Kyoto Calling - Arrival

riding the "bullet train"

I have a seat on the Shinkansen (aka the bullet train) and I arrive at the terminal. But my ticket will not get me through the gate. A security person escorts me to the JR ticket counter where I am told that, although I bought a seat on the train, I needed a local ticket too. It was a mere 7000 yen to purchase the second ticket and I had to use the local ticket as well as the Shinkansen ticket to get through the gate. After getting on the train and finding my seat, I am able to relax. Of course, I had a window seat and there was no one else in my row. The weather was cloudy and rainy so the views weren't that great (I'll post pictures another time, I'm posting this at the Narita airport!). There is a tremendous amount of space around me and I arrive at Kyoto well relaxed.

The map at Kyoto station showed the hotel (Tokyu Hotel) to be rather close, so I decided to walk. Two hours later, I arrived at the hotel. In between, I stopped at two temples, a Seven Eleven, a pachinko parlor, a store selling washi (handmade paper) and a Lawson to ask for directions. Somewhere in between these stops I got lost several times. I arrived at the hotel with my clothes soaking wet and me slightly dehydrated. Now, I had reservations for a tour bus at 4:30. At 2:45 I sat down on the bed and fell asleep.