Genthar.net: Japan 2008

Well, we arrived in Japan more or less on schedule. Two plane transfers and a bus ride later, we arrived at the Rihga Royal Hotel. It’s a nice hotel. The rooms are reasonably spacious, it’s clean and neat, if a bit conservative in it’s décor. There’s a shuttle bus that runs from the front of the hotel to the train station a few minutes away, which is very convenient. Some minor nitpick points, they charge you ¥1050 / 24hours of internet access per computer. A bit inconvenient if you have multiple computers and no router. Given this fact, the updates are going to be fewer, but larger, so I’m not always paying for the connection.

Also, you can’t really crank the AC down, which is good for the environment but sucks when you’re hot and sweaty and want to cool down NOW. The AC has 4 modes, off, low, med, high. No degree setting or anything. High is adequate to get and keep the room cool eventually, but it’s not really strong enough to crank the temp down in a hurry or give you that quick chill-down mode after you come in from outside.

Speaking of hot and sweaty. Yes, it’s very hot and humid. I estimate it was about 33-35C yesterday which translates to about 91-95F plus the humidity. I went through about 6L of water/fluids yesterday on tour and I was still dehydrated before the end of it. When the sun isn’t out it’s not too bad, but when the sun pops out from behind the clouds…Wow. Just…Wow. On a side note, I’ve been experimenting with some “travel” clothing. Light weight, quick drying, breathable, wicking, etc. the stuff is typically made of nylon or nylon derivatives. I’ve got some shirts and pants from REI, and T-shirts and underwear from TravelSmith.com, though the t-shirts appear to be made by Ex-Officio. The idea is that you pack two sets of clothes (thus not having to lug giant suitcases about if you’re on a long trip), and that you just wash one set in the sink or bathtub and let it dry overnight while you wear the other set. I wasn’t sure how the stuff would work so I bought 3 sets in case stuff wouldn’t dry properly. Well, I can honestly say the stuff works. It breathes, and wicks very well, and washing it in the bathtub then hanging it to dry in the hotel room has worked very well, much better than expected, actually. I probably could have done the 2 sets route, but having the 3 sets gives me a little flexibility. Now, if I was off in the jungle somewhere, they probably wouldn’t dry overnight, but, it’s working well for me here.

Anyway, we did the Kyoto 1-day tour yesterday. Those of you who remember, or went with me on my last trip will recognize the list of locations we went to. Nijo Castle, Kinkakuji Temple, Imperial Palace, Heian Jingu Shrine, Sanjusangendo Temple, and Kiyomizu Temple. I have fewer pictures this time, because I’ve been to these places repeatedly, and by the end I was definitely in the early stages of heat exhaustion.

To change things up a bit, I’m going to try to show some other shots of the areas we went to rather than just the typical images. Anyways, here are the pics:

Here's one of the entry ways to Nijo Castle. Nijo Castle was one of the ancient capitals of Japan. Something I noticed about the old capitals of Japan...they moved around...alot. For a few centuries it's here, for a few centuries it's there...Guess that's what happens when you have a culture that is over 2000 years old.

Here's a closeup of the detail work under the top of the gate:

The gardens on the castle grounds:

The moat surrounding the castle:

My niece, Kaelyn, and my nephew, Dale, in front of Kinkakji:

Postcard shot:

Heian Jingu Shrine:

Being as Heian Jingu is a Shinto shrine, if you are a follower of the Shinto religion, you wash your hands and rinse out your mouth before approaching to speak to the spirits. Here are two of the fountains for that, I thought the figures were interesting.