Outside Kyoto : A Great Location With a Minor B&B Snafu
Nara, Japan
I’ve always liked the idea of staying just outside a big city or major attraction. It’s often less crowded and less expensive. This was true of Nara, a 35- to 45-minute train ride from Kyoto. Beautiful and historic, Kyoto is one of the most popular destinations in Japan, so it’s also crowded and pricey. It’s been particularly hard-hit with over-tourism. We looked at nearby Nara for three things:
1. A place with at least three bedrooms and a gathering space
2. A place close to the train station and nearby attractions
3. A place with great reviews
We hit a home run on all accounts.
From our home base in Zama, we jumped on the local train to Machida. From there, we took the Romance Car to Odawara, and then the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyoto. In less than three hours, we traveled around 250 miles. We took time to eat lunch at the huge Kyoto train station and wandered through a few shops before finding our way to the special tourist express train, Aoniyoshi.
We reserved our B&B through Booking.com. I’ve only used them a few times and, so far, I’ve had problems every time. On this day, we followed the excellent turn-by-turn directions to walk from the train station to the apartment and found the Nara Guesthouse on the third floor. When we got there, the entrance code didn’t work.
We were 30 minutes early for check-in, so my brother Tim and I waited with the bags while Janice, Mark, and Yoshiko went off to explore. At 4 p.m., I tried the code again and again. Then Tim tried it. Anxiety was rising. When we couldn’t get it to work, we tried the contact number. No answer. I tried unsuccessfully to find a customer service number for Booking.com. I was beginning to panic. What if we couldn’t resolve this? Could we find another place? How much more was this going to cost?
I was in the middle of looking up Marriott options when Yoshiko came back. She found a local Japanese phone number, spoke with someone in Japanese, and got a new entry code from them. It was not the first time on this trip I felt grateful that someone in our group spoke Japanese. I’ve never been so happy to hear a door unlock. Later, I found the “new” code buried in the middle of a Japanese email I’d received months earlier. It was different from the code I’d received from Booking.com.
The location of the apartment was perfect, on a quiet street perpendicular to a covered, busy street with sushi, barbecue, groceries, clothing, and convenience stores. The apartment itself was a mix of Japanese and Western style. As we stepped in the entrance, slippers were lined up along the edge of the tile and a cubby for shoes was beside the front door. The bathrooms had separate rubber slippers so you could change from your house slippers to your bathroom slippers and then back again. Two of the bedrooms had futon mattresses on the floor. Three more bedrooms had Western-style beds off the floor.
It took longer than it should have for me to shake off the anxiety of being locked out. I was feeling fairly grumpy while we settled in and then walked down the street to find dinner. Finally, after a really excellent traditional Japanese meal, I started to enjoy myself and looked forward to our next day in Kyoto.
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Tips & Recommendations
Before traveling to Japan, take a little time to acquaint yourself with the train lines. I am so envious of train service in Western Europe and Japan. It’s fast, reliable, convenient, and reasonably priced. I love being able to get around without a car.
The “Romance Car” is a limited express, more comfortable train car, and is relatively inexpensive. It’s best to purchase tickets in advance, online, at a ticket office, or at a vending machine at Shinjuku Station.
The bullet train is the fastest way to get across the country. Here’s a comprehensive video explaining the Shinkansen.
The Aoniyoshi train is more than just a way of getting from one point to another – it’s an experience. It has huge windows for comfortable sightseeing, and comfortable swivel seats. The 30-minute ride from Kyoto to Nara cost around $10. Here’s a YouTube video.