Breakfast was scheduled for 7:30 and at 7:20 our hostess knocked on the door, pulled apart the bedding, replaced it with our table and served us a breakfast of eggs, miso soup, salmon, sweet beans, more pickled veggies and some stuff you put on rice. She spent a bit more time showing us how to eat the food and what bowls to use this morning. We must have been a source of great amusement last night- talking about the stupid Americans who don’t even know how to use a rice bowl.
After our exciting walk around town, we headed to the train station to Kyoto. We arrived, dragged our bags to the Tourist Info Center and found a hotel just blocks from the station. Since Kyoto only has two subway lines, we decided to brave the underground and took a subway to the center of the city. The subways, like the trains, are immaculate and run on time.
We walked around town before heading to the station to go on to Kyoto. 
Strange Japanese things:
* All the taxi drivers wear white gloves and have their cab seats covered with lace.
* The western style toilets have instructions in Japanese on how to use the toilet.
* All the taxi drivers wear white gloves and have their cab seats covered with lace.
* The western style toilets have instructions in Japanese on how to use the toilet.
* They play muzak everywhere- blaring on the streets in the retail districts – horrible US standards from Broadway musicals or movies.
* A lot of the older women have severe osteoporosis.
* There are no benches or places to sit in public places and very few trash cans. When they do have trashcans, they are in sets of three for recycling.
* A lot of the older women have severe osteoporosis.
* There are no benches or places to sit in public places and very few trash cans. When they do have trashcans, they are in sets of three for recycling.
After our exciting walk around town, we headed to the train station to Kyoto. We arrived, dragged our bags to the Tourist Info Center and found a hotel just blocks from the station. Since Kyoto only has two subway lines, we decided to brave the underground and took a subway to the center of the city. The subways, like the trains, are immaculate and run on time.
We searched for a bar recommended by Lonely Planet, getting differing directions from everyone we asked. We finally found it- up a flight of stairs and down a deserted hallway- the “A” Bar.
The interior looked like a log cabin with log seats covered with Indian style cloth. The staff was Japanese “X-er” but the beer was cold and remarkably cheap. Their signature move is opening beer bottles with chopsticks. They helped us make a phone call to get directions to another restaurant and we grabbed a cab to “Butter cups”. It was a bit of a disappointment- but the wine was cheap and the food was not Japanese. After our Takayama experience, we’d had enough raw fish.
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