An hour before we were due to land, the flight attendants excitedly pointed out Mount Fuji sticking up through the clouds.

 

We landed at 14:50 local time and were through customs, etc., very quickly. Osaka's Kansai airport is very new, built on an artificial island in the Inland Sea.

We were met by the Audley tour leader, Chris Kober, and we met some of our fellow-travellers. We got onto our coach and travelled for two hours, passing through the large, sprawling city of Osaka, to the Kyoto Hotel Okura.

The rooms were large and comfortable, and there was a surprise in the bathroom - an electric loo with heated seat, and other unexpected extras....

We later discovered that most hotel toilets have this unusual facility.

Although we had been travelling for over 18 hours, it was time for dinner, and after a much-needed shower, shave and change of clothes, we met in the Orizzonte Restaurant on the 17th floor, with lovely views over the city of Kyoto. All 16 of the group were there: there were introductions, but we were both tired and I would doubtless need to ask names again in the morning. We were introduced to our local tour guide, Narumi Ikezawa, a lovely lady with a ready smile and a source of knowledge of all things Japanese. The meal was a buffet, and our first experience of Japanese food, and Narumi-san described the various dishes, some of which seemed very exotic indeed. It was our first taste of raw fish - but by no means the last. After the meal, we took a short walk round the balmy streets near the hotel and collapsed into bed at 21:00.