Trip Report *COMPLETED* I've climbed the mountain, I've crossed the river, and I'm almost there!

Introduction

We've only been back from Japan since Saturday night but I am just itching to get started on this report! We had an absolutely AMAZING trip and I'm not ready to let it go, and writing my TR is one way for me to delay the inevitable return back to "the real world." This was the longest vacation I've ever taken, and like any long trip-or any new experience, for that matter-there were ups and downs, good moments and not-so-good moments. There were mistakes, mishaps, mountains, and monkeys. Yes, monkeys! There were surprises and there was DRAMMA!* There were things we will do differently next time we visit Japan, and believe me, we knew less than halfway through the trip that there WILL be a next time someday!

In case you missed the PTR, here it is: Bee's Big Birthday! There you can read about the cast, the general plans, and the reasons for planning this particular trip.

Now about the title: It's a reference to this song from The Princess and the Frog:

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I have been kind of obsessed with this song lately and I found myself singing it in my head repeatedly during the trip. You'll see why soon!

So, if you're ready for a journey halfway around the world, thousands of photos, and Double Disney bookends, keep reading!

EDIT: The Tokyo Disney stuff starts here.

*I've mentioned it in previous TRs, but I like to spell "dramma" the Italian way because I'm an opera singer and what's more DRAMMAtic than Italian opera?? So please don't think I'm an idiot (for that reason anyway )!

 

[bee]

Loving all the pictures, especially the cats.

What was the vegan burger made of?
Hoping you didn't get ill.

There will be more cats!!!

The burger seemed to be made of some kind of nuts and various vegetables. It was great!

Guess you'll have to keep reading...

 

[Swissmiss]

Your “disturb the neighborhood” sign picture reminded me of the “Wetting floor” sign my daughter and I saw last year as we entered a mall near DLP.

 

[Tuvalu]

What I’ve learned thus far:

Kyoto Station = Dante’s 9 Circles of Hell
Carnivores can eat at any restaurant in Japan. Therefore Carnivore > Vegan

 

[bee]

Your “disturb the neighborhood” sign picture reminded me of the “Wetting floor” sign my daughter and I saw last year as we entered a mall near DLP.

LOL!

What I’ve learned thus far:

Kyoto Station = Dante’s 9 Circles of Hell
Carnivores can eat at any restaurant in Japan. Therefore Carnivore > Vegan

I cannot imagine trying to be vegan in Japan! I mean it’s one thing if you live there and have a kitchen and can go grocery shopping for yourself. But without that it was hard enough just to avoid meat, much less ALL animal products!

 

[dizfan917]

I'm glad your meal was good because I would NEVER in a million years have gone into that door with the sign handwritten on PINK FOAM outside. The menu could use a little graphic design assistance as well. I LOVE all the holiday decor! Thanks for all the great detailed pics.

Don't throw up!! eeeek.

 

[DisSplash]

So glad you all found some food before you got uber hangry and turned into geriatric celebrities ...

I am not vegan or vegetarian, but I have to admit that your dinners did look tasty! I do agree with @dizfan917 though -- it did look a little sketch from the street. I would think that they could use some better signage, although with a packed dining room, the pink foam seems to be working for them?

 

[bee]

I'm glad your meal was good because I would NEVER in a million years have gone into that door with the sign handwritten on PINK FOAM outside. The menu could use a little graphic design assistance as well. I LOVE all the holiday decor! Thanks for all the great detailed pics.

Don't throw up!! eeeek.

We found that this was just...a thing...in Japan. Just because stuff is handwritten doesn't mean it's sketchy.

So glad you all found some food before you got uber hangry and turned into geriatric celebrities ...

I am not vegan or vegetarian, but I have to admit that your dinners did look tasty! I do agree with @dizfan917 though -- it did look a little sketch from the street. I would think that they could use some better signage, although with a packed dining room, the pink foam seems to be working for them?

Yeah we found that lots of restaurants looked "sketchy" from an American perspective but they weren't at all.

 

[bee]

Day 7, cont.

We kept walking toward Gion, which is supposed to contain "the most beautiful street in Kyoto."

It was pretty, but I was feeling so sick that I couldn't appreciate it. I'm pretty sure I looked like this:

As we were trying to figure out what to do, we stopped on a corner and a man with traditional dress, wooden "geisha" shoes, and a paper umbrella covering his face walked by. He was definitely an authentic...something??? He was very confident walking in the shoes and was covering his face so he wasn't just a tourist looking for attention. So, we didn't end up seeing a real geisha, but we did see whatever that guy was!

There was a train station nearby so we headed that direction to get back to Kyoto Station.

On the way...

Up next: ANOTHER HUGE MISTAKE!!!

 

[bee]

Day 7, cont.

This will be a wordy post. I did not take photos while this was happening and soon you'll understand why.

