Tokyo to Kyoto

Hōkan-ji

in

Fig wrapped in Prosciutto and Charcoal 

Night Light Show

Deck on river at the Shinmonsen

View of the Gion and River from our room

Mt. Fuji

The Art of the Slurp

We had breakfast at the hotel. Cathy wanted to try the hotels Breakfast Ramen. She loved it. Soup for breakfast? Yes, if it doesn't come from a package and is made by a chef. You need to experience Japanese eating a bowl of Ramen. Slurping and making noise is not only acceptable but mandatory to show your approval of the soup. As a westerner slurping is looked down upon. Not in Japan! Cathy however is a reluctant slurper. We checked out of The Edition (we will stay there in the future), after breakfast. 

We were driven to Tokyo Station (the main train depot in Tokyo) and caught the Shinkansen to Kyoto. These high speed trains are amazing. Clean, fast and efficient. It makes you want cry to think of how primitive our transportation grid is in America. Each hotel we stay at sends our luggage to the next hotel. You don't have to cary it on the train. From the train,  we saw Mt. Fuji. Every time I have seen it, I get a little thrill. It is amazing, standing alone, with it ring of snow at the top. You can immediately see why the Japanese venerate Fuji.

Upon arrival we were met after a little confusion by a driver from the Shinmonzen where we are staying. It is located along the river in the Gion (old giesha area) of Kyoto. During World War II, for a number of reasons that are amazing, it was decided that the US would NOT bomb Kyoto.

A bit of history...General Curtis LeMay and other hardliners on the committee choosing atom bomb targets pushed for dropping the bomb on Kyoto - Japan’s ancient capital city. The hardliners said that Kyoto’s destruction would utterly demoralize Japan.Stimson was the chairman of the committee. He held veto power over any vote - and in this case, Stimson exercised that veto power. He said that destroying Kyoto’s priceless artifacts - the Imperial Palace, the Nijo Castle, the many temples and shrines, the museums, and the parks - would be a crime against humanity. Stimson explained his decision to Harry Truman who backed him 100%. Simpson years previously had spent his honeymoon in Kyoto and vowed to save it.

The hotel was designed by the award winning architect Tadao Ando. It has all of signature features (he loves cement and wood). The hotel is very high-end and can't do enough to make you happy. We sat on the deck overlooking the river drinking wine, when the sky lit up with a Kyoto light show where they shine lights upon the ubiquitous clouds.

For dinner we went to an old haunt, Il Ghiottone, an Italian-Japanese restaurant. It is situated next to Hōkan-ji, an absolutely amazing Buddhist Temple. It is built in a pagoda style and towers over the neighborhood.

We had eaten at Il Ghiottone several times in the past, and like its fusion cuisine combining Japanese and Italian cooking. 

When we left, it was raining and they gave us each an umbrella because we didn't bring one from the hotel. We experienced this in the past in Kyoto. It rains so often, stores and restaurants simply give strangers umbrellas with no expectation they will be returned. They figure who ever receives the umbrella will not hoard it but pass it on to the the next person who needs one. It is a beautiful tradition. The food was excellent. We returned to the hotel a successful day behind us.