Excellent, Matt!

We're having room service breakfast and packing up to go to Kyoto.

Glad I checked with the most fluent staff member last night and she clarified that we cannot take the Shinkansen from Shimbashi station (right near the hotel) but we need to go out of the main Tokyo Station. Fortunately that's a five minute cab ride and that will be easier to haul all of Matilda's too-much luggage into the station.

We're going to get there plenty early so we can get bento boxes for our trip, and settle on our platform without running.

We're on the Pacific Ocean side of the train, which normally would be a plus, but Mt. Fuji is on the other side. However, if the train isn't crowded we can just slide over. I'm hoping a Tuesday train at 12:48 is not going to be packed.

I made a mistake yesterday by planning the morning about walking over to the Emperor's Palace and grounds, with the idea of taking another outing after noon to an outlying neighborhood that looked cool (as we did with our Kishijoji outing).

First of all the Emporor's Palace burned down centuries ago and all that's left are the (admittedly impressive) moats and some gates. It might be because it's January but the surrounding gardens were...not garden like. Rather huge paved sections and open areas of no plants, just sand. Really a fucking waste of time. No owls whatsover!

Do Not Recommend.

Anyway, came back to the hotel because Matilda's phone was supposed to be cleared to activate its ESim (finally) and we did that at the hotel with the strong wifi.

And it worked! For her. My data is still not forthcoming. Oh well, she's the one that needs a working phone in Japan through April.

Then we got stuck out of our room because housecleaning had to wait to do it, so we loitered in the Premium Lounge and had tea and macarons.

We managed to salvage the evening by going to the fancy Teppen restaurant in the hotel (top floor! Great view!) and got front row seats in front of the chef while he made us our glorious kobe steak meal.

After, I dragged Matilda out into the night and across the tracks to the fancy Ginza neighborhood where we tracked down a Don Quijote store (aka, Donki) on a side quest to find an eyeshadow palette for Jilli.

Monday night at the Donki store was a madhouse on a par with shoping at the mall on the last Saturday before xmas. Absolutely packed and kind of claustrophobic. Also, we found the brand Jilli wanted (Flower Knows) but they were out of eyeshadow.

Nonetheless another fun outing, and Matilda picked up some souvenirs and skincare for herself. Just going out into a busy Tokyo neighborhood at night is like Vegas/Xmas Lights/Disney Electrical Parade. Everything's lit up and every alley seemed to have a dinky food counter of some sort that totally pinged my Bladerunner fantasies.

I wish I had focused more on the plan that had worked with Kichijoji - which is pick one neighborhood to explore each day. Just find a restaurant when you're out and focus more on the living vibe of the city.

I've been watching How To Take The Shinkansen From Tokyo to Kyoto videos on YouTube in prep of our our leaving. Just need to shove the room service cart out of the room so we can finish packing. I sure wish Matilda had brought less.

Timelines All

I have a situation that has me vibrating with anxiety. I managed to run my little Yaris into a bigger vehicle. My insurance company wants to junk it, because it;s a 2010, the drivers door is blocked by the ajar fender. Damages estimate is 4K and something and the value of the car is 6K and change. at first I was aghast that I could lose my free, well maintained birthday car and wanted it fixed. So, I have to take it to a different collision place to get it fixed. they estimate they can keep the repairs under the 6k I;m getting from the insurance. So, I went on the website of the new collision shop, and it is part of a new and used car sales shop. So, just to see what prices would be if I decided to get a different vehicle instead of fixing mine. They have a 2013 Prius for about the same amount as i am getting from the insurance. this got the brain weasels turning and now I'm wondering if that is the route to go. It might not be available for too long so I have to make a decision soon. I haven't seen it except in pictures but Consumer Reports says it's a good year. I'm having the Yaris towed to the collision center on Wed, after I clear it out. Am I crazy?

