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Well, I got through the night. The futon was OK, but I was in two minds as to whether to sleep on top of the thick quilt. At home my feet hang over the bed end. Last night they seemed to be in the way every time I want to turnover. And I left myself open for a mosquito that was hiding somewhere.

The alarm went off at 7.30am and I had to get up as I had a breakfast appointment with the hotel. Japanese people work on a principle of courtesy that, if you say a time, that is the time they will be ready. I got to the Dining Floor and my table for one was laid out ready for me. I should have taken a photo as it would be easier to explain, maybe tomorrow.

First of all, there was lots of it. The obligatory Tea, which I couldn’t stomach today, was poured for me and a glass of Iced Water.

The tray had a 3×3 compartment box, each held a small china bowl, each with its own pattern or shape. In each bowl there was a contribution to the meal. Here is my memory test. Seaweed, A wedge of Orange, A piece of Smoked Fish, Shredded Swede and Desiccated seaweed, Cabbage, Pickled Red Beans, a white vegetable (might have been shiitake mushroom) and pickled sliced onion. There was a plate with an Omelette with ginger and onion garnish, a bowl of Miso Soup, A cauldron for one which was steaming away when I arrived. This contained A block of Tofu, Ceps, White Cabbage, Spring Onions and a flat square disc of brown which was either a flavouring or maybe a label that had slipped off the inside of the steamer lid ? To accompany this there was a bowl of Salad, Sticky Rice and Layers of dried seaweed and a further small plate with 3 pickles. And some shredded cooked beef.

I made my way through most of it. Although I ate it I don’t really get tofu and I am not a fan of spongey omelettes. It was different.

So for today. The rain continues! I’m going to leave my computing in the hotel as well as my main camera and go in search of something to view with my little Canon Powershot.

I centre myself on Kyoto station and it is heaving with Japanese tourists enjoying Sunday and another day to catch the final Cherry Blossom. I look at the maps and decide on a train journey out to a place call Arashiyama is worth a go. The Tourist Information Office helped me with the best route and I was quickly on my way. The train was held up for 10 minutes at the start as a girl had dropped her bracelet down a crack in the seat. The guard with a screwdriver played the white knight.

Arashiyama is about 20 minutes by train and I had a simple map to get onto the route for the main Temple and the Bamboo Grove walk.

Arashiyama was charming. It reminded me of a cornish town in the summer, with people streaming down the roads. It’s buzzing with souvenir shops and small eateries, but all of them in place with the surroundings. A 10 minute walk and I am there. The Tenryuji Temple. With this one it was not so much the temple but its Gardens. The trees and shrubs were in bloom and you will see from the photos that it was very colourful. As I arrived the sun came out and it was starting to become a lovely day. Overall it was the coldest I have been while out in Asia and I was regretting not wearing another layer, but the sunshine masked that a bit.

Right next to the Temple is the famous Bamboo Groves. The bamboo shoots up 40 to 50 feet in the air and creaks as it sways in the wind. It is definitely from a scene of Crouching Tigers. It is no surprise that they use bamboo as scaffolding, when you see cane this big and thick. The wind was up so the bamboo swayed 20 to 30 feet from side to side. Deep green in colour it was remarkably calming.

I headed back into Kyoto with the intention of walking through the Nishiki Market again. On the way I stop for a caffeine top up at Starbucks. I got talking to a Fashion Designer, Ash, who was from Nottingham, but has family who live on the Warwick Road in Solihull and in Knowle. We shared our experiences of work life balance and it was a good break in the day to have a simple chat. He had a few hours to kill so I pointed him at the Nijojo Castle.

I made it across on the subway again to the Nishiki Market to see if the Australian lady had made it back to her friends, see my blog of yesterday, but as there were no flowers laid anywhere I guess it all ended up well. The Market was still alive with food merchants making their final push of the day. Halfway down there was a very strong smell of marijuana and I could see behind that there was a seller scraping what looked like long leaved tea leaves into paper bags. I could have got it all wrong but a bit of a coincidence.

Back to the Hotel and time for a shared Bath in the Ryokan. They had two hot baths in the basement to separate men and women. Shame. My Bath was empty so I wallowed for half an hour. I did feel a bit like this morning’s Tofu in the cauldron, so didn’t wait for it to cook completely. Very relaxing with piped japanese music. And I was thinking about what I will do when I get back home. Work no less! It was quite therapeutic being naked in a warm bath so nothing to do but think. I donned myself in my Kimono, so looked and felt the part.

