Yesterday was a sea day—and not the relaxing kind. The waters were rough, and it seemed like the whole ship was feeling it. Restaurants were practically empty, and we were right there with everyone else… feeling pretty miserable. Being at the front of the ship definitely didn’t help—it’s the rockiest spot, and we felt every wave. Needless to say, we skipped dinner and called it an early night.
By morning, everything had completely changed. The seas had calmed, we docked in Kobe, and just like that—sea sickness gone! We managed a decent breakfast and grabbed a cab to the train station to start our day’s adventure.
From there, we picked up tickets for the famous Shinkansen (yes, I totally butchered the name at first 😄), and what would’ve been a 2-hour journey turned into a smooth 30-minute ride to Kyoto. Japan’s efficiency never stops amazing me.
Next stop: Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. We had been warned it would be crowded during cherry blossom season—and they weren’t kidding. It was beautiful, but snapping photos took some patience with all the people. Still, totally worth it.
After wandering through the bamboo forest, we made our way down into the charming little town below. Everywhere we turned, there were food stalls—so many options, and honestly, we had no idea what half of it was! But that’s part of the fun, right?
We then hopped back on the train toward Gion, Kyoto’s famous geisha district, where we explored the streets and visited a few shrines. I wish I could say we spotted a real geisha, but instead we saw plenty of tourists dressed up and posing for photos. And those sandals with socks? They look seriously uncomfortable!
We stopped at a quirky, unique little restaurant (no idea what it was called, but it had character!) and wrapped things up with some matcha ice cream—because in Kyoto, everything is matcha.
Then came the realization… we had round-trip tickets. Yep—time for the long ride back! Finding the right trains and towns can definitely be a challenge when you’re running on low energy.
By the end of the day, I was completely wiped. Safe to say I skipped the evening entertainment and happily called it a night.
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