June 7

06/07/2013

Big travel day today -- going from Kyoto to Miyajima!    I plan on doing this on a Shinkansan (Bullet train) getting from Kyoto to Hiroshima, then transferring to a local subway system line and then finally a 10 minute ferry ride.

Woke up and packed to get ready for this move.   Didn't want to check out before 11am or travel before the 12:30 Shinkansen because arriving before around 3pm wouldn't work for the Ryokan I'm staying at.   In Japan they really don't like "early checkins" (though they will keep your luggage).    So best for me to hang out a bit in Kyoto and take it easy.

So I went over to the JR station to purchase my one way tickets around 9:30am, just to get that out of the way.    Cost about $110 US "one way".    All paid for and ready to go, except I'm not entirely sure how the two paper tickets "work" (do I show them to the station guy?  Do they get sucked into the turnstyle?   Unclear--- I guess I'll find out around noon!)

Anyway, once tickets were in hand I wandered around the subway system restaurants looking for something light to eat for breakfast.   I ended up getting a little pear turnover at one of the little bread shops "to go" and then taking the escalator up to the roof level (around 10th floor) of the JR Train Station...  It's a very impressive building with things at every level (stores, restaurants, offices, who knows!)    The roof level is a little garden and, as I suspected, it had both an interesting view as well a some benches that I could sit down on and eat my breakfast without drawing too much attention to myself.   Remember, the Japanese don't seem to eat in public!

I then ate my "breakfast" and headed back down (took a while!) and across the street to the Kyoto Tower Hotel Observation Deck.   My hotel is associated with them (probably same owners) so they gave me a free ticket.    Walking across the front of the train station is the bus station and here again there were many school kids waiting to get on buses to see the temples and palaces as part of school field trips--

Once past this crowd and across the street I went up and took a few photos from the top of the Kyoto Tower.   That was the big lit up thing from last night that I took a shot of (see yesterday's blog)

And here is a video from the lower level of the observation platform doing a partial circle around it...

Headed back to the hotel to wait an hour before checking out and getting a bite to each for lunch.

I decided on some katsu - fried fish, shrimp and scallops along with miso and tea for lunch.   Just one of the many places downstairs in the subway system "halls".   Here's lunch:

After lunch I headed to the platform (#14) to wait for my Shinkansan bullet train.   On the way had to figure out that whole ticket thing.   I went up to the station guy and he didn't speak english... after some confusion he gestured that I was to put BOTH tickets into the machine....  That worked!   Got in and to the platform.  Hurrah!

Waited about 20 minutes for my train to arrive.    Here's a cool video of it showing up.   They really are fast and "snubnosed"--

Here are some shots taken in the train and out the window.   The distortion is because the train really was moving quite quickly (after all it is a bullet train).    There was some really pretty countryside on the way to Hiroshima station:

Transferred at Hiroshima Station to local line running to Miyajimaguch... took about another 25 minutes but got off and headed towards the Pier where the ferry leaves for Miyajima from (a few minute walk).    On the way I saw something special:

Got to the ferry building and bought a ticket (about $1.70) and then headed off on the ferry.   When I boarded I called the Ryokan and spoke to them (as best I could and they could back) so that they'd know I was about to arrive -- they said they'd send their guy down to pick me up at the JR station in 10 minutes (which is the length of the ferry ride).

Here are some photos as the ferry approached Miyajima (its a very fast boat ride -- only about 10 minutes across the water from pier-to-pier)

Closer still we get really close to shore and see the Red Torii gate -- at low tide you walk to it, at high tide its in the water--

Video of approach:

Boat docked and we walked off and through the JR Ferry building -- look at one of the first things I saw literally standing right outside the door (almost blocking access to the outside) -- both photo and video!

I'd called Jukeiso Ryokan from the boat and about 5 minutes after I arrived a small minivan arrived.   The driver was the one described in the reviews of the web site -- an older man who spoke pretty good english and gave me an "E-ticket' ride through the twisty streets of Miyajima up to the Ryokan.   Sorry, no photos of the ride, but it was a zig-zag through narrow streets, dodging walking tourists, locals, deer and other cars.   He pointed out the aquarium, the museum, the path up to the Mount Misen, and many other spots along the way.