Dinner was at 8pm and I had arranged for a traditional Japanese meal. I was in a small enclosed area of the Dining Room in the Ryokan by myself, being assisted by 3 Kimono dressed assistants. The youngest was about 70. Only one spoke a few words of English, but we managed to get through it. You will see from the photo’s the ingredients were all laid out and a pan was simmering away which had been prepared for my arrival. Finely slice beef, Light Cabbage and Large Spring onions were quickly blanched before dousing them into a couple of sauces. A tray of other things covered the table that had to be used as well. It was different and the textures were challenging. I wasn’t so sure about the Eel (well I think it was a type of Eel) as it has the crunch of a bit of gristle and was shaped like a large sliced olive, but the colour of raw lambs liver. I made my way through the the Beef and Cabbage, then through a plate of Sushi (Tuna, Prawns and Squid) and finally rice arrived to slop up the juices. A small prepared fruit salad gave me a great feeling that I was close to the end as I was very full.

So that’s me done with Kyoto. I have another DIY breakfast in the morning before checking out and then by Midday I will be heading back to Tokyo Airport to stay overnight before heading off to China.

My reflection of Kyoto is that I made a great choice and the cultural side of Japan has come through in bundles. I have no regrets for missing Tokyo’s bright lights as the two days in a Ryokan have give me more of an insight to the people and the way they live. For weeks now I have been tweeting about Values, Knowledge and Behaviours. The way these people live is very honest and endearing. Around Kyoto, your average city to look at it, they have found a way to live with their beliefs and have kept simple but important monuments and natural events central to the way of life.

I will come back again, some day.

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Good morning everyone from Kyoto. Konichiwa! Congratulations to Niece Isla on her Christening! I hope you have a lovely day today. Love to everyone of the Luxford’s, Dugdale’s, Smith’s and Friends who are celebrating the day.

I have a transit day today which means that I check out of my Railway Station Hotel and head a few miles across town to the Sanjo District, just by Gion, to a Ryokan. In the countryside Ryokan’s are little B&B’s that have ornate gardens and sometimes the options of Hot springs. In Town they are guesthouses that offer a bit more of a family attention. I’ll give you an insight later after I have check-in which isn’t until 3pm.

With my luggage in the hands of the Hotel concierge I have about 4 hours to kill in the town and as it is pouring down with rain I am not venturing to a temple today, but easing up to have a look at the shops and to hunt out the Nishiki Food Market which also has a number of boutique shops in the same area. Before getting on the subway, and it is still saturday morning, I head for Starbucks for a traditional Coffee and a Breakfast sandwich. There seems to be a lot of Americans conducting their constitutional rights to a Vente of Coffee and one Brit with a ‘Bacon Butty’. Suitably substained, I head up the line towards Shijo station. The rain is persistent but it is really humid. With my Coat hood up, it’s dry but it’s hot too. My bag is also getting rather wet and I am in fear of my Laptop and iPad getting drenched. Everyone has umberellas. Young, Old, Male, Female. Common sense prevails, but I can also see their logic. Why wrap up when it is warm. I went in search of a brollie and found a clear one with a white handle for about 3 pounds and it’s automatic. I wouldn’t have gone for such a challenging design in the UK, but here it’s really functional. It goes up quickly, it comes down easily. It is very lightweight and I can see all the crossing signs which I now obey 100%, even if the road is 10 feet wide and has no traffic.

After a couple of browses and purchases, I go up the side roads from the main shopping Street and find a traditional coffee house. A coffee bean seller at the front and at the back a large circular polished wooden bar with swivel seats around a coffee preparation stove and 4 baristas. A nice welcome, they guide me to where to put my bag and instantly a glass of Iced Water is placed in front of me. As I look around people are reading the local papers. A man and woman across the way, who must be in their 70s both remind me of the eiry character that played alongside Bogart in ‘Casablanca’. Amazing resemblence.

A reprise of white coffee and a piece of very sweet Lemon Merengue Pie and I am ready for another stroll.

