I got up and packed for the trip back to Kyoto. I wasn’t in a rush, so I took a cheaper local train back. I liked the hotel I stayed at last time, so I rebooked with them and dropped my luggage off at the counter. Since it was near closing when I went to Nishiki Market last time, I walked back over there and took my time strolling through the shopping center. I was feeling jealous of all of your lovely Thanksgiving turkey photos (seriously you guys, you all outdid yourself this year every picture everyone posted looked amazing!) because turkey isn’t really a thing here. So instead I went to an A5 wagyu beef restaurant and had a sirloin steak. It was pretty delicious, I think Kobe beef is still the best but A5 wagyu is pretty dang close! I picked up some souvenirs at the market, then went back to the hotel to check in. I was a little nervous when I walked up and my bag was no longer in the bag storage area, but turns out they went ahead and carried it up to my room for me once it was ready. Since this was my second stay here in two weeks they moved me up to the top with a gorgeous view of the garden across the street. After settling in, I took a seat by the window and watched the sun set over the mountains in the distance.
The only thing I don’t like about Kyoto is that there’s not much night life. There’s arguably only one real “bar” area, and most stuff around here shuts down after dark. One of the few places with things still to do and see is around the Gion district, and since I hadn’t properly explored that yet aside from Yasaka Shrine I decided to hop on the train and take a walk. I didn’t have any luck spotting Maiko, but I did stumble upon a Hard Rock Café I didn’t even know existed so I got my travel pin, and wandered back over to Yasaka Shrine and picked up some street food. Then I headed back to the hotel and jumped in the soaking tub for a bit because dang it got cold FAST. I need to get one of those installed wherever I decide to settle down!
