Japan 2009! 19th-20th December (Day 1)

Here I am sitting in our suite in Kyoto at just after 5am, absolutely knacked and existing outside all known timezones. So what better time to post some pics!

The trip began a good 30hrs ago back in the snowy UK and aside from the odd uncomfortable nap on the plane it’s been go ever since! We aimed to set off from Emmas parents house nice and early on Saturday morning to avoid traffic, so so so cold.

Emma and Lucy busting out the V-sign

Nice chilly Airport car park, where better to wait 35 minutes for a bus?! Everyone waiting was not impressed, surprised the attendant didn’t get lynched!

We made it over in good time though, here we are checking in – onlines the way forward people we totally got to queue jump! It didn’t sit well with some other passengers though :S

Saw this guy through in the departure area, it was early and I found his mere existence most confusing.

We had a couple of hours to kill so we all had something to eat and a bit of a rest.

The Amsterdam plane. Such a short flight – literally as soon as we were up it was time to descend again. They found time to feed us though, yummy sandwiches and a brew!

Again we had a good couple of hours to wait in Amsterdam, so a bit of an UNO tournament was in order! I did ok in my first game, and sucked in the second, beginners luck I guess.

I was lucky enough to bump into this fine gent

This is a novel idea, a giant glass cage for smokers so we don’t have to breathe in their smoke. Amsterdam though – I bet somebodys tried to turn it into a giant bong.

We all did a good bit of walking before the flight as out legs weren’t going to get much exercise for the next ten hours or so, by then it was time to head to the gate!

Japan plane! woo here we come!

What a view! The seats are alot nicer than on BA flights and the entertainment’s probably a little better as games are included!

A little language refresher, it’s important to know the basics.

Din dins, Japanese-style chicken and Noodles, was pretty yum!

I managed to cram a few films in, watched Miami Vice again as I wanted to give it another try – much better than I remembered! Also watched the new version of The Taking of Pelham 123, again awesome. Finally I got pretty much all the way through Departures(Oscar winning foreign language film) but the entertainment system shut off earlier than expected and I missed the last 10 minutes. Will definitely watch on the flight home.

Nearly there!

I see you Japan, it’s been a while!

It’s our first time flying into Kansai International and I have to say it was about as stress-free an experience as any arrival could be, hardly any queues at all, and by the time we got to baggage reclaim all out stuff was there, fantastic!

We headed out of the Airport to the adjoining station, managed to sort out tickets on the Haruka train to Kyoto and off we went!

The Airport is built on reclaimed land out on the water, so here we are zooming back onto the mainland

We passed some awesome buildings along the way to Kyoto…

Rollercoaster building!

Ball building!

The trip took a little over an hour, it was nice to just sit back and enjoy the ride in a seat that doesn’t require you to have the smallest legs ever!

Upon arrival at Kyoto station, we were greeted by the Hotel staff, who sent for a porter to collect our luggage, totally weren’t expecing that but it was very nice of them as it was a bit of a walk to the station!

And here’s the famous station itself. This picture really doesn’t capture how massive it is, in the background are no less than 6 escalators leading up seemingly forever!

The Hotel is amazing, I always say that I know but this one takes the cake! All the staff are so very nice and friendly, and turns out we got upgraded to a suite for the whole stay!

A letter and gift welcoming us were waiting when we arrived in our suite, so nice!

And here’s the room before we make a terrible mess of it with clothes etc

Our living room bit

And the bedroom, bed is HUGE!

Finally, check out our incredible view

Wow! who needs Kyoto tower eh?

The suite looks down onto the taxi rank for the station, there’s always a constant stream of them, I could watch it all day!

We spent a couple of hours settling in and making a much-needed clothes change then ventured into the station to explore

Poking around the shops

Cinnamon Melts, I have been dreaming of these things!

Our view by night, just as amazing!

We headed back to our rooms as everybody seemed pretty tired, Em and I got a bit of a second wind and seeing as it was only 19.30 we decided to jump on a couple of subway trains up to the main shopping district – aside from the Tower and what’s in the station itself, the surrounding area of Kyoto station is pretty quiet

Awesome illuminations

Stopped off for a quick crepe, they are so good, again i’ve been dreaming of them!

Emma is such a great future-wifey, she waited patiently while I saw to my Senjou no Kizuna needs. Card still works after a year, in fact it had to upgrade as the games seen some significant changes. As you can see the sticks now have a funky new colour scheme and some extra buttons! Came first in both games somehow, must totally put me in with the noobs!

Baskin & Robbins popping explosion for Emma-san, ice cream on a cold evening you say? Shush!

Had a nice little stroll around the backstreets on the edge of the shopping district and then headed home

There’s a massive musical Christmas tree inside the station so we decided to head up and have a look before bed. Lots of people were sitting enjoying the atmosphere and it was all very Christmassy!

So there we are, Day 1(technically 1 and 2 but who’s counting) Guess I should try and get some more sleep, we have a busy day tomorrow with lots of exploring and a kimono-fitting for the wedding!