Our travels Video and Pics Cycling Walking About us News Part 5 : Osaka The hotel in Osaka is a simple one in the middle of the red light district. Because we only have a half day here we leave immediately. The aquarium is the only one in the world where whalesharks live in captivity. The entire building is built around the huge tank of the whalesharks. One keeps getting around this tank. The sealife of the ring of fire area is central in this aquarium. A beautiful aquarium but very busy. It seems like of the 9 million inhabitants of Osaka at least 10% is in the aquarium. It is very warm outside and the only terrace we find is in the full sun. That means we didnīt stay long. We go to the Umeda Sky Building. The building is 173 meter high and on top there is a 360° view. While we are walking there on top a few meters below us a waterspray is starting together with the blue lights it has to be a heavenly effect, but in real it is very annoying and making us laugh. We think the view must be good after sunset too, when the city is in lights. We donīt want to pay entrance fee again and go one floor down. In front of the window with a great view we drink a japanese beer for a reasonable price. After sunset it really is beautiful up there. It is time to grab something to eat. At the first floor under ground there are many restaurants. After you leave the escalator it looks like an old street you walk into. All wooden facades and some lampposts. We choose a restaurant where a sign outside states they have an english menu. But once inside they donīt have one. So again we have to choose from pictures. The menu of Klaas and Bart looks to have white rice. But they come to tell us the white rice is completely out. In Japan? This must be a trick, no english menu, no white rice.... But they donīt get rid of us. Klaas and Bart regret that decising when it turns out the red color of their rice is not tomato but red peppers. They would have given all for a little white rice now... Outside we stop immediately at the icecream shop to cool down. It is our lucky day all the flavors are only mentioned in Japanese we choose what we think to be some kind of fruit ice (the color is purple) but again we are wrong, it is sweet potato flavor ! And to be honost the taste was not that bad. It took us a while to find the hotel again. Everything under ground looks the same, it is just a huge mall and being underground you donīt have a sence of direction. Above ground things get better. But as it is already dark all the small streets look the same. But at the end we find outr hotel again. The rooms are very small so we go and sit in the reception hall, whit a beer from the vendingmachine. A japanese family enters the hotel. The father is joining us by sitting down on the bench. Mother and children are standing a bit further. One of the children comes with two cans of beer, one for his father and one for Gonnie, the only female in our small group of five. While his wife and children are patiently waiting for him to finish his beer, we try to start a conversation. But they donīt speak english. Gonnie tells them the beer is oishi (tasty) and that was it. Sunday 9 September Today is a stress day for Antoinette. She has to make sure we catch every Shinkansen today. We donīt understand the stress, there has never been anyone late this trip, so today will be no exception. We leave the hotel at 8. But when we are waiting for our Shinkansen there are troubles at Japan Rail. The train before ours is still on th eplatform. Light panic strikes the japanese travellers and railway personel. The shinkansen is never late !! Whenever a train stops at a station the railway personel is timing with stopwatch when it has to leave again. While we are enjoying the scene (dutch trains are not known for punctuality, so we are used to it) our train is dissapearing from the board. Antoinette is getting nervous too and goes to ask what is happening. But the trainconductor, who has opened his window in the train, doesnīt know when they are going to leave. There seems to be a signal faillure. We can take place in the train that is still waiting. At the platform are numerous japanese peolpe waiting. Waiting for a train that doesnīt come. Nobody is telling them anything and they simply donīt know what to do. More than thirty minutes late we finally leave for Himeji. This must be a disaster for Japan Rail, mean delay time is 4 seconds. This delay made that we have 30 minutes less to see the famous Himeji castle. Our volunteer guide( Yoshida san) says 1,5 hours is a little short time to visit it. We donīt believe him, 90 minutes for one castle? But he is right. He tells us interesting stories about the history and how to defend a castle like this. Time flies, and we didnīt see it all. It was very much worth it to ask for a guide. to show us around. Otherwise we would never have known that the decorating of this tiles is there to protect the building for fire, just like the fish on the roof. Yoshida san also tells us a lot about the ninja. And we thought we already knew it all from the Kyoto ninja show. Not true. We are told about the trick they had. They built a stone edge just under the waterlevel. This way it looked like they walked on water, but in real they were crossing a sort of bridge. In the castle are many secret chambers where they hide. A small 'door' of 50cm x 50 cm let to a room where 30 warriors could hide. A pity we had to go on. When we are at the Himeji station it turned out the entire scedule of the Shinkansen is still a mess because of the delay this morning. So we take the first one going in our direction. In Kurashiki is our next stop. Next to the station is amusementpark Tivoli. And not far away we find a copy of an old japanese village. It is very populair with the japanese tourists, but we donīt see why we should visit a copy when we can vist the real thing in Japan!? No, we stay on the terrace of Ivy Square, at the start of the village, with a drink in our hand. A photographer is busy to make weddingpictures of a lucky couple. Very nice to see. A lady is very busy to keep the dress of the bride in the right position, and after that it is time to place the bride and the groome in the right spot, then the dress again..... One picture and it all starts over again. After a while the same couple is coming out in the sunshine, but now the bride is wearing white instead of red. This time the family is also welcome in the pictures. Everybody is well instructed and knows exactly where to stand. the pictures are taken in no time. In the mean time we buy another drink. And then it is time to go the station. Our last part of the trip with the Shinkansen. Aroud six we arrive in Hiroshima. The hotel is located close to the station. We go and have dinner at the departmentstore across the station. We donīt choose the okonomiyaki (a pancake filled with noodles) but eat at a egg-restaurant. Every dish is made with egg, most of the time it is in omelet style. Very delicious. Back in the hotel we go to the bar and to the amusement of the japanese guests we start to make strings of our origami cranes. Part 1 : Tokyo Part 2 : Japanese Alps Part 3 : Kyoto Part 4 : Koyasan Part 6 : Hiroshima Part 7 : Aso vulcano Part 8 : Nagasaki Our travels Video and Pics Cycling Walking About us News