I make my way through some of the back streets which are full of small restaurants and Ryokans and eventually I get to the Nishiri Food Market. The travel books are right, they sell things that you will not have seen in your life before. It seems that a lot of Japanese people had not seen them before either. Everyone was clicking. This is where you could do with a guide. As you don’t know if something is cooked or can be eaten raw, I thought best not to try, although I was tempted. Some of the different seafood was really an eye opener. From dried everything, to the most bizarre fish and shell fish you could think of. Even the vegetables were different. Have a look at some of the photos and you will see what I mean. Another funny moment. Think of the Market Street being about 200 yards long and packed with small shops side by side. I would say that there was about 50-60 Fish one alone. Over the tannoy a very pronounced Australian woman who has obvious got control of the situation talked in a loud voice…”this is a message for Marie Turnbull. Please return to the Fish Shop where you walked from, that is Marie Turnbull, come straightaway to the Fish Shop!”. Everyone was laughing at the sad prospect of Marie being able to find a shop that sells fish. The Japanese were laughing too, they definitively got the irony of the situation.

Not sure if it opens again tomorrow, but if it is still raining and I decide to stay local then this will be on my walking route.

I made one stop off along the way when I saw groups of Kids dancing in some sort of show at the front of one of the larger government building’s. The one group I snapped created a dance routine based on martial arts and was entertaining.

I made my way back to the Hotel by the station to pick up my bags. I had to get a ticket at Shijo Station to return. As I put my first coin in, the whole machine’s lights went out. I just looked at it, to more or less imply that it wasn’t me. Then the most funniest thing happened. A square of the instrument panel, a size of about 8 inchs by 8 inches, opened and a head popped through…”solly, so solly”. A ticket assistant with a hat and specticles appeared through this advent calendar sized door to keep me informed of his error. The coin was returned and I bowed and moved to the next machine. Did every machine have its own man? That would be customer service.

Before I left the Hotel, I paid a visit to the little boys room. Have a look at the photo. All the loo’s have a similar design out here. Heated seats, a gentle pre-flush as you sit down and then if you are up for it a Shower or a Bidet option, enough said. The one I though was hilarious was the ‘Flushing Noise’. If you want to be discreet then you can press a button which plays the sound of flushing water to mask any other deed that might be going on!

Then I’m off in a taxi to the Ryokan. A nice little entrance into a small reception and I am invited to sit to register. An aged assistant is in the background to tend to me. I thought, there is no way she is going to be able to wheel my 20 Kg bag let alone lift it. As my bag was wheeled by the fitter Manager to the elevator he invited me to sit at a table in a small reception area and a welcome drink would be served. Not again, it was Green Tea! And it tasted of Tea this time. I am too polite. Served on a small tray in a china bowl and lid, it was accompanied by a sweet biscuit in the shape of a boat with a sheaf of wheat inside. She waited out of eyesight until I had finished. Duly done I was led upstairs to my room. A small entrance hallway led into the Room and I had to take off my shoes and step up to a landing which had a door for the loo and one for the bathroom and then a sliding door into the main room. The room had a low table with two chairs without legs facing each other. On the table was plentiful supply of Green Tea. One wall was paper framed that was opaque to let through the light. On the floor there was straw matting. This was where I would sleep when the Futon appears.

The old lady slides the door behind me and I settle in. I was thinking, now what? In the cupboard there is a Kimono for my use. Quite fetching, with a green over jacket. Very Shogun.

I switch the TV on and flick through the channels.

As I don’t have a meal in the hotel tonight, that has been saved for tomorrow, I head out into the neighbourhood which is packed with places to eat. I don’t travel that far as the rain is now a deluge. My expensive umbrella didn’t like one of the gusts of wind, so I am at its mercy.

I pass a window which has has some nice looking plates of food. It is usual over here to have artificial plates of food in the window. This window had meat, lots of it, so I commit myself. Inside it turns out to be a Bavarian restaurant with german type music. German beer and a number of dishes that you would see in the middle of Munich, but definitely aimed at the Japanese consumer. I had some beef, which was sliced in bite sized pieces that could be picked up with Chopsticks. I tried to order the Steak with some Chips and a side of Onion rings. The Beef didn’t naturally have Chips, but the Pork above it on the menu did. I tried in vain to ask for Beef with chips. One of the offers was that I had Chicken and Chips instead. Could I have Onion Rings…yes! The Beef arrived and then the onion rings 15 minutes later. I think it was all a bit lost in translation, but they smiled all the way through it and with a few glasses of Dry Asahi beer I was content. I made a long circuit on the way back to the Ryokan to walk off the dinner. The rain was getting heavier and the crowds dispersing.

