KONICHIWA NARA

The sweetest little Japanese town. 

Some things they say about Japan I found not to be true, but one thing is for sure: those bullet trains really are incredibly fast. If you're standing on the platform and one goes past at full speed, all the glass shakes and you need to hold on tightly to your bags in case they go flying. I took a bullet train, or Shinkansen as they are known locally, to Kyoto before hopping on a local (and much slower) train to Nara. I really enjoyed riding on the Shinkansen (seriously Australia, we need one between Sydney and Melbourne please). It was smooth, it was quick and there were only around three stops on the one I was on (the number of stops and how quick your journey is depends on the type of Shinkansen). I was even able to read my Kindle! 

Upon arriving in Nara and exiting the train station, the stark difference between there and Tokyo was very obvious. It was quiet there, and calm. My hotel was on the main street up from the train station, making it very easy to locate. Everything was within walking distance, I had no need of public transport at all during my stay. Wandering the streets felt so different compared to the fast paced lifestyle I had adopted in Tokyo. It was a nice change and my first afternoon there was full of promises for the next day.