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09/05/2007 Entry: "Bullet Train to Kyoto"

We were up and packed plenty early this morning, then ate breakfast at the "Lobby Lounge" buffet of the Sunshine City Prince Hotel. Jack had said, "We may need a good breakfast today!" Checked out (the money we paid for the internet service was so worth it to us, especially because the Airport Express Jack bought recently meant that we could both be online at once) and took a taxi to the nearby "subway" station -- a small flat rate and not to schlep our bags? yeah!

We took the same Loop line we'd been on after our bus tour yesterday (maybe not the quickest way to Tokyo station but the simplest for us). When we'd activated our rail passes and got tickets for the bullet train to Kyoto the night before, Jack had asked if we needed a different ticket for the loop line and had been assured that we didn't. But our tickets *didn't* work! They just beeped. We went back to the ticket office (good thing we were plenty early) and asked again -- the clerk explained more clearly that we should just show our actual rail passes to the gate attendant. Ahh! Jack was pissed but we got on the loop line with no further aggravation except trying to get me down the stairs with a rolling bag. A guard came and took my bag for me before Jack could make it back up to help me. Elevators were hard to find in the confusing stations all day, a continuing theme that caused Jack tons of stress.

There had been accidents on the line but not where they would affect us. The station we got on at was the most crowded place! But soon we were at Tokyo station (billed as the busiest, most confusing in the world) and found the Shinkensen line. We just waited, standing on the platform, until our train arrived, and observed the monsoon-like downpours (related to a typhoon expected any minute, I think).

When our train pulled in, we still couldn't board until a crew of six or seven women, super-speedy cleaners, swept, changed the anti-macassars, picked up any trash, even cleaned some of the windows. A little sign on an elastic cord, with a picture of an apologetic cleaner, blocked the door.

The trip took about three hours all told. I dozed a bit but mostly was looking at the countryside. Across the aisle, four young women (college age?) were laughing and carrying on for the entire trip -- they never let up! Jack said this was typical for Japanese girls but I'm not sure how many he has met. The most difficult part of the trip was after we arrived in Kyoto, trying to follow the directions on the web page for our ryokan by taking the Kyoto subway. Where were the elevators? Again Jack was enraged, and the heat and humidity weren't helping.

More about our inn and what we did our first evening in Kyoto in my next entry.

Posted by Jack William Bell @ 09/05/2007 03:45 AM PST