Right, Tokyo… Shibuya, Roppongi, and I meant to see more, honest. Maybe I will squeeze in Asakusa on my way out. Shibuya was as bustling as advertised. I went to see the Roppongi Hills development and satisfy my urban planning curiosity, but wound up sidetracked as the Mori Art Museum there was hosting a Le Corbusier exhibition. I and my money were soon parted.
Got a, uh, free view of Tokyo for those 1500 yen, though. The exhibition was excellent, with two walk-through full-scale models included.
Whoever put those Wendys branches in Tokyo and let them sell Frosties is also responsible for my budget’s deterioration.
I got to Kyoto after a fairly pleasant bus ride… at 0545, well before reception opened at my hostel. I sat around and was cold for a while, but also got to gawk at the impressive, fairly new Kyoto station. Later I did a walking tour for a few hours around a part of town I can’t spell, enjoying the temples (what I can stand of them) and their fantastic views. Kyoto is fortunate in that many parts have escaped earthquakes and American bombs since the 1600s, so there were some neat old (for Japan) temples to see.
A daytrip to Nara (and perhaps Kobe or Osaka) and more meandering around Kyoto are in order for the next few days. The current plan is to book a night bus from the 7th to the 8th, putting me in Tokyo about a half-day before I fly back to Shanghai. Once in Shanghai, I will be running like mad to see at least one of Hangzhou or Suzhou before I go back to SZ and begin my long journey back Stateside.