Shinkansen / Kyoto / Yakiniku

Got up in the AM ready for Kyoto.  I had to activate the JR passes in Shinjuku which was a good test of my ok-ish Japanese.  But it got the job done!  After a quick ice coffee and the best apple turnover I've eaten (this one had apples and yuzu marmalade inside) we checked out of the hotel and first headed down to get some food for the train ride.  The perfect option:  a japanese bento.  I got a sake (salmon) one and Hilary got a summer roll with spicy vegetables and noodles.  The shinkansen is so fast... we just zipped along looking out the window noticing the city slowly morphing into rice paddies and traditional Japanese houses along the way.  In just two hours we arrived in Kyoto.  From there we took the subway to Shijo Station and walked to our Ryokan from there;  about 7 minutes.

Hilary was quite excited to see the room:  a genuine traditional japanese tatami room with a separate deep bath, bathroom, and a little study area.  It looked like a miniature house.  Green tea and cookies were laid out on a table for us which we were both extra happy about.  

We decided to take stroll around the area and head towards Ponto-cho to find some restaurants.  Navigating the streets is really magical here;  you go from one narrow ally to the next and suddenly you end up in this little world of lanterns and amazing looking food everywhere.  It feels completely sureal and detached from the ordinary world.  After seeing a bunch of places, we decided on a yakiniku spot.  It couldn't have been more amazing.  The beef was local from the area and just melted when you tasted it.  The corn grilled was also excellent.  I had an interesting and delicious egg custard dish which was similar to chawamushi.  Hilary liked it but thought it tasted like pancakes and syrup.