Day 2 - Taking a Shinkansen (Bullet Train) from Tokyo to Kyoto

The Shangri-La hotel is located right next to Tokyo Station, so it was a very short walk for us to get into the station and make our way to the JR Railway ticketing office.  Using our JR passes that we had purchased prior to leaving for Japan, we were quickly able to reserve seats for a Shinkansen (Bullet Train) to Kyoto.  We did not have to reserve seats as there are cars on the Shinkansen that offer general seating, but we chose reserve seating as these cars are usually less full and it of course gave us the peace of mind that we would be able to sit together.

 

 

 

The abundance of signs in English is amazing throughout Japan and definitely made navigating the train stations very easy.

 

 

 

Finding the right train platform was remarkably easy as, once again, the signage, as once again, in Tokyo Station provides information in English and is clearly marked.  All of the trains in Japan run on-time and we were able to board our train with no delays or issues. 

 

 

The seating in the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) is very similar to that of trains here in Canada and I highly recommend reserving your seats although it is not always necessary.

 

 

  

 

 Being prepared for a week of travel through Japan, we were travelling with two large pieces of luggage and I was a little concerned about being able to store them safely on the train as the Shinkansen does not have a baggage car nor an area dedicated to storing luggage, but I quickly found that our luggage fit nicely either behind the rears seat of the car or on the overhead racks with no problems.

  My large bag securely stored above my seat.

Our ride on the Shinkansen to Kyoto was very relaxing and the cars offer quite comfortable seating with seats that recline and tray tables like those you would find on an airplane.  The windows are large and offer terrific views of the cities, towns, and countryside.  In just over 2 hours we had made our way the approximately 370 km to Kyoto.

Even inside the Shinkansen you can be sure that you won’t miss your stop as they include announcements in English and display the next stop on the signs above the doors at the front and rear of the train car.

 

Our Train in Kyoto Station.







We had been to Kyoto Station a few years ago and remembered as beings a beautiful facility, and our memories were correct.   The signs here also offer English and we were quite easily able to navigate our way through the station and elected to take a taxi to our next destination, the boat pier for the Ryokan that we would be staying at that night, Hoshinoya Kyoto situated in the western area of Kyoto.

Visit Izumi's website to book your trip to Japan!

Day 1 - Arriving at Narita & the Shangri-La Hotel in Tokyo

I arrived at Narita Airport around 6 pm on Friday evening.  Narita is the main airport that services international flights for Tokyo.  It is located approximately 76 km from Tokyo.  After making it through the customs area and retrieving my bags about an hour after I landed, I needed to find the Airport Limousine counter in the arrivals area to figure out how to get to the Shangri-La hotel in Tokyo.  My wife, Izumi, had already arrived in Japan a few weeks before me and would be meeting me at the Shangri-La Hotel to begin our vacation.

Not being able to speak any Japanese, I was a bit nervous in being on my own in a strange airport and was unsure of whether I would be able to successfully navigate my way to Tokyo.  Fortunately, the customer service counter for the Airport Limousine Company is located right in the terminal and right across the hall from where I emerged with my bags after clearing customs.   Their signage included English and was very clear in showing the schedules for the numerous limousines (buses, in actual fact) that were operating to the various destinations in Japan.  As I walked up to the counter to take a closer look at the digital schedule display, one of the attendants asked my in English if she could help me.  I was pleasantly surprised by this and told her I was going to the Shangri-La Hotel in Tokyo.  She quickly looked up the right bus departure bay and directed me find bay #10 through the doors next to her counter that led out of the terminal to the bus departure bays.

I found departure bay #10 fairly quickly as the signage is very clear and the digital sign located on the pole at bay #10 listed the hotels that this bus would be stopping at in multiple languages, including English, assuring me that I was in the right place.  The staff at the bay itself spoke a little English, enough to ask me my destination and to provide me with luggage tags as they placed my bags in the compartment under the bus.  Once on board the bus, I settled in for the little over 1 hour trip to the hotel.  The announcements and digital signage in the bus itself were in both English and Japanese and I quickly discovered that my hotel would be the near the end of the route.  However, since our bus was quite empty, the driver did not stop at every stop or hotel on the route, only those required by the passengers on board as he was not picking passengers up, only dropping them off.

I arrived at the Shangri-La Hotel around 8:30 pm and was met by a porter as soon as I stepped off the bus.  He assisted me in collecting my bags from the driver and asked for my last name as he would be taking my bags directly to my room from here.  He directed me to the elevator and the 28^th floor for the reception area.  His friendliness and assistance was greatly appreciated after my trip from Vancouver to Tokyo.

Once I arrived on the 28^th floor I was immediately made aware of why the Shangri-La Hotel in Tokyo has such a great reputation.  The lobby is immaculate and exudes luxury.  I took a moment to take in the warm atmosphere and almost immediately began to feel relaxed regardless of my previous 12 hours of travel.  The staff at the front desk did not disappoint my expectations.  They were well versed in English (to be honest I did not speak with them at length so their level of fluency is really unknown) and were quite efficient in checking me in and going over some of the details of the hotel, including the floor where I could find their spa, pool, gym, and hot tub.

