For Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Tokyo
I did laundry in the morning, then rode the Shinkansen train with Chris (from Australia) to Kyoto.
Kyoto
Chris and I checked into our hostel, Backpackers Hostel K’s House Kyoto, then headed to the adjacent bar for a couple beers. I went back to my room to get something and met Mike (from the U.S.) and asked him to join Chris and I in the bar. I went back to the bar and researched what I wanted to see in Kyoto. Mike and Marion (from France) joined us and we chatted for a while over beers. The hostel threw a party with free sushi and snacks to celebrate their eighth anniversary. Afterward, they played bingo and gave away prizes. We were still hungry, so we walked a few blocks away and found a yakitori restaurant, where Mike — who had been teaching English in Japan for a year — ordered skewers of meat and beer for us. Then we walked back to the hostel and stopped at a 7-11 on the way to buy a beer for the road (there are no open container laws in Japan). We returned to the hostel and hung out in the common room for a few minutes before heading off for bed.