We went down to the lobby at 6:30 expecting to see it bubbling with activity. Only it wasn't. We were the only ones there. So we roamed out back to see the hotel's waterfall wall and koi pond (complete with plastic deer, of course.) Then we roamed around the back alleys surrounding our hotel. And that's when we discovered that the Japanese are obsessed with vending machines. They're everywhere. Even in residential neighborhoods. EVERYWHERE. Like, go 2 blocks and there's another set. Yes, another set. I mean, like 67 kinds of unidentifiable drink options on every other street. I guessed really well and got this stuff called Qoo because of the animated creatures on the bottle. And now I am obsessed with Qoo. I had Qoo 5 times Wednesday. I love Qoo. And I love those adorable little animated characters.
We stopped at a bakery and got these AMAZING and unidentifiable breakfast pastries. There was a little old woman there who was very excited to see us. She kept bowing her head and talking to us as though we understood. We played along. For like 5 minutes. She was adorable. I've heard many times about legendary Japanese customer service and just plain kindness and it's been nothing but true. I kept thinking how shocked Japanese folks must be when they travel to the U.S. and get our...well...our "legendary customer service."
Back to the hotel at 7:40am, we caught the hotel shuttle to the Kyoto train station to catch our train to Himeji. As we drove along to the train station, I couldn't help but notice the hundreds of uniformed school kids riding bikes and walking and giggling with each other. We got to our platform at the train station and waited for our 8:22 train. It got there at 8:21. It left for Himeji at 8:22. I can't even begin to describe the efficiency. If you blink, you will miss your train. It is crazy and perfectly organized at the same time. Oh, and my obsessive self should mention that the trains are ridiculously clean. Like, CLEAN. And fast. And cute. They have these adorable pointed noses and I really think they're the most adorable trains I've ever seen.
At Himeji, we followed the herd to the national treasure Himeji Castle. For some reason, I thought the 'herd' at these sites would include a lot of non-Japanese people. Nope. It's pretty much been us. I think so far we've seen 3 other non-Japanese couples and another guy we talked to from Ireland. I love that. I love that we're going to touristy things, but that the tourists are all 'local'. Anyway, the castle is just freakin' fantastic. It was built in 1346 and finished in 1609 and is just stunning. I hope the pictures do it some justice.
Afterward we went to the Japanese Gardens (kokoen) in Himeji. BEAUTIFUL. We got the chance to watch some of the gardeners shaping the trees--quite a sight. (And now D's got some new ideas for our Japanese maples, apparently...) While there I noticed that 98% of the Japanese women carried parasols to protect them from the sun. Cultural differences are fascinating to me. At home, most women are lathering up with suntan lotion every chance they get while here women avoid the sun like the plague. Interesting. Anyway, we stumbled upon a Japanese tea house off the beaten path and D convinced me to go in for traditional tea and cake. We removed our shoes and went through the tea house to a room where we knelt down and were served omatcha (frothy, thickish green tea) and a sweet rice flour tea cake filled with bean curd. This service came complete with the bowing ceremony and I was grateful for the practice prior to our stay at the ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) on Saturday. I'm still nervous about that, though. I haven't had any practice communal bathing yet.
Next we caught the train from Himeji to Kobe where we caught the subway into the city center. After a brief stop for food and a look around, we took the subway back to the train station and asked about finding Nunobiki Falls, Japan's "most impressive waterfalls" (according to Fodor's, at least) that have been written about since the 10th century. After gathering a small group of train station employees around our map and a game of charades, we were headed out behind the train station to begin our hike. We started on the path up to the Falls when the path split...and we took the wrong way. We wound up climbing half-way up the small mountain before realizing it. All along the way there were these crazy suspended caterpillars we had to watch our for. Eeeeeeew. Seriously. So we climbed back down and then back up the right path to the falls. And they were soooooo worth the gross caterpillars and burning thighs.
D amazes me. He is soooo good with languages and getting around. He remembers more Japanese than he thought he would and is actually able to communicate pretty well. People seem so surprised when he greets them. It's cute. And he pretty much has the subway system and trains memorized and that is no small task. There are so many transport options and so many trains. I'm glad he has it all straight. (I'm just along for the ride.)
Back at the station, we caught the train back to Kyoto. It was a very full and very amazing day. I looked at D yesterday, Qoo in hand, and said, "I love it here." He agrees. We're off to Hiroshima and Miyajima Thursday. More after that!
A few photos from Wednesday: Don't scribble on the castle...Me and Qoo...Me and an adorable pointy-nosed train...Himeji Castle...Parasols...Self portrait in the gardens...Nunobiki Falls.
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