Kaz Hicks

There was no hurry to get out of bed …..so we didn’t. This worked pretty well as it generally means we only have 2 meals for the day as the first one isn’t till lunchtime. We strolled towards the station and found pancakes for Mal (of course!) and I decided to try something that resembled a toasted sandwich. It wasn’t, but still tasted delicious whereas the coffee was always a gamble on whether it would be drinkable. We were on our way to find the Samurai Museum and follow the first of our walking tours. Eventually we came up with the strategy to use the map, (not the instructions), then see if we could find ourselves on my phone using google map and follow which way the dot was moving, then turn the map in that ... read more

We had to be up and organised for our bus departure at 8:30 and I have to say that this group is one of the most punctual I’ve ever been with. There was only one night we had to wait because of a misunderstanding, otherwise everyone was that at least 5 mins early. This day was no exception and after a hearty American breakfast that wasn’t very nice (scambled eggs which looked like mashed potato and tasted as if they’d been mixed the egg with cream) we headed out into the freezing pouring Tokyo weather. First stop was the Meiji Shrine with huge wooden Tori Gates. Normally these are coloured red but as this shrine was dedicated to the last Samuri emperor who modernised Japan, they decided to leave it natural rather than the Chinese red. ... read more

We headed off from our lovely hotel to see more beautiful scenery and glimpses of cherry blossoms. However, the main aim of our journey was to explore the magic of Asahi beer and how it is made. The journey to have beer by 11 am was made all the more enjoyable by the lovely cherry blossoms that were earlier than usual. We arrived at Asahi to start our 40 min tour which was very informative. Dad you would have loved it and it reminded me of the days when you used to brew your own beer, although theirs was on a much larger scale and included robots to do all the work. The stats were amazing! The challenge was set for us to drink 3 jugs of different beer in 20 mins and I was determined ... read more

Keiko warned us to rug up but I didn't really take her seriously. Very,very bad rookie mistake to think that we would be going in and out of places and therefore not cold for very long. Don't get me wrong... I layered up..... just not enough. First stop was another castle similar to Osaka castle (because it was built by the same bloke... I mean Shogun), only it was smaller as it was only needed to impress the emperor, until the Shogun lost his power which happened a short 300 years later, I think. Anyway, it was very beautiful with magnificent murals painted on the screen doors and is the oldest intact wooden building (400 years). It even has a floor that sounds like a nightingale when you walk on it due to the metal braces ... read more

After a long flight we found ourselves walking through a very quiet, well lit, excellently signed tunnel to our beautiful hotel in Kansai International airport. While Narita airport in Tokyo was not particularly impressive, Osaka's certainly did not disappoint! Having only been in Japan for only 24 hours, we are constantly amazed at the technology and efficiencies. Going to the loo has taken on a whole new perspective as we get used to all the 'extras' provided. Even though finding the flush button can be a little time consuming, the heated seats are well and truly worth the incovenience, let alone all the other features designed to give you the cleanist clacker possible! Imagine my amazement to also discover that trains not only arrive, but they do so on time and are so clean and quiet. ... read more