01/29/2020 - Day 34 - Kyoto, Japan

After one last breakfast and one last look out of the hotel room at the Tokyo Bay, we took the hotel shuttle to Shinagawa Station because that's where our train, the Shinkansen Nozomi, was leaving punctually at 1:37 pm, heading towards Kyoto. The price for the round trip is 38,100 yen, which is approximately 316€. Per person, mind you! Okay..... it was also first class 😉

However, what followed was worth every penny. We had the rare luck to see Mount Fuji in all its glory, completely clear, with snow-covered slopes, and within reach. Most of the year, it is veiled in clouds and hardly visible. It was an overwhelming sight and we were truly exhilarated for the remainder of the journey.

And our accommodation, "The Thousand," in Kyoto is an absolute 5-star gem of a hotel, with very minimalist and modern Zen-style furnishings, which further added to the whole experience in the afternoon. By the way, in our deluxe room on the top (9th) floor, there are no switches. Everything, from the lights to the curtains to the air conditioning, is controlled with the iPad provided.

In the evening, we went to the world-famous Geisha district of Gion, where we participated in an almost 2-hour, very interesting tour, during which we learned a lot about the tea houses and the culture of Geishas.