July 1, 2025 - Shinkansen - A Classy Way to Travel

 I am sold on the Shinkansen! It is an exceptional way to travel, so fast, clean and efficient, and smooth. One of the amazing things about the Shinkansen is the way any of the staff come through your train car and bow before going to the next car.That is such an excellent acknowledgement of gratitude and respect.  Pulling into the Kyoto station one could just sense a difference. The over the top hustle and bustle of Tokyo is only mildly present in Kyoto, much more laid back. 

Travelling in luxury on the SHINKANSEN! 

For this leg of our trip, we decided to stay in a Ryokan, a traditional Japanese hotel with shared bathrooms, Tatami mats on the floor, and sleeping on a futon on the floor as well. This brought me back to the days I first met Rusty sitting on his futon watching movies. Full circle gentle readers, full circle. Truly a cultural experience leaving our shoes at the doorstep and donning slippers everytime we entered the Ryokan.  Perhaps the only thing I missed in the Ryokan was a full size desk and chair. Everything is low to the ground and I assumed I’d have knee problems, sore back, etc. sitting on the ground or on small stools but no, my back was just fine.  The proprietor, Katsu, was very kind, and helpful (and of course polite). He made excellent recommendations. The nicest part of staying in the Ryokan is that we were away from the tourist centers and often had opportunities interacting with locals. 

Rakucho, our Ryokan for the next three nights.  

Traditional futons on tatami mats. 

After settling in we went to find dinner in the Gion area.  This is the area where one can often see traditional Geisha’s walking around. The area is instagram worthy and the amounts of crowds certainly attest to that. We’ve already learned any area with a rent a kimono shop has blown up on instagram and is a place some ridiculous influencer (mostly skinny young women with a penchant for feigning emotional depth) is living out her Japan fantasy and blocking traffic to pose for her followers with that perfect picture. I hate to be bitchy (well hate is a strong word)...let me rephrase I am compelled to be bitchy about these people. This smacks of cultural appropriation in the worst way. 

Sitting on the river banks trying to beat the heat in the evenings.

Romantic Gion, a neighborhoosd of Keyoto.

Conveniently, Gion has two gay bars in the hood.  I say gay bars, but really they are just long counter/bars with stools and in some cases a few tables. These are really just long and skinny spaces serving 12-15 people only. Our first bar, Azure, was truly a pleasant experience talking with the bartender and two patrons. Regardless of nationality, there is a camaraderie instantly established in gay bars and this is especially true with the intimacy of the small Japanese gay bar. So, cover charges are not really allowed, instead the bartender will serve snacks and charge you 1,000 Yen on top of your drinks.  Also, many bars have bottles with customer names on them and they are served out of these already paid for bottles. I’m assuming there are charges for mixers or snacks instead.  The second bar was Apple Bar, a karaoke bar. I love a good Karaoke bar of barely passable loud singers having a great time despite very limited talent. This was not that bar. Two of the patrons had stellar professional voices. A short foreigner sang Defying gravity (yes, a staple at a gay Karaoke bar) and I think would’ve given Idina Menzel some healthy competition at the auditions on Broadway.  I really wanted to hate these theatre queens but just couldn’t because Rusty sang one song and they were completely enthusiastic and generous in their praise. He did a really good job but these singers were trained professionals. Good times in Kyoto!