Kyoto to Tokyo by Shinkansen
Allow me to tell my day in reverse order with minimal supporting photos in a very succinct format. I have been typing too much.
My hotel is the same as all except one other on this trip, Sotetsu Fresa Inn, this one is in the suburb of Tokyo I am most familiar with, Ueno, or more precisely in this case Okachimachi. There are a lot of cheap hotels in this part of Tokyo.
Before arriving at my hotel, I bought a bear bell! I mock people that have these, now I have one. I had to kill time before I could check in so I went to look at shoes in a sports store, and there was a line of people in the bear bell aisle waiting to test all the bells. Over half the people in the store were buying a bear bell. So I did too. I like to think of it as the dinner bell.
The exciting part of the day, After arriving in Tokyo I bought a sandwich and a melonpan bun. I sat around the lake at Ueno to eat it, the bun was sealed in plastic sitting next to me, a crow snuck up behind me, stole it and flew off! No melonpan bun for me. Some nearby people saw it happen and looked shocked until I laughed about it and they laughed too.
Before that, I arrived in Tokyo, which was nowhere near as busy at the station compared to when I left Tokyo a couple of weeks ago. Today it was fine.
The train ride from Kyoto to Tokyo was uneventful, I had a spare seat next to me, no one seemed sick (this is a first on this trip!), I guess the only thing was the train was 15 minutes late due to high winds, of which I have experienced none of in either Kyoto or Tokyo.
Departing Kyoto even earlier in the day was very busy, I had to buy a drink and a snack from a kiosk on the platform as everywhere in the station was overflowing with people with enormous amounts of shopping.
So that was my day in reverse. Apparently the weather will be great in Tokyo all week, so my bear bell will get a workout.
Now for the pictures in not the reverse order.
Kyoto station. I was here a bit early. Does not look too busy in this shot, but it was.
My carriage was the very last carriage on the train. Every bullet train was running late due to high winds. Here is a view of a grey bit of the Kyoto rail yards.
This is the street my hotel is on in Tokyo, in fact you can see it on the right if you know what to look for.
This is near where I was sitting when a crow stole my melonpan bun. I wonder if he knows how to get it out of the plastic?
An example of one of many NON COVERED shopping streets in Okachimachi. No rain is forecast so lack of roof is ok.
Now for the hotel shot. Hotel photo lovers, start mourning. This is the last hotel of this trip. It. is. the. same. as. all. the. others.
Also, the toilet is exactly the same, pre fabricated bathroom cubicles are shipped all over Japan and craned into place in every building.
And finally, there it is. My bear bell. It has a plastic cover that slips up and down to stop it from belling when you are not in a bear area, although I intend to wear mine at all times, people will think a cat is nearby and be disappointed when they see that it is me.
Okonomiyaki in Ikebukuro
I edited my reverse documentation of the day from earlier because I had confused Ochanomizu with Okachimachi, which must have thrown everyone for six, which is a saying no one under 50 will even understand.
So let the record show, I am staying in a hotel in Okachimachi, which is just south of Ueno, where as Ochonomizu is further south west of Ueno (but not far!). OK?
Today was a record low number of photos day. Sorry about that. Who the hell am I talking to?
This evening I boarded a train for Okonomiyaki to eat some Ikebukuro. Wait what? It was a short outing regardless, so not many photos. I have to get up really early, 5:12 to be precise, to get my special train to my extra long bear bell required hike.
Here is the view from.. checks notes, checks map, Okachimachi station. It is on the Yamanote line. The Yamanote is partially suspended this weekend at Ikebukuro, which has left 9.3 million tourists completely lost as every Tokyo itinerary describes doing everything along the Yamanote line.
While waiting for my train I examine the escalators in the local Uniqlo store. They seem to be up to code.
Dinner was a make it yourself Okonomiyaki. I did ok. The flip was poor, but I saved it with sauce. I chose pork and kim chi. This is not the style that comes with fried noodles in batter. This was a place in the very familiar Sunshine City complex on the edge of Ikebukuro.
A single shot of the very busy Saturday night streets in Ikebukuro.
And finally, just to make sure I can type it one more time and not call it Ochonomizu, a shot of the street my hotel is on in Okachimachi.