Getting There
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Getting There
My big worry at this point of the trip was how I was going to get from the Airport to our hotel, the Miyako in Kyoto. I had planned to validate our rail passes at the airport and use the train to get to Kyoto station, and then the subway or a perhaps a cab to the hotel. While in mid-flight, I read in the Lonely Planet guide to Kyoto that you could get an MK Taxi from Kyoto to Kansai airport for about $35. So I decided that I would just find a cab, figuring it couldn't be much more than that to take a generic taxi from the airport to the city. After we breezed through customs I followed the English language signs for Taxis to Kyoto. I was a little worried when the driver didn't recognize the name of the hotel and didn't seem to know how to get there (after all this is one of the most famous hotels in Japan, surely cab drivers going to Kyoto know where it is). About halfway through the cabride the driver was talking on his cellphone - I remember this was the first time I heard the expression "so so so so so...", which I found fascinating. He handed me the phone, I answered it, it was someone who spoke English asking me if I wanted the new or the old Miyako hotel in Kyoto. I felt bad that I could remember the word atarashii ("new") but not "old" (furui?) (it's odd the things I can remember after 21 years). The ride took probably over an hour and came to a grand total of over 38,000 Yen, roughly $350. This was my introduction to the cost of things in Japan. Click here to see a scan of the receipt the driver gave me. First Impressions of Japan My first impression of Japan, and one that has stayed with me, is that the country looks exactly as I had imagined it. Riding from Kansai airport to Kyoto I felt as though I were inside the set of a Japanese monster movie. I could easily imagine the Power Rangers battling some Giant Space Alien in the skies above me. |
