Kyoto Conference Centre

They signed the Kyoto Convention there. The Kyoto International Conference Centre was certainly a building for for the occasion. But it wasn't a conventional one by any means.

It was inspired of the days I the shoguns and warriors ruling the old Japan. It had been renovated over the years and certainly felt modern in the inside, but you couldn't help but felt that it was built in the 70s. Tall ceilings, and broad walkways. And the gardens and water features surrounding it was a sight to behold. And I was lucky that I was there during the time of Sakura bloom. It was not just gorgeous, it was amazing!

The Convention Centre was located on the north part of town, at the beginning of one of the two subway line crossing the city. This made the travel from the centre to downtown easy. But getting from the hotel was a bit more tricky. I took a cab on the first day and it took me 20 minutes of journey time.

The best part about the place was having lunch in the open by the lake. In the breeze and bright sunshine with the Sakura blooming, it was an amazing feeling.

More about my Kyoto trip here.

The First Half

My shopping was halfway done. Most o the boys' toys had been bought and next non the card would e shopping for Puan Anita. I had to get back to the conference centre by lunch to attend a couple of afternoon sessions. So, the other half of my shopping would be for later.

Went to Kyoto Station this morning, and spent the morning shopping around there. There was an Isetan at the station, but I decided against going there. I went to a toy store instead. To avoid the rain, I just used the underground passageway to get to the supermarkets.

For lunch, I met up with a couple of Pharma friends who were with me during the Atlanta trip last December. We had some tempura before hauling my shopping back to the hotel before attending the afternoon session.

More entries from my Kyoto trip here.

The Next Morning

Talking about timing. Even the weather turned dull this morning, as planned. I was heading to the Conference Centre after breakfast. A quick coffee there before setting off again. This time for a morning of indoor shopping!

The thing was, the afternoon program looked really good on paper. I was just bringing my camera, minus the conference bag today. Looking forward for some proper shopping. Hmmm! What to do first ....

More on my Kyoto trip.

Lets the Conference Begin

Lush green scenery. That was what greeted me when I was driven from Kansai Airport to Kyoto, about an hour away. It was a crisp spring morning, temperature of 10 degrees outside. In the comfort of the car, the journey took me through the hills upon leaving Osaka. Nice and tranquil.

The journey in was also painless. A nice comfortable flight, and I managed to sleep for about 4 hours. The flight was only 6 hours long with a little helping hand from the tailwind. Not much turbulence, but the flight was full, with screaming children for good measure.

The immigrations and customs were fairly straight forward, possibly due to the time of the day - it was just before 7 when we rolled in.

Need to refresh when I check-in. Next would be the taxi ride to the Conference Centre. Hmm! I only have USD with me. Need to get hold of some Yen.

More on my Kyoto trip here.