In my room, the TV which was still on from earlier, as I can’t find the off button, was showing pictures across the country of the bad weather, so maybe it is here to stay.

On my return to the room the table has been moved to one side and the Futon and bedding rolled out onto the straw floor. I’ll let you know how comfortable it is tomorrow.

I have my Kimono on. I think it is causing an issue with my lip synchronisation. Good night!

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Well another day in Kyoto and the sun is shining and we have a blue sky.

I wander down to make the most of the Kyoto breakfast and tackle it with more gusto.  There was more structure to my meal this time.  Pork and Fish with my rice, Miso, and a few other vegetable bits.  Fills me up and I’m ready for a couple more tasks.

The hotel have given me some guidance on using the Kyoto buses.  The routes are pretty clear and the starting point is just across the road from me.  I had been told that the 101 or the 205 was going to take me to Kinkaku ji Temple.  The organised bus queues work well, it’s just the volume of the travellers.  There are a huge number of Japanese tourists in town.  Cherry Blossom seeks all the attention and it is supposed to be happening right now (or 2 weeks ago).  I start queuing for the 205 and a bus arrives and quickly fills up.  Then a 101 comes, so I leave the 205 queue and the 101 fills up.  No rush I thought, it’s a nice day for chatting, as long as someone can speak English.  Two girls behind me were doing just that.  A Japanese local and her University friend from France.  Both have excellent English as they studied together in Los Angeles.  We soon struck up the usual, “where are you from and are you travelling alone etc?”  My pitch is becoming well rehearsed.  It was good to have the Japanese girl there who gave the commentaries on the buses coming and going.  Even the bus with no number, which apparently was a 205 put on as an ‘extra’ by the bus company as they saw the queues were a bit too long.

We finally got on and they sat in from of me.  A Turkish couple sat to my left side as I had the normal back seat of the bus bench seat.  We introduced each other and shared stories of what they had seen.  It’s great to get real time Lonely Planet stuff and tips.  They had had similar problems to getting a room as I did, but they had to settle for staying in Osaka and commuting each day.

None of the foreign tourists knew where the buses stopped or how to get the return bus, but most had bought a simple day pass that allowed you to travel on anything inside the Kyoto area.  The general objective was that as Kinkaku ji was a major attraction, when the bus emptied, you get off, so I did.  It worked, again.

The temple in gold, appropriately named the ‘Golden Pavillion’ was another treasure.  With a lot of these temples they don’t have the pomp and ceremonies that I saw in India but amazing to see.  The gardens are well manicured with pure green trees adding context to the cherry blossom and the water.  The Koi Carp glide across the top of the water in the most safest of waters for them.

At the end of the looped pathway, there is a need to cool down and I have my second Green Tea whipped ice cream.  Note for the family back home, I thought “Dave, you’ve changed!”

Coming out of the gate I knew there were other shrines and gardens around but my following crowd had dispersed, so I may try that one another day.  I headed back to bus stop on the other side of the road.  A 204 appeared, the buses are really frequent, and I hopped on.  I assumed that 205 out maybe 204 in.  Wrong, 204 was a circular bus.  At least I wasn’t going to get lost, in an hour I will be back at the same stop.  My tourist maps were out straightaway to do some orienteering.  So I could get to a castle called Nijo-jo.  The map pointed that when we made a left turn, as it was an anti-clockwise service, I just got off and walked through the side streets to it.  I did this but asked the Driver as I was stepping off.  He got me to sit back down again and he would give me the nod.  Amazing he communicated all this to me when he didn’t speak a word of English.

He dropped me off, within 1 road of the Castle.  These people want to help you, even if you are an imbecile.

Nijo-jo Castle is a huge walled fort surrounded by a moat and inside there is another fort that is protected by water.  The gardens were in bloom, and yes, it was Cherry Blossom.  They are so proud of the varieties that they give you a separate spotting map.  The fort was a barefoot walk through the halls, but for me the gardens were the thing that set off the place.  I hope I have captured the right angles for the pictures to do them justice.

Time was already getting on towards late afternoon, so I headed back to the Sushi Bar that has been fuelling me.  I was welcomed at the door and the girl waited for me to order the large beer which I had done on the last 2 occasions.

