The old Capital of Japan

The holiday has begun and we got the chance to get off to Kyoto, which is the old capital of Japan before everything moved up towards Tokyo. I am not going to write a great deal about Kyoto right now, because I want to go and see a couple of things and then I will write something when I am headed back to Tokyo on the Shinkansen.

So, talking of the Shinkansen or 新幹線, it is a miracle of modern Japanese technology wizzing through Japan at high speed. Tokyo is 400 km from Kyoto via some pretty mountainous territory, but we did it in about 2 hours fifteen minutes. Really comfortable and really clean - there were an army of woman cleaning the train before we were allowed on board - I say army, because there was a definite hierarchy and the boss lady decided when we were allowed on board - oh, the power :-)

A couple more things that I have noticed about Japan:

• There seems to be a uniform for everything - the cleaners had uniforms, the woman trying to sell me a DoCoMo subscription had a rather fetching cerise uniform. It's great, I think we should do more of the same - rather than just giving out Telenor t-shirts. Not sure the workforce of Telenor would agree with me now
• Fruit - There are special shops where they sell fruit which has been cared for in special way. Either they have been grown in such a way as they are square - like melons, or have music played to them to aid their growing process. Either way, anybody who can get away with charging 7000 Yen (580 SEK, £53) for a melon and it selling is on to a winner :-)
• Honesty - the other one is a complete and utter klutz, and has managed to drop 5000 yen, leave his guide book behind and also managed to forget his mobile on the train. Every time, the Japanese have come running up behind him and given back what he has dropped (he'd lose his head) :-) and that is one of the things that makes Japan great!

So, can't believe that the trip is almost over! Check in tomorrow morning for the BA flight home :-( I am going to post some pictures of some of the best sites I have seen for a while and this is the right season to watch the turning leaves (as you get everything from Green to red on the trees :-)

Mata ashita / until tomorrow.