Today is my 3rd day in Japan! Hmm I may write my experiences from Day 1 if I have the time :)
We moved from Osaka to Kyoto today. Took the JR line rapid service (straight line, no need to change :)) from Shin-Osaka station, stopped at Takatsuki & Kyoto, then to Ishiyama, where our hotel is. The gap between the platform & the train was quite big, I was so scared I might trip! Carrying a big heavy luggage with heels is no joke -_-"
Our stay for these coming 3 days is at Reiah hotel otsu-ishiyama:) It's really near the train station! As compared to our previous hotel, the room is really small & compact, but the connectivity is much better. Unlike our previous hotel in which you can only access wifi at the hotel lobby & the wifi is rather weak, in Reiah hotel, we can access wifi at the convenience in our room :) My friend love it so much because of this. Lolz ~ However, I must really say that I'm impressed by how Japanese makes full use of whatever space they have. In such a small room, they can give you everything ~
I realized that the hotels here provide you with all the necessities: shower foam, shampoo, hair dryer, toothbrush, toothpaste, hand soap & even pajamas! Our previous hotel provided us with the traditional yukata (which we didn't wear :(), Reiah gave us a long pajamas ~ But they don't provide a safe though.
We visited Gion today, the famous Geisha district in Japan. You got to take the train (JR line) to Kyoto station (¥230), then go to the buses station & take bus #206. A one-way trip for 1 person cost ¥220. Gion is 10 stops away. However, you don't have to count the stops. There is a TV screen showing you what's the next stop. Also, the driver will announce the next stop too. This is the 1st time we are taking bus in Japan. You don't pay when you board the bus, & you board only at the 2nd/last door. You only pay when you are alighting, at the 1st/front door. A thing to note though, the bus don't give change. So be prepared to give the exact change!
We managed to see several Geishas at Gion! How lucky! They are so cool! However in the day, the district is not open. We only found a few shops opened when we reached at around 5pm today. So we shopped around the surrounding area & bought some really pretty souvenirs :) We also tried some of the sweet treats along the street. Oishii!!! Me & my friend bought a bag of sweet treats at a shop that sell individual packs. It cost us ¥1616. We're just going to take pictures of them & try them. Maybe tomorrow :)
At around 7.15pm we returned to Gion district to have dinner. Prices here are abit expensive, generally starts from¥4,500 & above. We had a 9-course set meal today, which cost ¥7,800 per person (That's ~SGD$99). The 10 dish course cost ¥9,200, which means an additional dish cost ~ SGD$17 more! This is fine dining style. We sat in a traditional Japanese room with low table & tatami mats. The person who served us the food was dressed in kimono. Believe it or not, we ate for 2 hours there! The dishes were served slowly but 1 or 2 dishes can be served at the same time. My favorite out of all of the dishes is the 1st & last dish. The 1st dish was chilled tofu, but it's something I've never tastes before! You feel like you are eating a soft cheese cake & the taste was great! The last dish, I considered, was the dessert. It was really delicious! It's like a red bean soft mochi cake & matcha. You eat the red bean cake together with some bean powder & drink the matcha by itself. Me & my friend were both so surprised that it tasted so good!
Bus #206 is not a loop service. When you want to return, you need to walk all the way up until you see the bright orange shrine, cross the road towards the direction of the shrine, & walk abit up. You'll find the return bus #206 there that you can take. The return bus is basically at the opposite side of the bus stop when you arrive, but a distance away. The return trip also cost ¥220. We were actually quite lost when we are trying to return from Gion. Then we met an Ojisan by the road who was so kind to approach us & gave us directions. Arigatou, ojisan! I find that Japanese people are quite helpful. Normally when you look lost along the streets, the Japanese will approach you & ask if you need help. Yesterday, I even chatted with a Japanese after he gave me directions. Totemo shinsetsu datta :)
Tomorrow we are going for a 1 day guided tour. Gotta wake up early. Dewa! ;)
