12Apr 11
Was MIA for about a month due to my wedding and honeymoon. And where did we go? Where else but Japan! 
The plan was to spend 2 weeks in the Kyoto and Osaka area before going to Tokyo. But due to the tsunami and nuclear situation, we changed plans to head to Fukuoka instead. A great decision.
So were we apprehensive about going to Japan during this period of uncertainty? Well no.
We landed at Kansai and headed straight to Kyoto via train. We were well prepared for the trip and got the JR Pass (Green car). We felt it was well worth the upgrade to the green passes as the seats are so much more comfortable and we were going to be travelling a lot by train.
Our hotel in Kyoto was Hotel Mume, a small boutique hotel situated near the Gion district (Geisha district) of Kyoto and right at the antique shops lane. The hotel was fabulous! Words can’t describe how great it is. It’s the number 1 hotel in Kyoto on TripAdvisor for a reason. Check the comments out.
The hotel room was nice and big. We stayed at the biggest, the flower suite. Right at the top with a fantastic toilet and great view. There was free Wi-fi in the room as well as the other high tech gadgets in the toilet that you will have to discover for yourself. 
The Gion district near the hotel harks back to old Japan with the pebbled roads, streams and small bridges. Extremely picturous. And you may even see some Geishas walking around.
About a good 10 – 15 mins walk away (a nice walk I must add) is the main shopping district in Kyoto. Don’t expect malls galore like in Osaka or Tokyo, but there are the usual Takashimaya and Daimaru, as well as other small outlets along the streets. A nice walk with heaps of food to be found!
We were blessed to be in Kyoto right in the middle of the lantern festival. The usually quiet streets at night were buzzing with activity. But thats for another post.
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