We made an overnight trip to Kyoto, for which we’ve rented a Machiya – a traditional wooden townhouse. We caught the bullet train in the morning from Tokyo Station – which is still undergoing its restoration – construction workers (tobi) are easy to identify. They wear these distinctive, puffy Alladin trousers.

The bullet train area of Tokyo Stations was busy with morning bullet train commuters, mostly business men (and it is mostly men) on a trip to Tokyo.

Uh-oh, its school group trip season which means Kyoto will be overrun with school kids and teenagers.

These pre-package lattes are decent – I like them better than the canned coffees. Although I would much prefer a fresh latte.

Its a pretty quick trip to Kyoto (about 300 miles and 2 hours on the Nozomi).