Taking It Easy In Kyoto - Saturday 12 October

No alarm set for this morning and a leisurely start today with a sampling of the buffet breakfast available at our hotel. Y1000 each and it was worth the money but we would not have needed such a large breakfast each morning.

Philip's first trip to the buffet - please note apple juice not ale!

After heading down to the little ma and pa drapery near the hotel to purchase another soba husk pillow for Philip's sister Jenny (and the owners were so pleased to see us as repeat customers), our next plan was to stroll over to have a look at Yodabashi Camera and to find a Y100 shop for Alison to experience. The hotel reception staff informed us that there was one on the 5th floor of the Avanti Mall but we could not find it. Walked through the subterranean labyrinth which connects just about every where in central Kyoto with the rail station and ended up at Yodabashi Camera. Started our journey of discovery at the 6th floor and worked our way down to the second basement. Success, two main stores of interest for us there - a supermarket and an elusive Y100 shop. 

Picked ourselves some huge apples and not so huge bananas for lunch to satisfy our craving for fresh fruit. 

Apples and bananas plus new knife.

Then Alison was on a mission at the Y100 shop where each item actually costs Y105 as a result of tax. Large amount of money changed hands at the register Y1995! Many gifts purchased and even a folding fan for Alison and a knife to cut up our huge apples. Strolled back to the hotel in what can only be described as perfect autumn weather with a beautiful cool breeze blowing. Where had this weather been for the rest of the week????

Lunched in our room on our fruit and then Alison had a nanna nap while Philip took himself to sit in one of the lounge chairs in the lobby and read his Jack Reacher novel. 

Headed off over to the Porta Food area to choose a restaurant for a set meal (early dinner). Ended up (Philip believes) at the same one that he and Jessica ate at in 2008. Holiday set special for the long weekend was rice, salad, pickled vegies, sesame egg soup, sweet and sour pork, sechuan tofu and rice. All served with a pot of piping hot jasmine tea for Y1000 each. 

We ordered gyoza on the side and a non-alcholic Asahi beer each. Sat at table in the back of the restaurant and the party beside us consisted of mother and teenage daughter in traditional costume and brother or boyfriend in normal western dress. In amongst the large holiday crowds at the station, there are quite a few females in traditional dress. There are also some in not so traditional dress as you will see in the photo below - more Halloween promotion! Set-up like Pixie Foto at home with costumes available to dress the children in for the snaps.

No so traditional Japanese costumes!

Back through the crowds to a a bakery we have been to before to purchase a couple of small savoury items which will be our breakfast on the Shinkansen to Tokyo in the morning. The way to that simple bakery takes us past another one which specialises in elaborate flans/tarts/cakes. Most of them are piled with various types of sliced fresh fruit - it gives a whole new meaning to the term fruit flan!

Fruit flan heaven!

So that brings to an end our tales for Kyoto. We will pack tonight and be at the station early for our 7.29am train tomorrow morning. We will be joined on the train at Nagoya station by our Japanese friend Kumiko and her daughter Marika who will come with us to Tokyo for some sightseeing on Sunday and Monday. Marika has not been to Tokyo before.

So we took it easy today after going flat out through the rest of the week in the hot weather, if only it had been like this on those days we may have achieved even more ticks. Did not get to Fushimi Inari Shrine, Nijo Castle or the old Imperial Palace but Alison was happy with what we did get to see inspite of missing these.