Kyoto

We walk into the train station and suddenly realize we have no clue how to find our train to Kyoto. CJ checks the ticket and we find our train platform and board the train with four minutes to spare.

We take the Hikari Shinkansen bullet train to Kyoto using a JR pass that allows us unlimited travel over the course of seven days. We attain speeds of 285 km/hr (178 mph). 

At that speed, we note the many tunnels some of which are very long. Japan is a very mountainous country.

We arrive in Kyoto. Our guide is waiting at the exit to our train carriage. She must have known where the train would stop. We eventually discover that the efficient Japanese stop the bullet train at the precise location every time and that the entrance gates are numbered with the coach number.

We find older parts of the city charming and quaint. We pass through Gion, the geisha district. The are many women, and men walking the streets dressed in kimonos.

We take a break from the heat. The texture of this treat is strange but it tastes good.

The day's highlight is a tour and tasting at the Matsui Sake brewery with George. He hails from New York City and conducts a fantastic tour followed by an amazing tasting of 4 premium sakes.