Seoul, Kyoto, & Osaka Journal. June 12th, 2026
Gimpo Int’l Airport, Kansai Int’l Airport, New Hankyu Hotel Kyoto, Kyoto Station
Went down to the lobby at around 7:00 am & asked them to call us a cab. They got us one that was already waiting out front. It took around 36 minutes to get to the Gimpo Int'l terminal. We arrived an hour before check in. The airline name changes at the counters, depending on which airline was doing check-ins. We were a little confused at first because we didn’t see a dedicated Peach counter. The flight was early, about 15 min. They didn’t hand out any peach candy! Took shuttle from terminal 2 to terminal 1. A got a sandwich and musubi and a bottle of mugicha (barley tea) at Lawson. At the JR ticket office there were two queues: a long queue for visitors and no line at all for residents. I told the a the guy at the entrance 京都まで (to Kyoto) and he put me in the resident queue with no wait rather than the visitor queue! That saved a lot of time so we made the 1414 Haruka with four minutes to spare. I had to pay with a physical credit card. This train had the Hello Kitty theme on the inside only.
At the New Hankyu Hotel we got room 428 - right next to the elevator. There was a letter posted in the lobby, saying that the hotel will close in 2027. Too bad - it was a convenient location at a good price. As building height restrictions were relaxed in that area, it’s speculated that a taller, upscale commercial retail + hotel project will be built here.
We had dinner at a restaurant in the Porta underground mall where they kind of messed up my order but that was OK. After dinner we went to look at the light show on the stairs, and then Station Skywalk. Last time I was on the Skywalk, I got totally lost and ended up in the basement garage! This time we found our way down easily. The trick was to make a right wide u-turn that takes you to an overlook of the central exit. From there you can easily see the way back.
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| Dinner at Porta Mall |
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| Kyoto Station Skyway |
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| Kyoto Station Interior |
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| Kyoto Tower |