The long journey home is invariably the worst part of any holiday. But this particular one promised to be more arduous than most, in part because we really didn’t want to leave Japan.
With a planned morning departure from Narita Airport – situated well to the east of Tokyo – there was no way we’d ever get there from our Kyoto hotel without breaking the journey overnight. And so we’d booked ourselves a hotel in the city that gives the airport its name. I woke feeling low, perhaps because of the knowledge that our Japanese travels were coming to an end. But I also had a bad back that had kept me awake for much of the night and my guts were in turmoil courtesy of our culinary excursion around Kyoto’s local, sometimes raw, beef dishes. Not surprisingly, I could barely stomach breakfast.
We checked out of the Hyatt – a great hotel if a little out of the way and with staff who never quite reached 5-star status – and spent our last few hours at Nijo Castle, yet another of Kyoto’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It was built in 1603 as the Kyoto residence of the shoguns, the men who wielded the real power in the kingdom, and today has the collection of handsome buildings and delightful gardens that we’d come to expect in historic Japanese properties. After the shogunate fell during the Meiji restoration in 1867, Nijo became an imperial palace.
The entrance gates have the most intricate and colourful decoration, as befits a seat of power, but it was a shame we didn’t get to see them shining to their full effect courtesy of the gloomy weather. Still, the buildings themselves were particularly grand, with historic painted wall panels and ceilings.
There were tons of school children around (as seems to be the way of things in Kyoto) but they were well behaved and kept out of our way as we toured the grounds, which suited me fine in my tender state. An hour or two later we were in the bustling, cathedral-like and noisy station at Kyoto waiting for the bullet train to Tokyo, listening to the endless announcements and the weird chirruping noises that make up the soundtrack of Japanese rail stations.
The rain fell as we made our way east but at least we just about caught sight of Mount Fuji, barely visible through the clouds and downpours. We changed trains to Narita, a line popular with commuters, and got a cab to the basic but central Richmond Hotel.
That evening it was absolutely chucking it down as we walked to a little Italian restaurant serving genuinely delicious and authentic pizzas (I badly needed stodge with my guts being in such a state). And then we found ourselves in the Jet Lag Club, a bar frequented mainly by flight and cabin crews. It was rammed with memorabilia, perfect for a plane buff like me, and a few Australian and American crews hung around discussing their work and downing pints.
Next morning we checked in at Narita, plonked ourselves in the JAL First Class lounge and had a light breakfast. We were flying back BA First Class again courtesy of our air miles and I was determined to make the most of those 12 hours of luxury by not sleeping, which is a good way of avoiding jet lag flying east to west. As our 777-300 arced its way over northern Japan and Russia, I kicked back, drank Champagne and ate fine food.
I was sad to leave Japan behind and we both had fallen for it in a big way. It’s often quite alien and difficult to master, the language is impenetrable and it would be easy to feel isolated. But I loved the people and the beauty of so many of the gardens, the elegance of the temples and the superb food. Above all, the contrasts are what fascinates: there’s so much beauty and perfection, but the cities and towns can be ruthlessly functional and unattractive; the people are considered by some to be inscrutable and shy but I found them friendly and helpful; the landscapes are both awesome and permanently at risk from destructive natural forces. It’s a country that’s one of the most advanced in the world technologically, yet at the same time its people cling to old ways of doing things and old technology.
I wanted to stay and explore so much more but work and home beckoned. However, I imagine it won’t be long before we’re back.