Left Sparky’s Place early this morning to catch the 6:40 AM ferry.
Not many people were leaving the island at that time.
We practically had the ferry to ourselves. When it docked, we crossed the street to the train station and caught the one going straight to Okayama just as it was leaving. So, great, we got to Okayama three hours before we were booked to ride the bullet train to Kyoto.
Our train held a surprise for us when we noticed a young woman sitting in one of our reserved seats. The mixup was on her end, but it took awhile to get things straightened out as she exchanged Google translated messages with Ella.
The bullet train got us to Kyoto in no time and even among the Friday afternoon throngs of people streaming every which way we had no problem finding the correct subway and got off at the right stop and from there found the correct exit gate and surfaced in a city that had the same busy urban vibe as Osaka. A ten-minute schlep from the train station got us to the Four Sisters, a managed apartment on a relatively quiet street not too far from the Kyoto Gyoen National Garden.
The well-manicured garden the size of a park with lakes and shrines and wide graveled paths is on the 142-acre site of the Kyoto Imperial Palace.
It was growing late in the afternoon and our energy was flagging, so we just ducked in and admired the cherry blossoms and some ancient shrines before locating a recommended restaurant which we’ll talk about after we get some rest.
Japanese scientists have grown artificial chicken nuggets in the lab. We await your food report.