Getting from the Osaka Airport to Kyoto

A number of us are scheduled to arrive at about 6:00 pm on Monday April 26th. If you are flying into Itami Airport (ITM), a bus for Kyoto Station departs from the airport at approximately 20-minute intervals through the evening with the last bus leaving at 9:10 pm. Travel time is estimated at 55 minutes. Our hotel, the New Miyako, is a short walk from Kyoto Station. The cost is listed on their website at 1,280 yen (about $15). If you are flying into Kansai, there are also regular bus departures for Kyoto Station. The fare from Kansai is listed as 2,500 yen (about $30), and the trip is shown as one hour and 45 minutes. See Osaka Airport Limousine’s website in the links at the left under Travel Information.

Japan Fashion Week

We'll miss the runway shows (March 22 - 26) but read the Japan Fashion Week link under Trends Nihon on the left for places we may want to visit: Takashimaya Shinjuku (just across from our Tokyo Hotel), Tokyo Midtown (definitely high end), Cat Street and more in Shibuya-ku.

Sustainable Shrine: Amaterasu Omikami

The temporal nature of existence is manifested in the twenty year cycle of rebuilding the Ise Shrine. Since the current structure was completed in 1993, we know the process of constructing the 2013 shrine is well under way. See just one step in that process in the video linked at the left under Trends Nihon, "Logging Timber for Ise," where local residents participate in the ritual logging and transporting of the cypress trees down the Isuzu River. Looks like fun.

You will "surely win"

Translation: Kit Kat bars (in Japanese, Kitto Katso). You'll be disappointed with plain old chocolate after tasting the 19 Japanese varieties, including soy sauce (most popular in Tokyo) and wasabi with white chocolate. Check out the link under Sushi 101 at left for the full article.