Today we traveled from Osaka to Hiroshima via bullet train. Armed with a better knowledge of the transportation system and local knowledge of how to get to places we were able to use the subway to get from Namba (local main JR Rail Station) to Shinosaka (the main Rail Station for Osaka). There were closer subway stations, but carrying down suitcases on stairways was not optimal. So in less than 10 minutes we're at the Namba station trying to work out where to go. Turns out we should have just gone down as the ticketing was down there along with station staff to assist with enquiries. Quick note here, JR passes only work on JR trains, not all trains are JR trains, so while we could get to Universal studios using the JR pass, it could not be used on the subway, this is also the same in Tokyo.
So we get to Shinosaka and go to the Information Desk to seek directions to the Hiroshima line, Platform 20, we decided to chance it and not get a reserved seat, just as well we lined up early. On that note, everything is very well organised, no matter what type of train you catch, you must line up on the platform and not cut in. It is all very orderly. But once on the train, every man for himself. We got a seat thankfully as we were very up near the head of the queue. The ride was mostly uneventful, GPS on the phone said top speed was around 308km/h.
Once in Hiroshima, we cabbed it as to get to the hotel required walking and buses, and suitcases are a right royal PITA on the bus.
Checked in our luggage at the hotel and then went for a walk to have lunch. Found an awesome restaurant called MARU. Without realising I had actually nodded and greeted the owner on the street as we were walking along. When we walked in he hurried over to seat us and guide us through the menu, explained everything to us and how to get our appetisers (MYO and also mini dishes of really awesome food). We ate the mains which were simply divine with all you can eat sticky white rice. The price was awesome, only $25 for both of us.
Then we wandered accidentally into the shopping mall. Wandered up and down, then round the corner to a 7-11 for some nibblies and then back to the hotel to check in. Ate the ice creams which come in these really cute packages. And then went for another wander.
The Hiroshima Peace Park is very sobering. Personally I am going back in the quiet of morning during Golden Hour to get some photos. The cherry blossoms are awesome, the memorial is very confronting, hard to think how one person could make a decision to cause that much destruction and not be accountable to the world.
Tomorrow we are heading off to the A Bomb site and then a boat to the Hiroshimagokoku Shrine.
Photos
2018-03-31 - Osaka to Hiroshima
2018-03-31 - Hiroshima Peace Park
2018-03-31 - Hiroshima Night Wanderings
31 March 2018
30 March 2018
Osaka Trekking and Universal Studios
Today was the first and only full day we have in Osaka and of course what do good tourists do, they spend half of it at an American theme park and eat Chinese food. Yes, I'm afraid so. Universal Studios is in the top 3 things to do in Osaka.
The day started early which is usual for us. It is quite cool here, reminds me of a Brisbane Winter, cool in the morning, warms up during the day and cools down again in the evening. It gets windy here and that's what bites,
Before we could do anything we had to activate our JR Rail passes so we decided we would walk to the one of only a few train stations that do it. It was only 7kms away right. We walked through quite a bit of our district and it was interesting to see the neighborhoods change. Around our hotel are clubs, restaurants and more clubs. Early hours of the morning though (8.00 am seems to be too early for the locals) there were not many people around, just a few suits going to work. As we walked our grungy neighborhood disappeared and gradually we wandered into the business district which was all your usual high-rises, plenty of people going to work but super clean. We saw a few older guys in business attire picking up rubbish with what appeared to be long handled tongs. As we kept walking the business district disappeared and we were back to grungy but cutely odd. Various shrines and weird things were outside a lot of the local eateries and the number of people died off again. We came across one of the few waterways that runs through Osaka and it had a few cherry blossoms. Not many but enough to keep me happy. After about an 1hr 20 in we decided to cab it the rest of the way because the phone map said we wouldn't get to the train station until midday.
The cabs, by the way, are great. Again super clean and ours had little lace coverings over the tops of the seats. The driver was really helpful and I was able to try out a little Japanese on him.
Finally in the station and we managed to get our tickets validated. Then it was off to navigate how to get to Universal Studios which ended up being quite straight forward as it has its own railway station. Not a lot of people on the train, we managed to miss peak hour so there was no shoving going on.
Universal was a good theme park as far as theme parks go. I did get to exercise my inner nerd though and saw the new Harry Potter exhibit. Loved it!! We also saw a Sumo wrestler and his wife. Everyone was in awe of this man and he was treated with great respect. It was really nice to see, no one asked for a selfie or an autograph, he was left to enjoy the day with his family.
After a few hours we decided to tangle with Japanese Rail and find our way back home. We managed to get to Osaka without too much hassle but after that, we had no chance. Hot tip, you really should know what station you need to get to and what main line it runs on otherwise you have little hope of navigating your way out. In the end we decided to cab it back which was a blessing because we were tired but Sean will never admit to that because he wanted to keep looking for that elusive station.
For dinner we ventured out into our neighborhood again. It appears that we are smack bang in the middle of the most popular district in Osaka, Dontonbori. It also features in the top 3. It is filled with shops, restaurants, street food, clubs and little weirdy shops that sell plastic cartoon characters, cookies and other odds and sods. Cookies are really popular here, anything that is commercially popular is made into a cookie. We decided to try some street food for dinner which has me a little worried now because seafood cooked on the street may not have been a good idea but we won't know until later on.
