Kyoto last day, then on to Tokyo

Today was a big day.  Sean, as usual was up early (4.30am) and took off to take some pre-dawn photos while I snoozed like a normal human.  He decided to walk to the Gion district.  Kyoto's night life was in full swing.  He decided to cut through to the back alleys to take a few snaps when he stumbled onto the ugly side of Japan, a pool of blood on the pavement and someone's tooth in the middle.  As he kept walking he followed a blood trail signifying some very serious blood loss.  Then a bit further along 3 police with a person they had arrested, possibly waiting for a vehicle to take him away.  He said he still felt safe but kept his wits about him.

He then proceeded to the Geisha district hoping to see a few but no luck. That's what he tells me anyway.

Returning back to the hotel (5.30 am) there were plenty of party goers exiting clubs, obviously very drunk and very jolly.

The usual breakfast, pack up, and checkout had us at the rail station far too early as is usual for us.   When the bullet train finally arrived, it was at this time I panicked as there were people in our booked seats.  Some quick questions revealed they were not aware it was a reserved car and they moved on.  While on the train we noticed that every time a conductor walked through the carriage he would turn around and bow before exiting.

The train ride was uneventful but we were hoping to catch a glimpse of Mt Fuji as we headed into Tokyo.  The left sides seats became vacant at the second last stop so we jumped over but no Mt Fuji.  It was probably on another line out of Tokyo in a different direction.  Oops rookie mistake.

We changed to the local rail for a connection to Shinjuku station.  A kindly old gentlemen helped us work out what line to catch.  We then had to walk 750m to our hotel.  Our room was ready on arrival  so we headed up to unpack and take a quick break.  All up hotel to hotel was around 5 hours (for ~450kms traveled).

We then went for a walk, first stopping for a late lunch at a cute but dingy looking restaurant which apparently has been operating for over 60 years.  For less than 2000Yen ($24) we had two very delicious meals, iced tea each and a beer for Sean. :-O  Interesting fact, some restaurants have vending machines in the doorways displaying their meals.  As you enter you push the button for the meal you want, insert your money, take the ticket, present it to the chef, and then take a seat.  This was the process for this restaurant however being foreigners and not realising, they took our order and put our money in the vending machine at the end of the meal.  Again very nice friendly people.  Another fun fact, when you leave all the staff shout out "goodbye" and "thank you".

After a more than hearty meal, we wandered over to the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden.  Now we thought this was just another stunning park but this was a whole lot more.  First of all you had to have your bags checked at the gates (no alcohol, no pets, no sport games or toys, no pro-photography, no music or loud noises, no bikes, no furniture or picnic gear that makes smoke like a hibachi, no smoking, and no feeding the animals or removing fauna or flora), then pay to get in, and then you can wander around.  The park had three specific types of gardens, Japanese, English and French, as well as some very old oak trees.  Unfortunately we only got as far as the Japanese Garden but wow!!  Stunning gardens, some very awesome shots from both of us.  After about an hour (it closes at 4:30pm) we battled the crowds and headed back the apartment.  Lucky me, Sean found another BIC Camera store and bought a shoulder strap.  Thanks Scott for alerting him to this store, I will discuss this with you when I get home!!

Back to the hotel but not without a quick stop in at Mister Donut to buy some decadent snacks, see the pictures.

We headed out again in  the evening to see the Tokyo nightlife.  Walking through the Shinjuku district we came across the Robot Restaurant.  Very flashy, very loud, very popular.  As we continued on we realised we had wandered into the red light district.  It's sort of like Kings Cross on steroids.  In fact Shinjuku district is a lot like NY Times Square on steroids, and not just normal steroids, we're talking horse level steroids.

After taking in the sites, sounds and lights and the thousands of people who flock to the area we headed back to the apartment to plan the next few days.  We will be using the JR East Rail and Subway network, click on each name to see the maps, I haven't even tried to count the stations, but seriously, where can they fit all of these trains stations?  Even though it looks ridiculous, it's not too bad, it is all colour coded and the station staff are very helpful. Besides, I have my human compass.

On a side note, there are thousands of people in this place!!!!!!!

Photos
2018-04-04 - Kyoto early morning wanderings 
2018-04-04 - Kyoto last day, then on to Tokyo 
2018-04-04 - Tokyo