Takayama to Kyoto

Breakfast was different this morning. It was a set tray and the variety was interesting. A bit of a taste and eat exercise.

Our driver changeover happens today. After 6 days they must rest. Yoshi-san did a great job. Our bus is immaculate and his driving over the alps yesterday was excellent.

We are at Shirakawa-gō Village, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that has more than 100 'Gassho-style' houses which feature steeply-pitched thatched roofs. They must be a fire hazard. Built many hundreds of years ago, these historic houses stand together in a
beautiful natural setting. In winter the village is blocked in by deep snow falls. The water runs off the mountain throughout the village. They use the icy cold flow to chill drinks! The houses all have rice paddy’s as the main crop.

The mountain road trip continues. There are over 10,000 tunnels in Japan. It is the only way you could get around in this country. Clever engineering.

Heaps of bus and roadhouse time today. The blossom we are seeing now is in full bloom so we are looking forward to more exploring.

Soon we are arriving in Kyoto where we will stay 3 nights. It gets a bit challenging when you only do overnight stays. Our tour guide Ken is excited because this is his home town.

The hotel is our first hiccup on the tour. Rooms are squeezy Japaneezy so we asked them to remove the table and chair so we can open our suitcases. Oh well we have been spoilt up until now.Lue lisää