[ENG] Japan2k26, Day 6
2026-01-29, 21:28, Honryusuicho, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto, Prefettura di Kyoto 600-8462
Hello world, I hope you’re doing well.
Tonight I’m not writing from the usual lounge, but straight from the bed of my new hotel room here in Kyoto. Let me tell you about the day and everything else.
This was my last wake-up at the Wild Cherry Blossom Hostel for now, and I have to say it was a really great place. Super kind people, perfect organization, clean rooms, clean bathrooms, everything you’d want. If you ever find yourself around Tokyo, definitely keep it in mind: it’s very cheap and, even though it’s a bit outside the city center, the Chūō Line gets you into Tokyo in just a few minutes.
That said, the morning started more or less as usual: quick breakfast and then off to the next destination, except today we were surrounded by backpacks and suitcases. I really hate walking around with all that weight, but it was unavoidable.
For breakfast I only had a banana smoothie, plus that little R1 bottle I mentioned the other day. I really needed the energy, especially since I barely slept at all last night.
Around 9:30 AM we checked out, said goodbye to the staff, and headed toward the station. After a mix of subway rides and a bit of waiting, we reached Tokyo Central Station, where we bought tickets for the Shinkansen to Kyoto (about 13,500 yen per person).
Luckily, the train had already arrived, so there wasn’t much waiting—except for the fact that we were standing in front of platform 8 while ours was platform 2. Trust me, that train is extremely long.
The trip to Kyoto was fast and smooth: about two hours to cover nearly 600 km. Do the math. I was sitting next to one of my brothers, but halfway through the ride I moved because we were a bit cramped and some seats behind us had freed up. From there on, it was super comfortable. Before that, not so much.
As soon as we arrived in Kyoto, we headed straight to the hotel where I’m staying now, hoping at least to leave our luggage while waiting for check-in, which was scheduled for 3:00 PM. We got there around 1:35 PM.
Luckily, the room was already ready, so we dropped our stuff, settled in quickly, and went straight out for lunch we were starving.
We went to Ichiran Ramen, a huge ramen chain here in Japan, and I have to say it really impressed me. We’ll definitely go back because the food is genuinely great. The place itself is also very cool: a long counter with dividers that create small individual booths where you eat alone. In front of you, the server lifts a bamboo curtain to serve your food, but it only reaches about chest height, so you never actually see their face.
I ordered a classic ramen, a boiled egg with an almost runny yolk, and a portion of meat cooked in… something amazing (which I ended up ordering again). Absolutely incredible. Total cost: about 2,000 yen, which is roughly €10.90 at the current exchange rate. Crazy.
With full stomachs, we wandered through some shops more or less at random. We found another huge mall with a Pokémon Store, Nintendo Store, Book Off, and also the bookstore I mentioned yesterday. I literally spent an hour just wandering around inside.
Between one shop and another, it got dark, and with strong wind and even a few snowflakes, we decided it was time to have dinner as soon as possible.
For dinner, we went to Chao Chao Gyoza, a really nice little restaurant on one of Kyoto’s main streets (they also have another location near the Kamo River, which I believe is the original one). The place is beautiful, even though it’s mostly visited by tourists. It was around 6:30 PM and, apart from us, it was all tourists.
That aside, the staff were incredibly kind and welcoming. We ordered 32 gyoza each (they gave us a bit of a look, not gonna lie 😂) and one drink per person: I had a lemon sour, and my brothers each had an Asahi beer. We spent about 2,150 yen per person (around €12 or slightly less) and ate really well, so we’ll definitely be back.
Today wasn’t an especially long day, but we woke up early and even short trips can be tiring.
Tomorrow’s plan is Nara, and then Fushimi Inari on the way back. Unfortunately, the weather isn’t great, so we’ll have to adapt a bit, but I’ll keep you updated tomorrow evening on how it goes.
As always, thank you so much for taking the time to read what I write.
Talk to you tomorrow, and in the meantime, have a great day.
— tega
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