We arrived at the train station and got on the first train that arrived. At first I thought it was going to Kyoto Station, but we were actually on the other side of the river and would need to transfer to a different line after taking this train for a few stops.

When we got on we noticed that this train was rather fancy inside. It had two levels of seats and all the seats were very plushy and comfortable. We also noticed that we were the only ones standing.

We heard an announcement that this was an express train and required reserved tickets (not just a Pasmo swipe). So we were clearly not supposed to be on this train. We decided to just get off at the next stop and hope so one saw us on a train we hadn't paid for and weren't supposed to be on.

The next stop was announced and it was Tamabashi. Not knowing where that was, I looked it up on Google Maps.

Now, to help you experience something of what we were experiencing, I would like you to open Google Maps in your browser or app, and look up where Tamabashi is compared to Kyoto. Try looking up driving directions. I'll wait.

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That's right, it is over 200 km from Kyoto!!!

I turned to the others in panic and asked what the [redacted] we were supposed to do?? We were on a train we weren't supposed to be on, the next stop was 200 km away, AND I still felt barfy (and more so now that we were on this train!!!).

To say I was freaking out would be an understatement. The others were all trying to calm me down but how could I possibly calm down??? I am sure we were getting plenty of stares from the passengers who were actually supposed to be on the train, enjoying their luxurious express ride.

I double checked the screen that had announcements, and double checked the spelling of the next stop. I had missed a letter and it was actually TamBabashi. Now, take a minute to look up the distance between Kyoto and Tambabashi. I'll wait.
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Feeling better now? So was I! Crisis averted! Or, really, there never was a crisis other than us being on a train we weren't supposed to be on. DARN those Japanese trains that share the same tracks!!!

So, we got off at TamBabashi, which was just a little out of the way, and transferred to a different line that would actually take us back to Kyoto Station!

Back at Kyoto Station, we were deciding where to go for dinner. I still felt gross so I told the others they could pick where to go because I wasn't hungry and couldn't eat anything anyway. M asked if I wanted to just go back to the hostel and I said yes if she didn't mind coming with me. So, S and J went to eat somewhere and M and I began the journey out of Kyoto Station.

For once we actually made it out without twisting and turning. We stopped at a 7-Eleven first for M to get something to eat. I also got some kind of sports drink I think. M got some potato chips and we attempted to use Google Translate to figure out what flavor they were:

Uh...yum??

I don't have any more photos from this day. I think I took a shower and felt a little better and then went right to bed. I didn't actually end up vomiting, so yay? I think this was the last day of me feeling crappy, FINALLY.

Day 7 Stats
Distance: 9.3 miles
Steps: 23390
Flights: 64

Up next: Our last full day in Kyoto. Bus adventure, Golden Pavilion, Shogun Palace, and more not-Japanese food!

 

[bee]

Day 8: Monday, December 24

Once again the day began with breakfast from 7-Eleven and instant coffee. I was really missing regular ol' drip coffee by this point!

And once again, our travels began at Kyoto Station. This time we actually needed to be on the north side of the station, because today's itinerary involved using the city bus system.

This building (the real one) was destroyed and this building (the model) was created to remember it.

The sky was blue and we had a great view of Kyoto Tower!

If only we had seen this the first day!!! And we were very close to this area that day!!! In fact, there were lots of guides wearing buttons that said, "English" so we would know they spoke English! We asked one which bus to take to get to the Golden Pavilion and he not only told us which line to take, he made sure we had the correct tickets and gave us a map in English!

Reflection of Kyoto Tower in the station building

Not this bus...

Here's our bus!

Bye, Kyoto Station!

We departed right on time (big shocker!) and began the journey. On Kyoto buses (and maybe in other parts of Japan too?) you enter through a door in the center, then pay at the end and exit through the front door by the driver.

Hello, other bus!

I used Google Translate for this. It was something like "sit down so you don't get injured."

We rode further and further away from the city center.

Up next: We arrive at the Golden Pavilion!

 

[KellBelle]

Wow! What a cool trip! I have thoroughly enjoyed this so much so far! Can't wait to read about the rest. Keep up the pics!

 

[DisSplash]

Happy to see some blue sky finally!

 

[bee]

Wow! What a cool trip! I have thoroughly enjoyed this so much so far! Can't wait to read about the rest. Keep up the pics!

Thank you! I'm really enjoying reliving it here

Happy to see some blue sky finally!

Yeah, it made a much better background for photos!

 

[bee]

Day 8, cont.

Throughout our bus ride we heard clear, automated stop announcements in both Japanese and English. By the end we felt very confident about getting around via bus. Also, the driver stopped at each stop and then left at the scheduled time, so the bus never left anyone early!

Finally we arrived at our stop. We each paid via Pasmo and thanked the driver as we exited.

I think we paid 400 yen per person for admission for the Golden Pavilion (Kinkakuji). It has a long history as both a shogun residence and a zen temple dating back to at least the 15th century. It has been burned several times, so the current building is actually from the 1950s. Some further reading if you're interested: https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3908.html

After a short walk through the grounds we arrived at THE Golden Pavilion!

