Day 1 - 5/13/18 - Welcome to Kyoto!!

Mother's Day Couldn't be any Sweeter - or Wetter

After what seemed like 2.5 days of traveling (actually only 1.5 because of crossing the international date line), we arrived at the Amherst Guest House of Doshisha University in Kyoto at around 2 PM today, Sunday. Hurray!

We exited the underground subway to a biblical deluge. Being fairly certain we weren't too far away, we braved the rain to finally, with a little help from the guardhouse staff, arrive at the lovely Amherst Guest House, Apt 2F. Everything (ourselves and our luggage) was dripping wet. We entered our home away from home via a wooden sliding door, traded our wet shoes for warm slippers, and began hauling everything up to the second level.

Photo and Video of the rain through the living room window:

The apartment is so very beautiful, rice paper covered screens over the many windows, comfortable living room with a brazier for heat and a wall full of windows (see this view from the living room), small classy dining room and functional kitchen, cozy bedroom with tiny buckwheat pillows and down comforters, and another wall of screened windows, bathroom with a smart toilet (more about that later), and finally and very importantly, laundry facilities.

We connected to WIFI, checked in with our girls, and set off to get a late lunch at a "Beef Bowl" counter a short distance away. We were directed to an electronic menu board, which took our order and payment, and spat out a few tickets which we grabbed and found two stools at the busy counter. Within a few minutes, we had waters and bowls of miso soup delivered by a smiling waitress who looked more Korean than Japanese. The soup soothed our souls after days of airport or train station food, and my Bim Bam and Rich's BBQ-beef and rice complete with pickles and a cabbage salad were delicious and filling. We don't normally take beer with lunch, but this food seemed to beg for it, so we gave in. Our first meal in Kyoto was a success.

We did a quick shop at the "Family Market" and returned home with food for breakfast, snacks, cold jasmine tea, and some emergency dinner packets of vegetable curry should we need it.

Back home, we checked email, did some writing and before we knew it, with the rain outside pattering on the roof and tree tops, were sound asleep. A two hour nap was probably inevitable but felt so very very good.

Close to 9 PM, we felt a tiny bit hungry, and hit the streets once more to find E-san, a Thai restaurant in our neighborhood with terrific reviews. Though the hour was quite late, the wait staff were super friendly, the food delicious (prawns with coconut curry, phad thai, lemon grass tea and mango ice cream) and the elephant themed decor was a thing.