When we arrived I was greeted by many other staff members and made to feel welcome.    They have both a public onsen as well as a private one that you reserve in 30 minute windows.   So they checked me in and asked when I'd like to use it -- picked 5:30 for private onsen, 6:30 for dinner (informed it would be served in my room) and 7:30am for breakfast (served in a common area on the 1st floor).

I was taken to my room on the 2nd floor and given a "tour" of the room by a very nice staff member.   Turns out she is from Argentina on a three month exchange program (in the hospitality business).   She leaves tuesday -- too bad!    Her english was very good!

Here are some photos of my room -- quite large by Japanese standards and included a front area that

had a bathroom, a shower/sink set of rooms, a shoe storage area, and a little minibar/freezer/tea station.

Also a great photo taken out the window of my room towards the Torii gate

I cleaned up and had about an hour before my private onsen reservation, so I headed out down the steep stairs to walk through town down to the Torii gate:

Here's a shot looking back up the stairs i just went down:

Turns out that the sand is alive with things -- here's a video of a little pool just past the gate:

Well, getting close to "onsen" time so I headed back towards the Ryokan.   On the way I saw a few more "locals" commuting home and snapped a few more pictures:

Here's a video of someone on their commute home... actually, pretty true.   Apparently the deer know when the tourists leave (or the sun is going down) and they head back up into the hills for the night...

Back at the Ryokan I prepared for my private onsen.   Since it was a private onsen (not a shared room) I snuck in my iphone and took some pictures and video (careful not to get myself "exposed" in any way that I would be concerned about, so you don't have to worry!)

The first room in the onsen was just a sink and a place to store your shoes... Not worth a picture (and very small; hard to photo).   A sliding door opened into the next area - also small.   This is where you store your yukata before sliding open the next glass door into the cleaning room and actual onsen bath area.

Here's a picture of the cleaning area with the shower portion turned on.   The idea being that because this a shared bath (even in a private onsen; you don't drain the water between bathers) it is important that each person clean off before entering the shared water.    So you wash down before entering the bath.    The general instructions seem to be wash down, enter bath and soak, then back to washing area to wash off more with soap and shampoo, then back into bath.   I usually wash down and soap/shampoo and wash that all off and then go to the bath (either way, wash off all soap/shampoo!)

Wide angle panoramic picture of the rest of the private onsen (somewhat distorted because of the panoramic nature of the shot)

And the view out the window:

So here are some more photos which do a little more justice to the onsen -- note that its about 10 feet by 8 feet in an "L" shape...

After soaking for about 25 minutes I headed back to my room and awaited my dinner, which was served Kanseki style (course by course) in my room --

Then some tofu

And some "salad"

Then one of the most amazing things -- a combo I had not had before (well, maybe something a little similar a few nights ago).    This was described to me as potato in a thick sauce -- but this did not do it justice.   It was a potato ball stuffed with ground pork in a savory sauce with some seasoning.    Kind of a cross between a really savory shepards pie and a matzo ball!    Wow!   I wish I had more than this one it was so very good!

Then a wonderful noodle wrapped fish came out -- I think it was baked tai, but very nice.   Served in a green sauce which may have been pea based ... not sure, but very nice dish!

This was followed by a Katsu of local oysters -- also very good:

Then it was time to light the "hot pot steamer" and have the pork and veggies steam and simmer themselves to perfection.   These took about 5 minutes to cook and were then dipped in a slight mustard sauce and eaten with a bowl of white rice.   I didn't make it through all of this -- too much food, but it was high quality and tasted great:

Then a bit of tea and miso along with the pickled veggies that come with miso:

Then it was time for dessert, but it was suggested that rather than eating it in my room that I ascend to the 4th floor restaurant area and eat it there so I could take in the last light and the lit torii gate.   I was asked to wait a few minutes and then escorted upstairs:

 Wow!  What a day.   Headed back to my room where they had made up a futon for me.   Plugged in all my cameras and phone to charge and went to sleep!