Moving to Kyoto

The first Shinkansen line opened in 1964 just before the Tokyo Olympics. Since then the network has expanded and now links most of Japan's major cities, carrying over 16 million passengers a year. The trains are fast, running on dedicated tracks built on stilts and with shallow curves. We are travelling on a Nozomi train this morning, the latest and fastest Shinkansen train, with a maximum speed of 186 mph, covering the 280 mile journey to Kyoto in just over 2 hours. The seats are very comfortable and there is even more legroom than on a KLM flight.

The name Kyoto, is written as 2 kanji characters (京都). The first character (kyo), means "capital" and the second character (to) means "city" and Kyoto was the imperial capital of Japan for approximately a thousand years until 1868. You could be forgiven for thinking that Tokyo must therefore mean "City Capital" but the "to" sound in Tokyo is a different kanji character (東 meaning "eastern"), so Tokyo is "Eastern Capital". There ends the lesson in Japanese history (and/or geography).

On the itinerary for today was a visit to Nijo Castle. Gaining entry was always going to be tight as check-in to our hotel was at 3 pm and last entry to the castle was at 4 pm. We made it with about 30 seconds to spare. As we were rushing towards the entrance, we could see 2 security staff getting poised to hold aloft their signs that said the gate was closed, while behind them the gate staff were waving frantically for us to hurry. As we arrived. one of the staff was already using the ticket machine for us. In Japan rules are rules, not guidelines, and I firmly believe that 30 seconds more and we would have been turned away at the gate.

Nijo Castle was completed in 1603 and served as the Kyoto residence of the Tokugawa Shogunate until 1867. It was eventually donated to the city and opened to the public as a historic site. The castle is one of the best surviving examples of Japanese palace architecture and is a World Heritage Site. The first thing you notice as you walk along the wooden corridors (in your socks - no shoes allowed) is the noise. The ancient wooden floors squeak and with groups of people treading the boards the sound is like birdsong, hence the reason they are known as nightingale corridors. Sadly no photos are allowed inside the building and words alone don't describe the serenity and simplicity of the decor. But it is definitely worth a Google.

Our hotel is reassuringly of a good standard. I have been quite concerned about that for a few weeks as it cost about half the price of the others we have booked. The room is smaller but it is better laid out and I even have a desk to write at and there is a nice communal area with free biscuits and saki. Ben has a room on another floor but he visits often.Read more