I`ve made it to Japan, I'm in Osaka and it's 5:00 AM. This will be my second day here so I plan to do the tourist thing on foot.
The flight wasn't as bad as I had expected though 13 hours from Toronto to Tokyo still isn't that fun. (a note to my parents: the flight was direct to Japan. I don't know why I said there was a stop in Vancouver *shrugs*)By the time I reached Osaka airport I could think of nothing but bed. Getting to the hostel was a task since there was far less English signage than I expected! A man escorted me though the subway system to my last line. I muttered a low "wakarimasu, domo arigato gozaimasu" and he was on his way. I felt like such a bum, allowing him to go so far out of his way for a complete stranger.
Hey, cool thing: people stay to the right of the escalators, allowing others to walk up if they choose! I noticed that in Vancouver too. Maybe the rest of the world is just more organized than Ottawa. It is a government town after all.
Yesterday I took it easy and went to the Osaka aquarium. Pretty neat though I was disappointed in the lack of sea cucumbers. The whale sharks were pretty wicked at feeding time, thanks for the tip Puss-Puss. They suck in liters of water at a time from the surface... looks like whirlpools. If i don't get to see the Naruto whirlpools at least I've seen the whale shark whirlpools. Unfortunately I had to wait an hour and a half for feeding time but,meh, I'm not in any kind of rush.
I took my first glance at Japanese shopping too. Crazy merch. My favorite was an entire store dedicated to Miyazaki movies. Holy-hell did I want to buy everything. There was some nice stuff. Mostly Totoro merch. I picked up a small cloth since many washrooms don't have hand dryers. It has Totoro on it, naturally.
The hostel is every bit as cool as I expected. It is a very laid back place with an unusual funky flair. The main lounge is also a bar (they were playing jaw harp music when I arrived at night). I wasn't here 10 minutes before some guests invited me to chill. frankly though,I just wanted a shower and sleep. Hopefully I'll grow some balls tonight and meet everyone.
Getting peckish.
