Konichiwa!!!

We've landed in Osaka and what a place it is. Oasaka's Kansai Airport is on an impressive man-made island about 60 minutes from the city.

As we drove through the province last night on our way to the hotel, Osaka seemed more like a reflection of other cities we had been before, rather than a unique place in its own right.

It has the giant industries of Beijing, with the biggest LPG plant we have ever seen. The pressured steel vessels towered hundreds of meters into the air and were lit up like Christmas trees. The plant seemed to stretch on and on.

When we got closer to the city the clean streets and colonial buildings made it feel like we were smack bang in the middle of Melbourne. A quick turn around the corner to a street filled with towering older buildings, roads with crazy drivers and that all too familiar putrid sewer smell and I could have sworn we were in Bangkok.

Then a drive over the multi-levelled red bridge and you could be in the US.

Once we had checked into our hotel, and confirmed we definitely were in Osaka, we went for a wander down the nearby streets.

We found a great little local eatery just around the corner from our hotel and enjoyed our very first Asahi and gyoza (fried dumplings) of the trip! We were thrilled the menu had pictures as our Japanese is exceptional lack luster. We're starting to realise we will need to quickly get a grasp of basic Japanese language to get by. We had no idea what the total of our bill was at the restaurant and I'm sure it showed as Aaron fumbled his way through his wallet to grab more money than necessary to pay the waitress.

On the way back we walked past this buzzing place that at first glance looked like a video game parlor. We looked closer to realise it wasn't filled with tweeny boppers, but instead with middle-aged Japanese people on pokies!!! Now I'm not a gambler but even I was enticed by the bright lights and quirky noises. Pictures to come.

Tomorrows goal: master the numerical system so we can pay our bills and play the pokies! (Or play the pokies so we can pay our bills?!)

Sayonara!