On to Osaka, Nara, and Kyoto

Sept 13, Wednesday was a travel day from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka on the Shinkansen. After a wonderful time in Tokyo, Kamakura, and Nikko, it was time for a few new and renewed adventures.

Taking the train is so easy, and even better, a shuttle bus from our Tokyo Marriott to the Shinagawa Station where the Shinkansen train departs for SHi-Osaka. We didn't have to schlepp our luggage too far. Once at the station, we booked a nice seat for the 3-hour trip. The trains are so frequent, there's no need to make advanced reservations. The only minor challenge is figuring out what track your scheduled train will leave from. There are so many signs, it is information overload; looking at signs that alternate between Kanji and English characters. Thankfully the train times are all Arabic.

Though we passed by Mount Fuji, the landmark was obscured by clouds, so all we had were miles and miles of landscape and seascape views during our ride.

Our Courtyard by Marriott hotel was at the Shin-Osaka station. Unfortunately, there were no signs pointing us in the right direction. Mike knew it was just outside the NW corner of the huge station, so once we determined North, we were on our way. Just a few wrong turns, and down/up stairs unnecessarily, we located the hotel just outside the station.


It was mid-afternoon, so after unpacking we headed into the Dotonbori and Amerika area of Osaka.

One surprise when we looked for the local train to take us to central Osaka were some trains with interesting signs. Yes, some train cars were restricted to "women only'. We saw this on only certain trains.


Amerika: this is a SoHo/Barnaby/"cool" part of Osaka.

J-pop singers

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LaCie products at the Osaka Apple Store!

Of course, a real Apple Store in Osaka

A giant nigiri for us

Dontonbori: What a treat! We followed a walk thru the area that showed us some interesting lightposts, a small park, and a huger pedestrian walking area. There were J-pop singing girls, covered shopping gallerias, cobblestone streets and a temple with a moss covered Buddha. Tossing water on the Buddha is supposed to bring luck to the gents seeking female company for the evening.

We found our way to a restaurant that was preparing and cooking takoyaki at the stall in their front entryway.

The restaurant was a great find with a set menu that not only met Deb's requirements, but Mike also got some new treats. The menu was mostly pictures, but there were a few English words to give us a clue, too.

We got a chance to try out the okonomiyaki and  takoyaki. Okonomiyaki were egg based pancakes with green onion and other vegetable. Takoyaki are literally dumplings with chucks of cooked octopus inside. Tako is the Japanese word for octopus. This was another place where we entered our order on a tablet.

Okonomiyaki topped with bonito flakes; the steam rising from the hot pancake made them dance. To the right are 3 sticks - fried cheese, fried octopus, and fried shrimp.

Takoyaki: Sorry, the movie will have to wait...

These were kimonos for dogs!

Narrow streets to show "old-time" Osaka.

Well, time to get back to the hotel for a nightcap. A very nice Executive Lounge at the Courtyard, with several Japanese whiskeys, as well as American favorites. And it's "mix-your-own-drinks" along with hors d'oeuvres.

Just checking in..

Folks,

This pic is from the Temple of Heaven, on our first day in Beijing.

We've been so active and busy.

Since our last big update, we've been to Kyoto, Nara, and Osaka. Then we flew from Osaka to Beijing.

Our Viking guide, Michael, met us at the airport, and took us by private car to our hotel, as we were the only guests arriving in Saturday.

After checking in, we took a taxi to the Temple of Heaven.

That's all for now. We're on the bus to the Xi'an Airport, for our flight to Chongqing. We'll finally slow down the pace, and be able to post updates for our final days in Japan, and our visit to Beijing and Xi'an.

Stay tuned...