Phenomenal rail journeys of Asia
By Sukie Chapman
18 January 2018
You love rail travel but also want to explore further afield than Europe; this is a conundrum many of our customers call us about.
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Enjoying a central location on Honshu, Japan's main island, Kyoto was first settled in the 7th century AD, and by 794 it was the capital of Japan. Holding this position until the Imperial Restoration in 1868, Kyoto naturally developed into a large city of wealth and affluence. Kyoto was always the country's largest city, and though this has changed since Tokyo became the capital, it is still a considerable size, and is home to the headquarters of huge companies such as Nintendo.
Kyoto is also known for being a seat of learning, and for this reason it - along with its size - was originally a target for atomic bombing by the Americans in the Second World War. However, it was spared from this fortunately, and even much of the conventional bombing, making Kyoto one of the few cities in Japan to have an abundance of pre-war buildings, right down to small buildings such as standard townhouses.
As a result of its history and subsequent preservation, Kyoto is home to many of the 'typical' images of Japan, and ranks as one of the world's most culturally rich places. The city boasts 17 UNESCO World Heritage sites, and more than 2000 temples and shrines.
The travel and hotel arrangements were excellent. One gripe for the elderly is having to constantly move cases at each hotel (with one exception, Thank you Granvia, Kyoto). The Tokyo tour had perhaps one too many historic visits (I personally would have passed on the Edo museum for a daytime look at Shibuya crossing).One day in Tokyo is simply not enough. Similarly, too much Kyoto in 1 day where a 'rest' day would have been priceless. In retrospect, I now query the value of the Hokkaido sector in the tour. Perhaps the time spent here would have served us better elsewhere as it is more of a specialist winter destination, just not enough content for 3+ days.