I looked at the menu and saw that I was quickly going through the main ones.  Today there was Argentina Shrimp, which was probably caught off the Falklands coast, Salmon Roe, a couple of peculiar fish ones that I had to qualify, as it had a weird colour and I had the meat of I think it was Sea Urchin, which was as soft as smooth pate.  As they had greet me, the chefs and the staff shouted out as I left.  I had seen them do this for some of the locals, which left me feeling honoured.

Back to the hotel and decisions to be made. Do I or don’t I go to Tokyo? and have about a day to race around.  Whatever Hotel I chose I would have to be at an Airport Hotel for an early start on Tuesday morning.  I was thinking, I am enjoying Kyoto and there is one particular thing that I haven’t done here yet and that is to stay in a Ryokan, which is a guesthouse with more personal attention.  Hmm…Let’s have a look on the web at accommodation.  It has been difficult so far, but let me try.  And I am in luck!  A quick read up and a basic Ryokan is available in the Gion District.  Go for it, decision made.  If I regret not doing Tokyo, I could always double back maybe ??

In the evening I went to the Gion district in search of Geisha sightings.  Just one tonight, but in a busy walkway, but it was a traditional, painted face lady.  Very elegant and perfectly dressed.

I was also looking for somewhere suitable for dinner.  Having missed out on my first night, I found a restaurant that served local dishes.  As I was 15 minutes away from the last orders, I had to make a decision on a combination that looked tasty.   One picture showed a tray of about 11-12 small dishes that were brightly coloured.  I ate all of it, but have to say that I only knew what 4 items were on my tray.  I knew what Miso soup was, Tempura battered prawns, Tuna and rice.  I’ll describe a few and if any well travelled person knows, send me a reply.

A large egg cup of a plain jelly which looked like egg custard, but didnt taste like it.

A retangular block of Sweet jelly a bit like Turkish Delight

3 Lollipops of mixed brown, cream and green jelly, each with a sweet or sour topping

Well it went down, but I think an interpreter would have been useful.  The waiter apologised that he couldn’t tell me what they were in English.  Another first.  The world ain’t slowin’ down.

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I woke this morning with an urge to take the Hotel’s ‘Kyoto’ buffet.  Actually to be factual, I work at 6.30am to take a FaceTime call with Jon, but as he was in Bed and had his light off we just caught up on a quick call, no picture.  I went back to bed for a while and then got up for my breakfast experience.  Well, you look around the restaurant for clues.  Everyone had a Tray (tick), they were using Chopsticks (tick), they had multiple bowls on their trays and there was the occasional Orange Juice…Hmm, how difficult could this be?  I did two circuits around the serving dishes and the labels, which were in Japanese English (Japanese words but using familiar letters)  Miso Soup (was clear, I stirred it, it went light brown).  1 bowl of that with some chopped spring onions.  Sticky Rice or Congee ?  Congee looked like white porridge and I didn’t know how I could eat it with chopsticks.  Sticky Rice it was, with a bit of Soy.  Now the next one I knew, but in its completed form, Beef Udon Noodles.  It was a thin broth, thick Udon Noodles and other larger bits in the bottom, which might have been beef.  Let’s go for that.  Well the serving spoon was a shallow paddle which didn’t grip the noodles and certainly didn’t hold the stock.  I tried very hard to be tidy, but most ended up in the tray.  The thing with wet noodles is that they are a bit like a slinky chain.  If one bit falls off your spoon, the rest follows.  I finished my tray off with a simple one of Yoghurt and Fruit and a Coffee.

I made my way swiftly through the selection.  Miso soup is a taste to be acquired.  I have not yet acquired the necessary sophistication for this drink-come-slurry.  It tasted of Tea.  Eating Udon noodles was again sloppy and subtle in taste and I added to the puddle in my tray and didn’t get much in my mouth.  There is a technique, but I will have to take lessons for it.

So with this completed and my bag packed for the day, I ventured locally to find some Temples.  Kyoto is blessed with many temples.  The Hotel guided me to my first, a 10 minute walk.  After 30 minutes I was sitting in a McDonalds sucking on a ‘Banilla’ milkshake working out where I was.  The sun was already beating down, the sky was blue and it was a nice day.  A kind assistant pointed me back generally in the direction I had come and a bit to the left.