Up next: a bunch more photos of the Golden Pavilion!

 

[bee]

Day 8, cont.

The gardens around the pavilion were just as lovely as the building itself, especially on a bright day like today.

You can't really tell from my photos, but it was SUPER crowded even though we arrived at opening. It's a very popular tourist destination and on the way out we passed a parking lot full of giant tour buses.

After enjoying the grounds we stopped by the bathroom.

Up next: Hot lemonade!

 

[Darstarr]

Day 7, cont.

This will be a wordy post. I didn't not take photos while this was happening and soon you'll understand why.

We arrived at the train station and got on the first train that arrived. At first I thought it was going to Kyoto Station, but we were actually on the other side of the river and would need to transfer to a different line after taking this train for a few stops.

When we got on we noticed that this train was rather fancy inside. It had two levels of seats and all the seats were very plushy and comfortable. We also noticed that we were the only ones standing.

We heard an announcement that this was an express train and required reserved tickets (not just a Pasmo swipe). So we were clearly not supposed to be on this train. We decided to just get off at the next stop and hope so one saw us on a train we hadn't paid for and weren't supposed to be on.

The next stop was announced and it was Tamabashi. Not knowing where that was, I looked it up on Google Maps.

Now, to help you experience something of what we were experiencing, I would like you to open Google Maps in your browser or app, and look up where Tamabashi is compared to Kyoto. Try looking up driving directions. I'll wait.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

That's right, it is over 200 km from Kyoto!!!

I turned to the others in panic and asked what the [redacted] we were supposed to do?? We were on a train we weren't supposed to be on, the next stop was 200 km away, AND I still felt barfy (and more so now that we were on this train!!!).

To say I was freaking out would be an understatement. The others were all trying to calm me down but how could I possibly calm down??? I am sure we were getting plenty of stares from the passengers who were actually supposed to be on the train, enjoying their luxurious express ride.

I double checked the screen that had announcements, and double checked the spelling of the next stop. I had missed a letter and it was actually TamBabashi. Now, take a minute to look up the distance between Kyoto and Tambabashi. I'll wait.
.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Feeling better now? So was I! Crisis averted! Or, really, there never was a crisis other than us being on a train we weren't supposed to be on. DARN those Japanese trains that share the same tracks!!!

So, we got off at TamBabashi, which was just a little out of the way, and transferred to a different line that would actually take us back to Kyoto Station!

Back at Kyoto Station, we were deciding where to go for dinner. I still felt gross so I told the others they could pick where to go because I wasn't hungry and couldn't eat anything anyway. M asked if I wanted to just go back to the hostel and I said yes if she didn't mind coming with me. So, S and J went to eat somewhere and M and I began the journey out of Kyoto Station.

For once we actually made it out without twisting and turning. We stopped at a 7-Eleven first for M to get something to eat. I also got some kind of sports drink I think. M got some potato chips and we attempted to use Google Translate to figure out what flavor they were:

Uh...yum??

I don't have any more photos from this day. I think I took a shower and felt a little better and then went right to bed. I didn't actually end up vomiting, so yay? I think this was the last day of me feeling crappy, FINALLY.

Day 7 Stats
Distance: 9.3 miles
Steps: 23390
Flights: 64

Up next: Our last full day in Kyoto. Bus adventure, Golden Pavilion, Shogun Palace, and more not-Japanese food!

My kids would love glue paste flavored potato chips!

 

[Swissmiss]

I love your photos with the building reflection in the water

 

[Zipadeelady]

That Golden Pavilion

 

[bee]

My kids would love glue paste flavored potato chips!

Well now you know where to find them!

I love your photos with the building reflection in the water

Thanks! The reflection actually looks clearer in the photo than it did in real life, strangely.

That Golden Pavilion

Yes, it was literally breathtaking!

 

[bee]

Day 8, cont.

After we exited the main Pavilion area we stopped for a vending machine treat.

We didn't try these, but they looked fun!

Since we'd met up with them, both S and J had told us multiple times how good hot lemonade is. We were skeptical but decided to give it a try.

Um, wow. DELICIOUS! This would be very soothing for a sore throat or tired voice, I think. America, we need this!

Outside the park there were vendors selling various flavored nuts. We tried some samples and M suggested we get some wasabi peanuts. I don't know why but I didn't feel like spending money just then so I was "meh" about it, but she said, "they would be good hangry snacks for later." And of course she was right!

Next we all boarded a bus that we thought would take us to our next destination, but instead it took us to a bus terminal. No worries! The terminal was attached to a subway station that would also lead us to our destination. As we got off the train we saw this:

Clever and reasonably-priced!

We made our way to the Kyoto Gyoen National Garden.

This looks...rather western.

Up next: More of the National Garden