Travelling To Tokyo

After looking around Kyoto Station we finally made it to our platform to catch the Shinkansen back to Tokyo. Waiting for this train was an experience in itself. There were designated spots for the train to stop, just so that the doors would be at an exact  point when they opened. At these points, there were queuing lines, so there were no pushing & shoving to get on the train. Everything was orderly.

The trains and the platforms were also beautifully clean, as was everything we experienced in Japan. I did mention before about the shoes off experiences in the temples & shrines, and it was also shoes off in most of the restaurants. Hand bags were something else. These were never to be placed on the floor or over the back of a chair. They were to be placed on the seat beside you or behind you, but never on the floor. A Few places provided baskets under the tables to place handbags into while eating

It was also interesting to note the English signs for us tourists. I was still playing follow the leader at this point, but I think I could have found it all by myself if I had to.

We had walked from our hotel to the train station ( about 15 minutes) , then all around the station, all the while dragging our luggage with us. Consequently it was nice to get on the train. It had been drizzling with rain when we left, and as we approached Tokyo the rain got heavier. It was a two hour journey back to Tokyo, some down time that we all took to catch up on sleep, just rest, or in my case catch up on some journal writing,

Kyoto Station - The View From The Roof with Typhoons

We did make it up all those escalators I spoke of yesterday, to check out the view from the top. There was a clear barrier ( glass or perspex I am not sure) so the view was not inhibited, but what it did give was raindrops and reflections.

Yes it was raining that day, the beginnings of a typhoon. It was all over the news & I was on the understanding that we were heading away from it. Someone informed me that we were heading right into it. Mmmm....... if anyone really knows me they will know that storms are my phobia, and to hear that we were heading into the typhoon set me into a mild panic. I need not to have worried, as if the rain & wind we went through was a typhoon, then Japan has nothing on Sydney's thunderstorms. Yes it was wet and rainy, and wetter and more heavy as we headed into Tokyo, but I have seen worse, much, much worse. It was nothing that a little umbrella and my trusty poncho could not handle.

Kyoto Station Pt 4

Remember the escalator I mentioned a few days back? This is the view of the escalator on the way back down from the roof. It was a little daunting catching this thing with luggage in tow. I think it rivals the one at Sydney's Wynyard station as far as steepness. There were about 4 escalators in all to get from the ground floor up to the roof, and they were all quite long and steep.

Kyoto Station Pt 3

Another view from the top of Kyoto Station down into it's depths. I love the roof line of this section, it could lead to a piece of creative stitching sometime in the future.

Kyoto Station Pt 2

Yesterday I showed you a view of Kyoto station from the ground up. Today it is a view from one of the viewing platforms down. A little too cold and sterile for my taste, especially after all the beautiful timber structures we had seen the day before

Kyoto Station

In stark contrast to what we had spent the last two days looking at, this is Kyoto Station. Very very modern compared to all the temples and shrines that we had seen the day before.We were here to catch the Shinkasen train back to Tokyo, and had arrived a little early to have a little look around.

Size wise, it is similar to Sydney's Central Station, but much higher. There are shops, viewing platforms, and of course the trains. I think there may even be a hotel in there too if I remember correctly. If you look closely you will see the escalator that will take us to the roof,  but that's for another day.