4.5.2019 Leaving Nikko with a heavy heart - arriving in Kyoto full of anticipation

After spending 2 days in Nikko, it was time to say goodbye. A small town that will always hold a special place in my heart. Last night, I had a conversation with a small group of Japanese people. We laughed a lot and tried to communicate in each other's language. It was about understanding different cultures and suddenly, I didn't feel like a stranger anymore. Maybe it's the mentality of the people that they didn't hesitate and were genuinely interested. I checked out this morning and walked to the train station. There was a group of 5 train attendants waiting there, distributing small gifts, taking photos with passengers, and helping them find their seats. The attendants also traveled with us until Otsonomiya and created a pleasant atmosphere on the train. Today, I will be taking a long Shinkansen ride and I only have 15 minutes to transfer in Tokyo. I hope everything goes smoothly. But I am good at transferring quickly. Okay, I decided to take an earlier Shinkansen, so now I have 45 minutes to relax in Tokyo and leisurely walk to the platform, rather than risking missing the connection. Better safe than sorry. I'm on the Shinkansen now, there's a Japanese person sleeping next to me and I'm about to close my eyes too.

Next, I will be checking in to my accommodation in Kyoto for the next 6 days, and I have put together a short itinerary (excluding museums) as follows:

Kyoto - a pre-planned short itinerary

Arashiyama - a beautiful suburb and

Exploring the bamboo groves in this area

Fushimi-Inari-Taisha (the Shinto shrine with 2,000 torii gates)

Kyomizudera

Machiha (two-story wooden houses) - there are only 47,000 of them left, and 1,000 are demolished every year.

Watching movies twice: Detective Conan and Detective Pikachu

You can't visit all 2,000 temples that Kyoto has to offer anyway. So, it's better to follow the Japanese practice of contemplation, minimalism, and focusing on specific highlights.