We’ve left Kyoto at noon, on the Shinkansen! Next stop Atami, south of Tokyo.

We all enjoyed a late morning, but transferring and getting in the Shinkansen was a bit of a rush.

The kids spent the trip making origamis, playing or even writing a blog – well done Ciara.

The parents enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere on the train.

So that’s it for Kyoto! A vibrant, busy city. We stayed 4 days – 4 busy days – but it feels like we could have stayed another week – there is so much to see there. Museums, temples, shrines, but also all the small streets where we would connect to the local life – school kids with the uniforms and strangely shaped backpacks, older people, families, all nice and helpful at all time, whenever we needed help. As a kid, I’d watch Japanese cartoons (as we called them at the time) – the streets of Kyoto reminded me of what these animes would depict.

We arrived at Atami mid-afternoon, grabbed a snack and checked in at our hotel. Fantastic view over the Sagami bay!

We went for a late walk on the beach and diner downtown.