Sweet Jebus, it’s Belinda’s Victorian ancestor. [link]

(You’ve been warned)

There are others much more educated in Prius than me, but it seems like it would be worth going to see right away.

I am henceforth going to measure vacations in terms of owls and other borderline mythological creatures

I hate car stuff and can’t say if you’re crazy or not but we have a 2013 Prius and it has been a real champ of a car.

David, be sure to ask Matilda if she packed her traveling bricks which is what Bob always says to me when we travel. Hardy har har

...and here's the train that hits me: [link]

WaPo headline: White House pauses all federal grants, sparking confusion

Jesus.

Is the Prius one that has a battery that has to eventually be replaced? That would be my concern with one of that age, if it is. But I am not a car person.

I went up a dose in meds yesterday and between that and PMS I have felt sick all day. Headache, nausea, etc. Booo. Really hoping I feel better tomorrow.

I can’t believe we are only a week in to four years of this. Jesus.

Sweet Jebus, it’s Belinda’s Victorian ancestor. [link]

A worthy precursor!

It was actually a good thing that the Shinkansen required a short cab ride because it would've been a nightmare getting around Shimbashi station (which has lots of stairs) with Matilda's biggest suitcase and the overflow of bags she brought.

We only had to carry it up one short flight of stairs at the Tokyo Station and ask a gate agent what track we were going out on (18). The rest was on the ticket, and I could read that because I had watched a YouTube explainer video. How did I function before YouTube and Google maps?

Because we didn't want to rush we actually were at the right track, in the waiting area an hour early. Fortunately we had a place to sit and a concession stand to buy bento box and sandos and bottled coffee, so we did that.

At some point we realized there was a critical mass of little kids wandering around with toy bullet trains in their hands, all of them a distinctive yellow. Then there was a flurry of excitement and all the people on the platform filming the arrival of a rather magnificent yellow and blue train (imagine - Yellow Submarine but sleeker).

I did not know the import of this, but my friend Betty reported that we had seen the bullet train equivalent of a spirit bear or white buffalo: The Most Rare Shinkansen - Doctor Yellow. A train that is going out of service soon, so train buffs came just to see it.

It's not owls but it's pretty cool.

We got to our reserved seats and with much heave and ho, Matilda and I got her big suitcase up into the overhead rack, along with the 6 other bags of various sizes. As we settled in a young couple arrived with their toddler in his stroller.

He started to fuss as they took him out of the stroller and collapsed it and put it away, so Matilda used her Powers of Babysitting, engaged with him and got him out of his fuss. The mother, Nadia, spoke English fluently, and they were super nice and we chatted with them, and played peekaboo with the boy until he settled down for his nap. A lovely interaction.

Arrived at Kyoto station, grabbed a cab and 15 minutes later we were dropped off at our Ryokan (traditional Japanese Inn instead of a hotel).

We were welcomed in, shown our rooms, and Matilda immediately put on her Yukata (robe) provided by the Ryokan, and we figured out the WiFi.

At four promptly a charming young woman named Honika came in and served us tea and and gave us a rundown of the rules, and we made our dinner and breakfast arrangements with her. She would be making us the Kaiseiki (traditional haute cuisine meal served in many small courses) dinner tonight, as well as the Japanese Breakfast (not just a band name!) tomorrow morning.

At some point I will take advantage of the traditional bath.

Matilda is currently sitting in her Yukata at the low table with her Japanese phrase book and writing down notes.

At 6:30 we'll get a knock on the door and go next door for dinner.

Tomorrow is our one day together in Kyoto where we'll be together all day, so we'll need a fun plan.

Thursday is Day 1 of her orientation and that will take most of the day but she'll come back to the Ryokan to spend one last night with me.

On Friday, she has Day 2 of her orientation and at the end of the day her host family collects her and she'll spend the weekend with them in Osaka. I'll be in Kyoto by myself through the weekend, and will be leaving on Monday, Feb 3, which is her first day of classes.

It's an adventure!