Kyoto or BUST!... Day 0

20th October, 2006 - Well at long last we're here (ok - strictly speaking this is the second time in the Kansai district after having stayed a night at KIX airport). We took the domestic flight from New Chitose Airport to KIX and then the train in to Kyoto.

It was early in the year to expect to see much in the way of Autumn Colours here in Kansai, but that had one major advantage. Less people.

Actually, it had been a long time since T-chan and I had done any serious touring around Japan... 3.5 years in fact. So this was going to be exciting... pregnant or not.

It doesn't take long for us to find reminders of Hokkaido... even the food looks like Hokkaido!

The train ride into Kyoto from KIX seems to take for ever (over 30 mins) and it's not cheap. There's other options, but given our final destination was Kyoto Station, it seemed the easiest way to get into the city. Also, it gave us an opportunity to take stock of what and how we were going to do.

The train pulled in to the station. Ah... A busy train station. It's been a long time.

We had arrived. Kyoto. Ojamashimasu!

We had booked a short-term apartment...also known as a weekly mansion... and that meant that T-chan had to run off to the business office to get the apartment key (no reception desk here!). In the meantime, I sat down on our suitcases and waiting until T-chan came back. It was getting late; however I had the thoughts of all my research and planning going through my head to keep me company.

Kyoto Tower watches over new arrivals into Kyoto. I have to admit that the architecture had a little dated feel (and for some reason we never made it to the top, even though we lived just around the corner). It did make for an immediate compass needle to guide us around our immediate neighbourhood.

The apartment we'd booked over the internet wasn't a fantastic place, but at just over $55AUD per night, with a kitchen and laundry, and around 5 mins walk to Kyoto Station it was pretty well located.

(from Street View)

That night we crashed - ok - with barely enough time to take the bedding out of the plastic wrapping. This simple place was going to be our home for the next two+ weeks.

T-chan was exhausted. And so was I. Hmm - and we hadn't even started yet. Not to mind - in the next fortnight, T-chan would prove just how tough a person she was.