The Land of the Rising Sun

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Well i'm loving Japan. Its a very different kind of a place. Not really Asia but not really the west either.

Landed in Osaka nearly two weeks ago after a brief stint in Singapore and Malaysia. Japan has a world wide reputation for its rail network and the train from the airport to town was easy enough. But the subway to the area I was staying in was another matter. The stations are huge and the ticket machine unfathomable, fortunately a kindly lady took pity on this half asleep bewildered tourist and showed me how it all worked (very simple once you know) and bobs your uncle I was at my Hotel.

The room was spotlessly clean but tiny I mean really tiny barely enough space for me and my bag at the same time. The bathroom is a pod type of affair all very futuristic but again tiny. To make up for its small size it had a toilet with more functions than you could shake a stick at. You can have the seat automatically warmed to the temp you set on the control box and if you like have the bidet function pulsating or direct again at a temp you decide, it also seems to auto flush itself every time you sit down, bit of a shock the first time. Another odd thing about the room was the size of the pillow, there was only one and it was the size of a shredded wheat and about as comfortable.

Osaka is know as Japans kitchen and I can see why, you can't walk ten yards without passing a place with something lovely to eat. All the Japanese seem to be quite slim I don't know how their not all twenty stone. Outside many of the restaurants they have a display of plastic food showing what they have to offer...even that looks good enough to eat. Tried one of those conveyor belt sushi places which was brilliant except its a sure fire way of turning yourself into something the size of a sumo wrestler.

Apart from eating I took myself off to Osaka castle and museum which was interesting.

Also visited what they claim is the worlds biggest aquarium which I can believe as it was big enough to hold among many other things two Whale sharks.

After a great time seeing the sights and eating myself towards diabetes I left on a local train to the old capital of Kyoto about 40 mins away. Kyoto's the place to come if your into old wooden shrines and temples thieve got stacks of them including the largest wooden structure in Japan which was huge. They also have an aquarium which I went to one of the highlights beside the fish and otter feeding was watching a teenager drop his phone into a mock up of an amazon river!! I nearly wet myself.

One downside to Japan is the beer is quite expensive on the upside local whiskey and wine seems dirt cheap. Ordered a bottle of red to go with my dinner the other evening and it turned up straight from the freezer, not sure what that was all about maybe that's how they like it.

Have now moved on to Kobe for new year and then to Hiroshima but more about that next time.

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