Tomorrow we head off to Hiroshima by bullet train which I am really looking forward to. I am searching for traditional Japan and although we found small pockets here, it is quite a modern city. Great experience though.
Photos from today
2018-03-30 - Osaka and Universal Studios
The day started early which is usual for us. It is quite cool here, reminds me of a Brisbane Winter, cool in the morning, warms up during the day and cools down again in the evening. It gets windy here and that's what bites,
Before we could do anything we had to activate our JR Rail passes so we decided we would walk to the one of only a few train stations that do it. It was only 7kms away right. We walked through quite a bit of our district and it was interesting to see the neighborhoods change. Around our hotel are clubs, restaurants and more clubs. Early hours of the morning though (8.00 am seems to be too early for the locals) there were not many people around, just a few suits going to work. As we walked our grungy neighborhood disappeared and gradually we wandered into the business district which was all your usual high-rises, plenty of people going to work but super clean. We saw a few older guys in business attire picking up rubbish with what appeared to be long handled tongs. As we kept walking the business district disappeared and we were back to grungy but cutely odd. Various shrines and weird things were outside a lot of the local eateries and the number of people died off again. We came across one of the few waterways that runs through Osaka and it had a few cherry blossoms. Not many but enough to keep me happy. After about an 1hr 20 in we decided to cab it the rest of the way because the phone map said we wouldn't get to the train station until midday.
The cabs, by the way, are great. Again super clean and ours had little lace coverings over the tops of the seats. The driver was really helpful and I was able to try out a little Japanese on him.
Finally in the station and we managed to get our tickets validated. Then it was off to navigate how to get to Universal Studios which ended up being quite straight forward as it has its own railway station. Not a lot of people on the train, we managed to miss peak hour so there was no shoving going on.
Universal was a good theme park as far as theme parks go. I did get to exercise my inner nerd though and saw the new Harry Potter exhibit. Loved it!! We also saw a Sumo wrestler and his wife. Everyone was in awe of this man and he was treated with great respect. It was really nice to see, no one asked for a selfie or an autograph, he was left to enjoy the day with his family.
After a few hours we decided to tangle with Japanese Rail and find our way back home. We managed to get to Osaka without too much hassle but after that, we had no chance. Hot tip, you really should know what station you need to get to and what main line it runs on otherwise you have little hope of navigating your way out. In the end we decided to cab it back which was a blessing because we were tired but Sean will never admit to that because he wanted to keep looking for that elusive station.
For dinner we ventured out into our neighborhood again. It appears that we are smack bang in the middle of the most popular district in Osaka, Dontonbori. It also features in the top 3. It is filled with shops, restaurants, street food, clubs and little weirdy shops that sell plastic cartoon characters, cookies and other odds and sods. Cookies are really popular here, anything that is commercially popular is made into a cookie. We decided to try some street food for dinner which has me a little worried now because seafood cooked on the street may not have been a good idea but we won't know until later on.
Tomorrow we head off to Hiroshima by bullet train which I am really looking forward to. I am searching for traditional Japan and although we found small pockets here, it is quite a modern city. Great experience though.
Photos from today
2018-03-30 - Osaka and Universal Studios
29 March 2018
Brisbane to Japan, Osaka-Namba
What a day. Possibly one of the better international travel routes, going southern to northern hemisphere and to our destination in one day and only one hour gained in the time change.
The carrier Jetstar however leaves a lot to be desired. They don't have a very good disabled person policy, most airlines allow disabled people to use the business class line, not Jetstar. So TOGirl lined up while I sat and waited for her to get to the head of the queue. Then boarding they didn't announce it properly, it was just fortunate we were at the head of the queue waiting in seats so were able to board first. Kansai airport also seemed to be a little lacking in disabled mechanisms for processing immigration, lesson learned.
First glimpse of Japan was coming out of the Namba rail station in the middle of Osaka, WOW, its busy and its 10pm. We walked from the station to the accommodation and our senses were assaulted in every way. Food smells, lights everywhere, the sounds and lots of bikes of all shapes and sizes.
We had to go for a walk as the adapters we have are all earthed and the sockets are not, couple of adapters at the 7-11 have seen this righted.
Its off to bed now, early morning start with breakfast and then a walk to the main Osaka train station to activate the JR Pass. Then its off to Universal studios for the day.
Photos
2017-03-29 - Osaka, first night
The carrier Jetstar however leaves a lot to be desired. They don't have a very good disabled person policy, most airlines allow disabled people to use the business class line, not Jetstar. So TOGirl lined up while I sat and waited for her to get to the head of the queue. Then boarding they didn't announce it properly, it was just fortunate we were at the head of the queue waiting in seats so were able to board first. Kansai airport also seemed to be a little lacking in disabled mechanisms for processing immigration, lesson learned.
First glimpse of Japan was coming out of the Namba rail station in the middle of Osaka, WOW, its busy and its 10pm. We walked from the station to the accommodation and our senses were assaulted in every way. Food smells, lights everywhere, the sounds and lots of bikes of all shapes and sizes.
We had to go for a walk as the adapters we have are all earthed and the sockets are not, couple of adapters at the 7-11 have seen this righted.
Its off to bed now, early morning start with breakfast and then a walk to the main Osaka train station to activate the JR Pass. Then its off to Universal studios for the day.
Photos
2017-03-29 - Osaka, first night
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