So, I was a little apprehensive about Kyoto based on two things
a) its the third largest city in Japan and honestly, Tokyo (number 1!!!) terrified me initially!!!
b) when I arrived at the hostel, they handed me a "backpackers map of Kyoto" - there was something to see on every street corner!!! Where to start?!?
I need not have worried - armed with my 500yen `all day rider` bus pass (2pounds - remember those days?!?) I was sent off into the unknown... still terrified!!! Having finally come to terms with trains and subways - I just wasn`t sure I was ready to face buses!!! (I envisaged trying to describe where I wanted to be, the driver having no idea what I was on about, me missing stop after stop...!!!) Luckily, Kyoto and its public transport system has been designed specifically for dumb tourists just like me!!! They hand you a pretty awesome map detailing all of the bus routes, all of the tourist sights, and better still... there`s an automated message in English telling you which the next stop is (and it flashes up on a display at the front of the bus - for those of us not quite sure of the pronounciation of the stop we`re looking for!!!) Pretty much fool proof!!
Next problem - with two days... hundreds of sights... how do I work out which ones to see?!? Ermmm... well, of the 20 or so listed in the guide book I had, it described about 10 of them as the top rated - problem solved, we`d concentrate on those!!!
Kyoto was brilliant... some excellent temples - all really old - often dating back to at least the 16th century (admittedly, as alot were built from wood, they`d burnt down a few times over the years, but apparently have been rebuilt as replicas of the originals...) Another big thing were the `zen gardens` - often REALLY just consisting of a few rocks, raked sand, occasionally a tree or two (one was even made of moss...) but they all have specific meanings if you want to read into them... completely different!!! Again, from the point of the more traditional Japanese gardens, those of the temples, Nijo Castle or the Imperial Palace, I probably am here at the wrong time of year... but even with the impending winter, they are good. The Imperial Palace (where the Emporer has official functions etc) was a really odd one - you have to request permission for entry from the "Imperial Household Agency" - show your passport, fill in an application form... only for the girl behind the desk to barely glance at you or it, stamp your form et voila... entry for the tour!!!
I loved Kyoto though, slightly easier than Tokyo in that everything is so much slower (always good!!) and so much to do!!! The hostel was a bit smaller and the communal areas weren`t great which meant it was harder to meet people - but as it was a whirlwind tour I was pretty much out of spare time anyway!!!
So Bullet train back to Tokyo for me...
