Satoko-san used to live at my place when she did her Indonesian language degree in Makassar and she has become very close to our family. So it was nice that we could see her again in Kyoto.

Travelling to Kyoto took around 2.5 hours (at a speed of 300 km/h, mind you) and the ride was extremely smooth…so smooth that we kept falling asleep as much as we wanted to see the scenery that flickered past our window. We had purchased bento boxes from the station before we departed and ate it on the train for our lunch.

Kyoto station seemed to be as big as Tokyo station. As soon as we exited the gate, there was a cake shop with a long display of cakes that have been beautifully made. Such a fascinating sight! In fact, the whole walkway was lined with cake shops and bakeries. It was quite tricky finding the taxi company which would take us to the hotel because it was located across the road and not so obvious looking. The hotel itself was not too far from the station, but we thought it was a bit too much if we had to walk and drag our luggages with us. (besides, the taxi fare is covered by the hotel)

This time we stayed at the Hyatt Regency Kyoto hotel. Aah, it’s such a beautiful place! Most hotels give a cold vibe, but not this one. The interior design was a combination of Scandinavian and Japanese zen, which created a warm and homely atmosphere. The staff were also extremely nice. The first person we met at the hotel was the concierge who greeted us at the door. He’s definitely not Japanese….rather an Aussie (he later told us he used to live in Balmain)

After checking in, a female concierge staff led us to our room while pushing the luggage trolley. It turned out she’s not Japanese too! She’s from Shanghai and she was a delightfully chatty person. She really gave me the impression that this hotel has very lovely and friendly staff. Actually I thought she was rather cute and would be perfect for K. Anyway, she opened the door for us and would not walk in until we have entered first. Then she carried (not dragged, but CARRIED) our heavy luggages inside the room. I felt sorry for her (she was petite), so I beckoned to assist but she would not allow me to. Gosh, such hospitality. After “introducing” the room to us, she left with a bow and we unpacked, marvelled at the beautifully designed room, and got ready to explore Kyoto.

We decided to walk back to Kyoto Station because there is a giant shopping center there and we were eager to visit more food basements. On the way, we stopped over at Amazon Cafe for afternoon tea. It’s a delightful little place that has been opened since 1972. We were seated upstairs and ordered coffee with a hamburg sandwich for T and an egg & cucumber sandwich for me. The food was actually quite nice! We felt refreshed and continued walking to Kyoto Station.

We walked up the escalators, which from the bottom looked like a stairway to heaven. The building itself has a modern design and very open. There’s an Isetan department store, several nice restaurants, and lots of smaller shops/restaurants/cafes underneath. In fact, so many that it was always difficult for us to find our way back to the same place. It felt like we went to a totally different and unexplored area everytime we exited a gate or walked around the corner.

So we sussed out Isetan and happily browsed the stationery section. I bought several goodies as gifts and when it was time to pay, the guy at the counter asked me in Japanese whether these were for presents. At first I didn’t understand what he was saying, but after using broken English (and broken Japanese) I told him “yes, it’s for omiyage”. The word omiyage must have set off an alarm bell inside his head because he looked distressed (?) and asked for assistance from his female colleague. She asked what colour paperbag I would like – red or blue. I chose blue. Then she asked what colour ribbon (on gold stickers) I would like – red or blue. I chose blue again. So both of them immediately created a production line, where the guy peeled off the price stickers and placed the items in individual paper bags, while the lady neatly folded the flap and meticulously placed the Isetan sticker/ribbon at the front. While they were doing this, a queue formed at the counter and I felt bad for getting them to do individual packaging. Hang on, not my fault. It was a miscommunication – I actually asked them to place all items in one big bag and provide me with several smaller ones so I can wrap them myself later on, but she thought I wanted each of them wrapped individually on the spot *sigh*.

So again, I felt sorry for them and plainly told them that I could wrap it myself at home. They both immediately gave me a surprised look and the lady said “Nooooo we do it for you!” while waving her hand. Ach, I felt bad and slightly embarassed because they gave such good customer service that ours here in Aussie is like NOTHING compared to theirs. T thought it was funny

After that we headed towards the lower levels and ate noodles for dinner, before walking back to the hotel to call it a day. We took some photos of the hotel lobby, explored the area, took a nice relaxing shower and went back down to the lobby to use the internet. The concierge from Shanghai was there again and she was chatting with some other guests (little chatter box). Then she spotted a person outside who was trying to get a taxi, so she immediately ran outside, did a quick bow, called the taxi over, stood and waited until the taxi left the hotel grounds, and did another 90 degree bow.
Whoa…

Our next stop was the Tokyo International Forum, a massive architectural landmark normally used for exhibitions and concert halls. They also happen to run flea market on that day. It’s quite interesting to see various items on sale even though we found they are rather expensive for second-hand items.

We then walk back to Tokyo station and catch a train to Shinjuku to check out some cosplay. Harajuku station was soo.. busy that we were overwhelmed by the crowds over there. Exiting the station was hard enough since there were so many people but then as we reached the famous Takeshita St, we can’t help but to be astounded by the sheer crowd.

A few metres into Takeshita St, we stopped in front of maccas with fear that we’re going to be trampled by the crowd. Luckily it wasn’t too bad once you’re in with the crowd. T noticed a crepe shop nearby and decided to give it a try. He bought a strawberry crepes and it was REALLY GOOD!!! It was so good that I forgot about my headache and had a full smile on every bite. For me, that was the best strawberry crepes in the world!

We checked out a few shops in the area, drop by at a ¥100 shop and then continue to walk to Shibuya district (yes, we walked all the way).

In the evening we visited Ginza area where all the exclusive (read: expensive) boutiques are located. It’s a very vibrant area and even though we didn’t buy anything there (can anyone guess why?), we took a few snapshots, pay a visit to the Apple Store where T saw the awesome elevator UI on youTube a couple of years back. It stops at every floor and features 100% glass doors (no frame on them!).