 

This is the gorgeous chandelier hanging in their lobby. It is breathtaking!

 

My wife and I were staying at the Shangri-La as guests under the Virtuoso program, which meant that we were given special privileges, or as they call them “amenities” with our stay at the Shangri-La Hotel in Tokyo.  One of these amenities is an upgrade upon arrival (which is subject to availability).  Our room was nothing less than awesome.  My wife had arrived a few hours before me and quickly showed me some of the special features that were in the room.

 

We had received a personal note from the Director of Rooms welcoming us to his hotel and letting us know that as Virtuoso guests we would be receiving a complimentary breakfast for 2 in our choice of either one of two restaurants on the 28^th floor or in our room.  We would also receive the added benefit of a later check-out time of 4 pm as part of the Virtuoso benefits package.  This was a really welcome bonus, especially after such a long day on the road.  We were also provided with an assortment of fruit and chocolates for us to indulge in.  A really nice added touch was a package that was wrapped in a traditional Japanese wrapping cloth which included maps for Tokyo, a guide to shopping in Tokyo, and an origami crane.

The room itself was the Deluxe City View Room which was spacious and as the name suggests, provided a remarkable view of Tokyo with Tokyo Station located right next to the Shangri-La below us.  Our King size bed was tastefully outfitted with clean modern sheets and bed spread, along with several throw pillows.  Our room also came with a spacious desk and work area, a large flat screen TV and a chaise lounge that ran the length of our large city-facing view, large closets with an in-room safe, and a minibar. 

The bathroom area was remarkable.  The marble vanity area was spacious and provided all the features that you would require including high-end soaps and moisturizers.  To the left was a room that was dedicated to the toilet.  In Japan, the toilet is always in a separate room from the rest of the bathroom.  Of course this toilet was the modern and electronic version of a western style toilet with all of the bells and whistles including a bidet, wash function, heated seat and automatic flush to name a few.  Even upon entering the toilet room, the seat would rise automatically and go down again once you left.

 

The shower and bath area were to the right of the vanity.  This area was brilliantly set in marble.  It contained a separate shower area with a wand that could be removed from the wall and held by hand as well as the large “Rain” shower head located on the ceiling above you.  The bathtub itself was gorgeous and relaxing.  The best feature, for me at least, for this area was the blind that could be raised on a window in the shower/tub area that allowed a full view of your room and let in natural light to the area during the day.

After touring the room,   I relaxed on the chaise lounge next to our window.   It was amazing to see Tokyo lit up at night and watching the local trains and the Shinkansen (bullet) trains arriving and departing the station below while eating some of the provided fruit and catching up with my wife was amazing.

In our conversation, my wife let me know that she had gone down to the hot tub before I arrived and recommended that I do the same.  It sounded like a great way to refresh myself, so I immediately went down.

The Spa and Fitness area at the Shangri-La were located a few floors below ours and I was impressed with the size and cleanliness of the facilities.  Once again, I was met by an extremely friendly, yet professional staff member, who asked me what I would like to do and directed me to the hot tub/sauna facilities.  The locker room was fully equipped with all of the amenities that you would expect to find in a hotel of this caliber.  The hot tub was a very decent size and very clean.  Being late on a Friday evening, I was also very glad to see that I had the tub to myself.  After 30 minutes or so I was fully refreshed and returned to my room. 

Fitness Equipment available for your use.










My wife and I went to dinner at one of the local restaurants located near the hotel and took in some of the sights of the area.  Having plans to go to Kyoto early the next day, we made a short night of it.


 The bed in our room was large and extremely comfortable.  Although, I was exhausted from my long day of travel, I was still surprised with how quickly I fell asleep and on how solid my sleep was.  The bed was amazing and the pillows were perfect.  Often, this is the worse part of staying in a hotel for me – the pillows.  But at the Shangri-La, they were great.

We awoke early the next morning to prepare for our trip to Kyoto.  But first, we would take advantage of our free breakfast provided to us by the Shangri-La through our Virtuoso booking.  We elected to eat at Piacere, one of the restaurants on the 28^th floor.  The breakfast was a buffet style menu in which my wife and I were able to order a main plate from their menu but then enjoy the various buffet offering as well.
 

To say that we enjoyed this breakfast would be a horrible understatement.  This breakfast was superb.  We actually still talk about that breakfast.  The fresh assortment of fruit was astounding as were the various just baked breads.  The juices offered seemed to be freshly squeezed and the variety was more than we could have hoped for.  Everything that you can think of wanting to have for breakfast, either Japanese or Western was provided.  The service was typically Japanese, impeccable.

Here is a look at the breakfasts that we had:

 

 

 As we checked out of our room to start our trip to Kyoto we requested to leave a few bags at the Shangri-La that we would pick up upon our return to Tokyo the following week, the staff did not even blink at accepting our request and immediately our bags were tagged and taken by a porter for the one week of storage – even though we would not be returning as guests upon our return.

Anyone looking for the royal treatment and a luxurious facility to stay in while in Tokyo would find their demands, no matter how high, easily accommodated by this wonderful hotel and it’s friendly/professional staff.

Visit Izumi's website to book your trip to Japan!