Not that I was complaining, nestled up in my futon on that tatami….

Next: First Day in Kyoto! Tenryuji, Sagano, and SNOW!

No related posts.