Our trip to Kyoto began with us getting up at 7:30 to get on a train by 8:20, which thankfully we managed. There was minimal confusion on the way there, but we were able get to Tokyo station and get on the Shinkansen as planned. For those that don't know, the Shinkansen is Japan's bullet train, and runs at about 300km/h. (I guess this time I'll do the conversion for you. 300km/h is approximately 186 mph.) Using this, we were able to get to Kyoto in under two and a half hours. This is also where our picture taking spree started, which you'll be glad to know was quite extensive.
As you can see, the inside of a shinkansen looks somewhat like the inside of an Airplane. There's even little signs telling you to inform the train staff if you see any suspicious or unattended baggage.
Even the outside is a little bit reminiscent of one...
And upon our arrival in Kyoto we were greeted with this skyline:
...which we became all too familiar with, as the area around Kyoto station came to be a place we easily recognized over the next few days, I might even call it a spot of comfort. Getting to the first hostel was kind of crappy though. On that note, if you're traveling around in Japan, don't bother trying to use Google's directions. They don't make an ounce of sense once you get off the train. The directions I got to the second hostel said seven times in a row to just "Use the crosswalk." Am I walking around in a circle around the intersection? Is this screwy land? Seriously, don't even bother.
When we finally did reach the hostel, called in English, the "Small World Guesthouse," we were in for a bit of a surprise. The Small World Guesthouse of Kyoto is located in a small alleyway that I doubt even a Japanese car could fit into. At first we walked past it, but I think the owner heard our suitcase wheels...
We heard someone saying "Hallo! Hallo!" behind us, so we looked over and saw a guy with dreadlocks down to his knees. We looked back the way we had been going, and sure enough there was no one there. He was talked to us.
"Are you looking for the Small World Guesthouse?" he asks. We nod. He says, "This way please."
He then took us into the aforementioned alleyway and into a dimly lit, cramped foyer and asked us to write down our information on a sheet that included a line for passport number. WOAH.
Luckily, upon handing the sheet back, which listed our address as "Tsuru University" (except in Japanese of course) he asked if we were exchange students, and upon hearing that we were, said that our school ID's would be fine.
He then showed us around the place, which was as small and cramped as the foyer made it out to be. He asked me if Japanese was fine, and I told him yes, so he proceeded to explain everything to us in Japanese. Apparently my Japanese learning in Tsuru has been specifically tailored toward having inn amenities explained to me, because I understood every single thing he said. Mind you, this is extremely rare, even in casual conversation, possibly even a first considering how much he talked.
The building was extremely old, but outfitted with all of the basic amenities you might expect from a normal hotel and possibly even a few extra: shower, toilet, cooking area, sink, green tea, free shampoo and soap and the like. The difference was that these were all spread out throughout the hostel, basically wherever they happened to fit, the stove required a match to light it, the walkway to our room was protected with a tarp, the extent of the insulation on the old sliding window (It was like a sliding door, wood on wood) was foam strips on either side, and the bathroom had an incense stick and a lighter in lieu of air freshener.
AW YEAH
Three tatami room
The hallway at night - note on the right it opens up to the outside. That black slanted thing behind the shinier covering is the tarp. On the left was the group room I think.
What would a hotel room be without a key? Especially one that looks like it's from an Indiana Jones film?
Now, having shown you all that, I would actually recommend this hostel to the adventurous. What made it all alright for me was the fact that the owner seemed like a really laid back, nice guy. Also, once you get over the initial shock of what the place looks like, if you let yourself, you'll realize that for the most part it's a comfortable place to stay. My only practical complaint is that the insulation is so poor that despite our kick-ass heater, it was pretty cold at night. If you come during warmer months, I would imagine that it's not so bad. He also rented bikes to us for what I assumed was a pretty cheap rate. He originally said 500 yen to rent the bike I would use and 300 for Tina's. Seeing three coins in Tina's hand and assuming it was 250, since the top one was a 50, he said that was fine. When he found out it was only 200, he shrugged and said that was fine too. Oh, and although he asked where we were planning to go, he didn't put a time limit on the rental or charge us anything extra based on the time we used them for.
By the way, we told him we were going to find food, but ended up parking the bikes in an underground bike parking structure, the like of which I have never seen before, riding a train to Kyoto Station, and hanging out there for quite a while. Oops.
The following pictures are courtesy of the sights around Kyoto station:
Too bad these ones are fake...
Me being happy drinking a cup of coffee at Mr. Donut. Mr. Donut has VERY good coffee, and doughnuts for that matter.
Feast your eyes.
Twice.
A scooter arcade game.
And I can't really remember doing much else. The first day we didn't really engage in any heavy sight seeing, and the rest of the details are pretty much moot.
Coming up next in the Kyoto trip: Nara and DEEEEEER! See you again soon.
Really? a scooter arcade game, lol.
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