The saying "getting there is half the fun" applied to our journey from Tokyo to Kyoto. We took a Hikari high speed train that covered the 500 km distance in two and a half hours with a top speed between 270 and 300 km per hour.
It's no surprise that Japan's rail system is incredibly efficient. Trains are almost never late. Even the cleaning process is super efficient - ladies dressed completely in pink go into the trains as soon as they stop and have the cars cleaned in just a few minutes.
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| Our ride |
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| The pink ladies headed in to clean |
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| A much more comfortable environment than a plane |
We did some sightseeing on route as the train sped past Mount Fuji. It's the highest mountain in Japan at 3,800 metres (12,400 feet).
When we got to Kyoto, we were surprised how different it was from Tokyo. Kyoto is a big city with a population of 1.5 million but it doesn't have the bright lights and glam of Tokyo. The atmosphere is much more relaxed.
Kyoto means "capital city" and it was the capital of Japan until the mid-1800s when the capital moved to Tokyo. Many traditional buildings and gardens from its time as the capital are still intact. Unlike most Japanese cities, Kyoto was not heavily bombed during World War II.
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| Nijo Castle - home for the shogun (warlord ruler of Japan) from the 17th to 19th centuries |
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| Golden Pavilion at Kinkakuji Temple (Buddhist temple) |
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| Part of the garden at the Kinkakuji Temple |
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| Entrance to Heian-jingu Shrine (Shinto shrine) |
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| Covered walkway in the shrine's garden |
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| Kiyomizu Temple - a Buddhist temple overlooking Kyoto |
In addition to the architecture, we also got a chance to appreciate some of Japan's cultural history. We went to a performance of traditional Japanese arts that included performances by geishas and maikos (apprentice geishas). It helped shed some light on geishas which for us (and probably most westerners) is one of the best known but least understood parts of Japanese culture. Geishas are entertainers trained in traditional instruments, dance, songs and literature. They are typically hired to attend to guests at parties or gatherings where they are entertainers only and not prostitutes.
The Gion area of Kyoto is one of the few remaining places where geisha traditions are practiced. The number of geishas in Japan is declining rapidly and there are only 1,000 to 2,000 geishas today.
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| Us with two maikos |
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| Close-up of one of the maikos |
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| Kyo-mai dance performed by the maikos |
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| Mature geishas wear more subdued clothing and little make-up |
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| Geishas playing the koto - a six stringed instrument |
Here are a few more photos from Kyoto.
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| Our friendly chef for dinner |
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| No sign of global warming when we were in Kyoto - just lots rain and cold |
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| Doing laundry before we head to China |
The days were ticking by quickly and, at the end of our Kyoto stay, we were down to two weeks left to go on our trip. We hopped on a plane and headed to the last leg of our trip - a two week journey through China.
Blake and Vanessa
