April 3

We woke up to sunshine and a cloudless sky this morning. We were fervently wishing this was yesterday as we could have hiked Mt Kintoki, but it was not to be. Matt woke up early and went out and walked an hour before the rest of us were ready to go. I did my Onsen experience and then showered and got packed and ready for a travel day. 

More wonderful food. The experience at this AirBnB is one we will never forget. Everything uniquely Japanese, wearing the clothing, following all the hygiene rules with shoes and clothes, and the unbelievably special food. So glad we had this experience. 

We haven’t given up seeing Mt. Fuji. We decided to leave our bags in the luggage locker at the Sounzan station and take the Ropeway back to Owakudani and see the Mountain. Getting our bags into the lockers was a challenge as we had to have 1000 yen in coins. But thanks to Daniel, we figured it out finally, rather Daniel did. We stowed all our bags and boarded the Ropeway. It is a beautiful day but the clouds are starting to roll in. When we came over the hilltop on the Ropeway, there was Mt. Fuji. It isn’t completely clear but we can see the top. And it was literally only a few seconds. The mountain quickly clouded over and we didn’t see it again. 

We headed back to the station, retrieved our bags and got on the cable car. Our goal is to stop in Gora at a famous place that makes tofu fried sandwiches. Per Google, it was open at 10. But when we got there, it did not open until 11. We didn’t dare wait as we have many connections to make today. So we boarded the mountain train which will take us to the station where we will catch the train to Odawara, where we will catch the Shinkansen (bullet train) which will take us to Kyoto. There is also an opportunity to eat a fried tofu sandwich in Odawara, so we haven’t given up hope entirely. Apparently, this is very special and there are only two places in the country where you can eat them, Gora and Odawara.

We arrived at Odawara with about an hour and hoofed it to the restaurant, but it was not to be. There were long lines and we knew it would not be possible. We found a little hole in the wall to get noodles and tempura. Again, fabulous. I know, old story, but it is true. The food is wonderful no matter where you go! I haven’t had any coffee today except a weird coffee out of a machine that was gross and sweetened with Splenda. I tried to get one in the train station but that was not meant to be either. 

On the bullet train! We are on the last leg of our journey. We’ve ridden every kind of train imaginable today. Matt is in heaven of course. The bullet trip went quickly. We made one transfer after about 15 minutes and then another two hours. I spent the time blogging and reading and the time flew by.

We arrived in Kyoto and walked a little way from the station as an Uber could not pick us up at the station. We ended up buying a few junky things from a 7-11, apparently they are the thing in Japan, and waited by the store until an Uber picked us up. So much snack food that is completely alien to us from the United States. Nothing looks like home and everything is interesting. I bought some weird raisin sandwich cookies. Mostly sugar but sort of good. Maybe.

After we settled in to the AirBnB and figured out where we would sleep, we headed out to explore. Just an interesting note, the bedroom Matt and I will be sleeping in has a very narrow steep staircase with no rail but we have a toilet by the bedroom so decided that was best for us. We will need to be careful not to die on the stairs. 

Exploring Kyoto was fun with the millions of others who were exploring it with us. So many people. Very similar to Tokyo except Kyoto has huge highways. It is obvious that more people drive here. We walked along the Kamo River. All the cherry blossoms are out and it is so beautiful. The sun is setting and it is so lovely. 

We walked around the city for a bit and found a place to eat that served Yakitori. Mohan really wanted to try this. It is a type of grilled chicken they do everywhere here over gas at a very high heat. We got every kind of chicken meat imaginable as well as a number of vegetables. It was ok but I’m not crazy about the flavor on the meat. Still really good.

After dinner, we headed to a bar!! A new experience for me. I’m trying to remember if I’ve ever been in a bar in my life. Dan talked us into it and we did some karaoke. He actually talked me into singing a couple songs but we couldn’t get Matt to agree. He was resolute in his stubbornness. Rare for him but I do see it show up once in a while.

Matt and I decided to head home at about 9:30. Dan and Mohan stayed back to enjoy the city for a bit longer. We had a lovely walk home. It is warm and so nice outside. Dropped into bed when we got back to our place. It has been another long day.