Date: 22nd March, 2015
After exploring Gion, I crossed over to the other side of Shijo Street.
Continue reading “Japan: Kyoto – Nishiki market and Teramachi” »
Personal website of Mithun Divakaran, a guy you may or may not know -- or like.
Date: 22nd March, 2015
After exploring Gion, I crossed over to the other side of Shijo Street.
Continue reading “Japan: Kyoto – Nishiki market and Teramachi” »
Date: 22nd March, 2015
After arriving in Kyoto by bullet train and checking in to Shiori-an Guesthouse, I began my sightseeing walk around Kyoto. Nishi and Higashi Honganji, two Shin Buddhism temples, were close to where I was staying, so I first went there.
Or so it claims. I don’t know if it still remains the largest wooden structure, especially after having seen The Sanctuary of Truth in Pattaya which uses a heck lot of teak wood.
Continue reading “Japan: Kyoto – Nishi & Higashi Honganji, Shijo street, and Gion” »
Date: 22nd March, 2015
It was another early morning wake up for me. Yesterday was a pleasant first day of sightseeing in Akihabara and Ginza, but it was time to leave Tokyo already. My plan was to go to Kyoto and Himeji before returning to Tokyo in time (hopefully) for the sakura bloom across the city. I planned to go to Kyoto by the Nozomi shinkansen — the fastest bullet train in Japan. The Nozomi (N700 series) travels at a top speed of 300km/hr, whereas the Hikari trains run slightly slower and stop at a lot more stations. This being my first time in a bullet train, I figured I might as well experience the best.
I bought my ticket at the counter at Tokyo station. It cost ¥13080 (₹7100/$109/€96) — a lot of money for a one way trip. But I really wanted to get on the fastest train in Japan. For those who are wondering why I didn’t buy a JR Pass, the minimum cost of a JR Rail Pass is ¥29,110 (₹15810/$243/€215) and that’s valid for 7 days. Now, as per my itinerary, I would be taking at the most 3 train trips and after calculating the cost of each journey (you can do that on this website), I realized I would be spending slightly less than that. Also, the Nozomi trains are not included in the JR Passes, which is stupid because the fares for some routes are the same whether you ride the Nozomi or the Hikari.
I had to board my train quickly as I only had a few minutes before its scheduled departure. For routes on the Tōkaidō line, there are trains leaving every 10 minutes or so. The bullet trains don’t stay too long on one platform — and if you haven’t heard, the trains in Japan are extremely punctual! I couldn’t even take a photo of the train before it departed because I was rushing to get in before the doors closed.
It was past Yokohama that the Nozomi really started to hit top speed, and you could feel it! Like the force pushing your body back as the velocity increased. After I felt stabilized, I got up to find the right car and my seat as per my ticket. Continue reading “Japan: Riding a bullet train for the first time, Tokyo to Kyoto” »