Osaka, Japan
April 5, 2006
We arrived safely in Japan, at the Kansai airport, near Osaka, on Tuesday (~3:30 pm). The effects of jet lag have been mostly limited to waking up in the middle of the night, ready to start the day (which is very unusual for both of us, who aren’t morning people).
So far, we both love Japan very much. The neighborhoods are an interesting blend of old and new, residential and commercial, all with some very interesting conveniences. The train and subway system is very convenient and efficient. Many of the public restrooms have heated toilet seats and “irrigation” systems. There’s a lot less english spoken here than we expected, but we’re getting by fine with charades and our phrase book.
Osaka was overwhelming simply because everything was foreign. The foreign writing on the walls, the abundance of bikes in the streets, the beautiful tiled roofs on the houses, vending machines on every corner, trees we’d never seen before, foods we’d never sampled before, heated toilets that spray water and make misterious sounds. The senses we’re in overload.
We’ll upload some photos when we find a computer that lets us upload from our memory stick.
Gotta run. Japanese Zen gardens and palaces await.
-G&J
From Martin Kennett, on Apr 7, 2006 at 04:22AM:
Conich wa! (forgive spelling)
We are very happy you have arrived safely.
It sounds wonderful – We hope to witness the whole trip vicariously through this travel Pod!
Good luck in the next place
Marty, Julie & Lucas