Kyoto, Japan

The change in itinerary due to typhoon Malor allowed us to be in the Port of Kobe one more day, as a result I decided to use the first day to visit nearby Kyoto. Kyoto was the Japanese Capital from the 8th to the 19th centuries with the Imperial buildings dating back to the 1600s. When the capital was moved to Tokyo it remained the Japanese cultural center. Locals come here to visit the city for a vacation so I knew it was worth seeing.

The best and quickest way to Kyoto from Kobe is by bullet train, a top ten on my Japan bucket list. It was amazing; the train went 180 MPH and felt like flying in a plane on the ground. The usual 45 minutes by train to the first stop took us 7 minutes, incredible. I was taken by how clean the public transportation was, just like the city streets. None of the public places have trash or stains. Part of the cleanliness is due to the fact that when walking in public, eating and drinking are frowned upon. The only trash cans you will find are in restaurants and most of the bathrooms have no toilet paper or paper towels to become litter. It took some getting used to but it was completely worth the beautiful surroundings. In case you are wondering about no TP; the ToTo’s (Japanese western toilets) have many features that ours do not, including a spray of water.

Kyoto had a feel about it; historical, spiritual, the heart of Japan and it was wonderful. I walked the streets exploring and decided to go up the tower to see where I would venture to next. The view was fantastic; temples and shrines inter-mingled with more modern buildings, a Buddha on the hillside looking over the residents and the ocean, blue and beautiful.

I made my way to the Imperial Palace, the residence of the Imperial family until the capital was relocated to Tokyo in 1868. On the way, I walked along local streets just big enough for one car. Packages were being delivered by bicycles, rickshaws had right of way to walkers and the houses one next to the other were ornately carved in the wood that covered them. The palace itself was even bigger than it looked from the tower, spanning about 8 by 7 city blocks. The whole area was surrounded by a moat filled with Koi and beautiful water plants. As I entered the gates I couldn’t believe how large the structure was before me. Hundreds of pigeons flew in the square being fed by locals. To the left was a drinking well with an ornate dragon, like so many around Japan. I tried to imagine what it must have been like to live in such a place.

Kyoto was one of the highlights of my trip and I am grateful that I had an opportunity to visit, thank you typhoon Malor.

Tomorrow is my last day of the cruise and I will be touring Kobe.