Awake since 3.30am so a slow morning… at the hairdresser. ¥3300 for a wash and blow wave that included a quick but excellent head/shoulder/arm massage. I thought it would cost much more than home, not half the price! Then the breakfast of champions: croissant with Vegemite courtesy of the Qantas lounge, and miso soup of course. Carried from Australia, lol. The Japanese insist on ruining theirs with tofu…

While waiting for Madame Commodore Jennie to arrive, I finalised arrangements for tomorrow with head concierge Riku; we settled on a driver for 12 hours to take us to Kyoto and work through my shortlist of top sights. No guide required arigatō; I will be the guide! Not the usual tourist traps like Arashiyama and the Gold Pavilion… more on that later. Tomorrow will be Jennie’s first full day in Japan, ever, and it needs to be perfect.

Speaking of Madame, she arrived having had no sleep for two days, but highly excited. Left her to rest for a while and headed to Kuromon Market for food and a poke around, an easy walk. Ended up lunching with some random young Dutch student, as you do. Not a backpacker, rather a rather flush 21yo who stays in hotels, lol. Sushi for me, of course, and strawberries on a skewer.

Finally the sun broke out and it was hot! I’d left without sunscreen so converted my umbrella into a parasol, and sought shade wherever I could. It never rained anyway!

Bagged a couple of hours rest before hitting the town. First back to the rooftop for a couple of cocktails to help acclimatise Madame, then off to Hozenji Yokocho for an evening stroll, dinner, music, bars…

PS My Japanese is still very patchy but coming back usefully and I’m learning hew words all the time! Thank you brain, I love you.