Hi friends, I was going to do one last load of laundry in the morning, but it got late and I just got ready and left instead. I’ve only done laundry twice the entire trip! We took the (very crowded, especially for a Saturday morning) train to Tsukiji, near Ginza and the former home of…
Author: Alex Bitterman
12/21 Tokyo
Hi friends, Today’s solstice! It’s a little weird to not be home celebrating. I woke up feeling pretty good (Jake’s ears were still ringing a little) and took the subway to Shinjuku. The train line we’re on (Hibiya) isn’t the most convenient (it’s still pretty good) and we’re on the other side of the city,…
12/20 Tokyo
Hi friends, We slept in after all the meat we consumed the night before. The room was so small our beds took up the entire floor (literally, the mattresses were side by side), and the temperature kept changing, so it was a bit hard to sleep. I sound like I’m complaining and I hope I…
12/19 Yamanouchi–>Tokyo
Hi friends, I’m a few days behind but just catching up now with decent internet and some more free time. I’m having trouble uploading photos again so I will update again in a couple of days. We woke up early and I washed before 8am breakfast. I was pretty disappointed. The breakfast included a tiny…
12/18 Yamanouchi
Hi friends, We woke up late in Yudanaka. I’m pretty good with sleeping on the floor, and it’s certainly preferable to shitty guesthouse beds, but it will be nice to sleep in a really good bed at home. The baths are only open from 4pm to 9am so I didn’t shower. We walked up past…
12/17 Kanazawa–>Matsumoto–>Yudanaka
Hi friends, I woke up and took a quick shower before grabbing a taxi to Kanazawa Station. I feel like I use the same action words a lot: grab, head, etc, but I guess they’re descriptive. We had a little time before our train (I always want even more time in the station, there’s usually…
12/16 Kanazawa
Hi friends, It’s really difficult getting the heat right so you’re warm enough during the night but it doesn’t get too warm. The units require constant adjustment. We slept in for a change and around 11:30 we walked to Curio Espresso for coffee and a light bite. Curio is run by an American guy from…
12/15 Kyoto–>Kanazawa
Hi friends, We had our last included breakfast at the hotel and gave omiyage (little gifts) to the front desk to thank all of them for their wonderful help. We grabbed a taxi to the station area and made a stop at Kurasu Coffee, which I’d been thinking about since I’d been there yesterday. The…
12/14 Kyoto
Hi friends, I enjoyed the free breakfast again. We walked through Higashiyama and stopped at the % Arabica Coffee here, which was much quieter and more pleasant than the Arashiyama location (although it was mobbed at 5pm when I walked by the other day). I had a cappuccino, which is a drink I’ve been enjoying…
12/13 Kyoto and Nara
Hi friends, We once again had the included breakfast in the hotel, complete with serviceable coffee and the friendliest staff I can ever remember at a hotel. We walked quickly to the Keihan Railway station, which is a commuter train that runs frequently. We took it 3 stops and changed at Tofokuji (which is yet…