Day 11: Bamboo, Beauty, and A Bit of Broken English

Today was another travel day—this time taking us from Kanazawa to Kyoto via bullet train. After a short ride from our hotel to the Shinkansen station, we boarded and were instantly impressed by the train’s speed and smoothness. One of our group clocked it at 175 mph, but aside from the occasional banked curve, you’d barely notice—it was that seamless.

Upon arriving in Kyoto, we were struck by the city’s unique character. Unlike Tokyo or Osaka, Kyoto enforces an ordinance that limits building heights to 60 metres, giving the city a more open skyline (with a few location-based exceptions).

Our afternoon took us west to Arashiyama, home of Kyoto’s iconic bamboo forest. This was easily the busiest place we’d visited so far in Japan, but the towering bamboo was still a sight to behold. The way the wind caused the stalks to sway and gently knock into each other created an almost musical resonance—haunting and beautiful.

In the evening, we were treated to a very special experience: a performance by a Maiko, an apprentice Geisha. After enjoying a traditional Japanese dinner, the Maiko performed a graceful dance for us—a quiet, elegant highlight to end the day.

Today was a little more relaxed than previous ones, giving us a welcome breather as we looked ahead to what Kyoto has in store next.

(And for the lack of photos today, please enjoy this gem of broken English from the hotel map we were given. Sometimes translation fails are the best.)


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