The first Buddhist Temple and a pretty amazing one was the Toji Temple.  You will see a heap of photo’s for the Temple and the grounds.  The complex which goes back to 826 AD, although rebuilt after fire 4 times (the thought of Fools and Horses Trigger’s ‘Broom’ came to mind), it had an impressive 5 tier pagoda and this was the sign I should have been looking for when I got lost.  The grounds with more temples attributed to the founders of the learning were surrounded by Cherry Trees and the blossom was immense.  I took a huge number of photo’s and cut lots out before I posted them.  Apologies for the volume but I though they needed to be shown.

Culinary highlight was a Green Tea Whipped Ice Cream.  For one who hates the taste of tea, this was a triumph.

On the way to my next temple, I stopped by the Hotel to top up on water as it was a little bit draining.  Next I walked north to the Nishi Hongwanji, a temple devoted to another founder of the Buddhist learning.  The Japenese people have so much going for them.  You can see that they have a level of reasoning in their culture and values which I don’t think I have seen in any other country on my trips worldwide.  There link to Buddhism is at the core of how they live their lives and everyone tries to get on.  What a nation!  I’m sure Tokyo will/might be different (I am in two minds as to stay in Kyoto or Oaska and not bother with Tokyo) but even there I am expecting a level of reverence that big cities do not offer.

The scale of the Temples and how they are located is surprising.  Kyoto is a city just like any other with residential housing and shops linked by horizontal and vertical roads, but every now and then you get a break for a world class temple, garden or monument.  Once inside, you don’t notice or feel that the city is moving around you.

The final sister to this temple was about half a mile away.  It holds the worlds largest freestanding wooden structure as its prayer hall and temple.

On the way back I took in some Sushi and tried ones that I hadn’t before.  You will see from the  pictures what I consumed.  And all pretty good.

The evening was pretty slow, but I was running slower, so I called it an early night.  One of the things in my mind is what do I do the day after tomorrow.  Do I go to Tokyo or do I stay around here ?  keep you posted.

Quite an uneventful day today.  You couldn’t see Hong Kong Harbour at all this morning as the mist was so dense and it was raining. I didn’t care though, I was moving on.

Very few things to report on the way to the airport other than it all looked grim without sunshine. I haven’t opened my camera case today and if I had posted a photo today I think I would have stole someone else’s picture. I was in general people watching mood today. There is a fine line between interest and leering. I guess there is a legal issue somewhere in there too, but son Jon will have to give me guidance on that.

The Cathay Pacific flight to Tokyo was nice and smooth, so I sat back and leered, or took an observational interest in one of the Stewardesses who was a bit like Lucy Liu, maybe a couple of years on top, but stunning nonetheless. I must of leered a bit to much as she came over and asked if there was anything else she could get for me. I sat back with some Country Music in my ears and let the time literally fly by. I was surprised when they said we were coming into land.

Immigration at Tokyo Narita was extremely pleasant. Japanese people have a reputation for manners and even the officials at the airport didn’t let me down. As I went through immigration to Customs I was pulled up for a search of my bags. The guy talked to me politely throughout his examination and then bowed to me with a send off of “thanks for being courteous”.

I went on to the small arrivals hall and headed for the Information Desk. I had two questions, where can I catch the curtesy bus for my Hotel and where can I change some travellers cheques?  She was so specific in her answers, I wanted to go back and ask her a couple more things.

And it’s raining in Tokyo too.

The Hotel Bus arrived on time, the Hotel Check-in was great. And this is just an Airport Hotel that I need a stopover before heading to Kyoto in the morning. The only small issue I had was when I went for the elevators, a group of 150 airline girls finished a seminar at that moment. Life’s a bitch sometimes isn’t it.

The Hotels 3 restaurants all stop serving food at 10pm, which I found out as I asked the question at 9.55pm. I was pointed to a top floor bar, which has a large lounge area and a huge low bar. You can tell you are in Japan, as the seat height is a bit bigger than the Little Tikes set that Jon and Tom had as kids. That’s brought back a memory of Sunday’s when Jon was about 2 years old and he would eat himself to sleep while at the little red table and chair.

Back to the lounge bar, its very smokey up here. It is very unusual in today’s healthy climate to see this still in existence. Ironic that I am moving onto Kyoto tomorrow. I guess Japan and maybe China will be like this. Sapporo beer is cold and crisp and the limited food menu is passable. A seafood pilaff and a flambé of mixed berries with ice cream.

The lounge music is a bit 50s crooning which is fine for a candlelit entente, but tapping away on my iPad it is causing me to mis-type.

Time to get 40 winks. Night all, Kyoto tomorrow sometime.