We were so shaken and stirred by the maid-o cafe (or perhaps it was the latest round of “guess the food by putting it in your mouth”), that we needed to get away from the mania of tokyo quick-sharp and a normal train just wouldn’t do the job. We needed something faster than a speeding bullet, and no, I’m not talking about that Japanese superman we picked up in Akihabara, I’m talking about the Shinkansen, Japan’s infamous bullet train. With speeds of up to 320km/hour we would be in the beautiful Kyoto in just over two hours.
who said we couldn’t blend in with the locals?! 
We needed fuel for the journey so at the station we looked for a suitable “bread shop” (pretty much the only place in Japan you can buy non-Japanese food) but there were none in sight. We had to settle for one of the many Bento box places in the station. I pointed and arigato-ed at the most attractive looking Bento which boasted a real culinary treat of 30 different ingredients. No sandwiches here- everyone on the train was munching away at one of these babies.
Travelling on the bullet train is better than on an plane- it’s punctual (departs to the very second), comfortable (quiet as a mouse with loads of space even for long legs) and has a super friendly train-hostess who sells you things like coffee, Pocky and even another Bento box if you’re peckish. She also gives you a plastic bag for your rubbish- there is literally nothing they haven’t thought of in this country to make your life more convenient.
Mount Fuji!
We arrived in our Kyoto AirBnb in no time and were surprised to find that it was slightly bigger than our previous accommodation (only slightly of course- we’re still in Japan). And best of all we had an original Japanese style bedroom to sleep in- woohoo! We dropped our things and were ready to explore the city!
cherry blossom! 