Wrapping up the 3 final cruise days. Friday, we were back in Kobe for another overnight stay. We went to Kyoto from the port and I'd have to call it a 5 experience day. Experience #1 was taking the train to Kobe. Right at the port, we got the train to central Kobe, a 2 stop ride.
At the central station, after just a little bit of searching (sometimes you simply have to take a moment to read the signs), we got on the JR Rapid Express for the 50 minute rise to Kyoto. It was quite a sight to see how politely the Japanese people lined up to board the train. And, there is a special place for special needs people to line up and then to sit on the train.
The station in Kyoto is virtually across the street for the Kyoto Tower - experience #2.
After the crowd we encountered at the Tokyo Tower, we were surprised and pleased that we were able to go right up, no waiting. Notice the nice clear views from the tower. More on that later.
After the tower, it was time for experience #3 - lunch at Kyoto Bowl. Well, not really Kyoto Bowl but bowls at a nice fast food restaurant in Kyoto, Sukiya. Linda had tuna and I had teriyaki eel, quite good.
After lunch, it was time for experience #4, a visit to the Higashi Hongan-ji Shrine, which we could see from the tower.
The grounds were beautiful and the inside of the shrine was amazing. Unfortunately, photos are not allowed inside.
And, lastly, experience #5 was a visit to the nearby Shoseien Garden, a typically lovely Japanese garden and cherry blossoms!
We really enjoyed our 5 experiences in Kyoto.
Saturday, we took a ship's excursion, Panoramic Osaka. The first stop was at Osaka Castle where we had time to walk the grounds. We would have preferred an excursion that took us inside the castle but, the 100 steps to the top were out of the question. The grounds made for a nice walk and the weather was perfect.
The only downside was the lack of cherry blossoms, but here's what it might have looked like had our timing been better.
Before leaving the castle grounds, we indulged in a 10-yen-pan, a custard filled pastry.
The last stop on the excursion was at the Umeda Sky Tower. It has a nice outdoor observation deck.
You may have noticed that the air was not as clear as the day before. That is attributed to what they call Yellow Sand, a mixture of sand and industrial pollution that blows in from China. More on that later.
And the last port of call on Sunday was a return to Shimizu, where the Yellow Sand made for quite a contrast in the visibility of Mount Fuji from when we were there 2 weeks ago.
This time we took the shuttle bus into town. We did a quick, obligatory visit to the shopping street.
Then we headed for our real destination, the Kashi-no-Ichi Fish Market.
The market was quite busy on a Sunday afternoon and we eventually found a small restaurant to sample the seafood. A great lunch experience for a whopping $24.
And now the cruise has ended. We are both pleased by how much Linda was able to do. It exceeded our expectations. I admire her perseverance and am so proud of her. Now it's off to the next adventure.
Peace and blessings,
Linda and Larry
You visit an awful lot of towers with viewing platforms. What's the draw?
ReplyDeleteThe views of cities we have not visited before and the easy accessibility.
ReplyDelete