noplasticshowers

Hotel Kanra Kyoto common area

What do you do when a plan completely falls apart? You refactor. Even in Japan. As it turned out our second Ryokan reservation was not for Kyoto but rather a small town 2.5 hours away in Kyoto province. Not figuring that out until the afternoon of the reservation was a eensy little problem.

Nishiki Market

No worries, there are plenty of nice hotels in Kyoto. So we stopped in a cafe for an espresso and a weird bird sighting and we found the Hotel Kanra.

Check out this guy’s feet

Hotel Kanra is very chic and stylish with an art vibe. We checked out two rooms and chose to stay in the annex in a small double. Room 301 looks like this.

The shower is not plastic, though it does include a plastic chair.

After checking in and charging up out devices we headed out for dinner at an incredible French/Japanese fusion restaurant called Misoguigawa. This is haute cuisine at its finest with French ingredients and Japanese service. Just wow.

On the way to the restaurant we walked through the Gion, then crossed the river and found the Stardust Club. There was live music, cigarette smoke, and much fun.

Gion

The next morning, it was off to see the Bamboo in Arashiyama.

For more bamboo, see apothecaryshed.

Then the bullet train back to Tokyo. We left enough time post-bamboo for sushi at the huge Kyoto station. NPS really enjoyed the sushi train.

Fuji peeks through the clouds

Four showerheads for Hotel Kanra Kyoto. A reasonable place for a quick night in Kyoto.