Kyoto: Overnight Internet Cafes and Coffee Shops

In early April, Kyoto is cherry blossom season. Hostel beds that are usually $35 cost $120. I don't plan ahead, so I arrived after dark with no accommodation. I have a tent, but it's cold. I wanted to try an internet cafe instead of paying $800 for a bed.

I found Hailey'5 Cafe, a regular internet cafe on the fourth floor of a commercial building. It was clean and bright, like a hotel lobby. Staff used Google Translate. I registered and got a small booth. Facilities included showers (extra fee), free drinks, and a smoking room. It was tidy. People stayed in their booths.

In the morning, I talked to a young man in the smoking room. He was from Nagoya, taking a motorcycle license test in Kyoto because it's cheaper. I stayed 13 hours, costing about 260 yuan.

With time before my language school orientation, I cycled to Higashi Honganji Temple. On the way, I found a quiet street with old machiya houses and a nice restaurant called LORIMER KYOTO for lunch. The temple was grand with cherry blossoms. I felt I had truly arrived in Kyoto.

At school, I met classmates from Taiwan and the UK. Afterward, I was cold and didn't know where to go. I tried another internet cafe, Katsu Club Shijo Omiya, which was more automated and cheaper. It had a clean booth, a luggage shelf, and a comfortable chair. Showers cost 16 yuan for 30 minutes. I felt a breakthrough: internet cafes are affordable and convenient.

Yesterday, after orientation, it was rainy and cold. I found a coffee shop called March. The owner was a slim elderly woman. I had coffee and egg toast, which was surprisingly good with a hint of mustard. The shop closed at 7 PM. Today I returned for lunch. The set meal was tofu rice bowl with miso soup and pickles. The shop was full of elderly regulars. A middle-aged man helped, probably her son.