7th
The bus ride from Takayama was very scenic. Still lots of snow on the ground as we crossed parts of the Alps. We arrived in Nagoya mid afternoon and walked to the hotel, the Nagoya Crown Hotel. Its ok, nothing special, but has a natural hot spring bathes in the basement. Maybe Shauna will use it. As its a blue sky day and quite warm we start walking exploring the city. Nowhere near as big or busy as Tokyo, and from what we have seen so far, its pretty nice.

8th, 9th
Spent these days visiting some of the tourist spots like the Osaka Castle, Nagoya Tower. Plenty of window shopping and lots of walking. Its certainly not as touristy as Tokyo, which in a way is good. Prices on food and transport are cheaper. Lot less pedestrians. Things seem to get done at a slower pace here as well.

10th
Up early this morning, as Shauna is catching a bus to Tokyo. We say our goodbyes and i head back to the hotel to complete checkout. I have booked a airbnb place out in the suburbs for 3 nights before heading to Toyama.
After getting to the hotel to look after my luggage for the day, as i cannot check in to my new place till 7pm, I head out to the Toyota Museum. It is pretty cloudy as i leave the hotel and after walking for about 15 minutes it starts to rain. No i did not bring an umbrella, oh well its only water.
I make it to the metro station and take the train to the Museum. Now its raining quite heavily and i have no choice to walk a kilometre to the Museum in the rain, as there are no shops in sight to buy a cheap umbrella.
The Toyota Museum is very interesting, especially all the working displays. Toyota did not start off making cars, but instead started life called Toyoda and was involved in weaving and spinning fabric and making the looms as well.
So after spending a few hours in the museum its time to leave. No it hasnt stopped raining, so i take an umbrella from the umbrella stand. Yes i know its stealing, but the one it took was left as it was partly broken, but it keeps me dry.
The rest of the day is spent wandering the underground malls and shops before heading back to get my luggage.
I take the subway out to Issha, where my apartment for the next 3 nights is located. Its a 20 minute ride, and yes its still raining. I meet my host and he takes me to the apartment, which is ok. Will be a little bit on the noisy side as its close to a main road.
The apartment is barely furnished. All i have is a mattress on the floor, a sofa, a coffee table and a tv on the floor. Oh well i guess i cant complain for $30 a night. The kitchen has a fridge and microwave which is what i like to have available.

11th
No i didnt sleep much at all. The road noise was pretty bad, especially with the wet roads. What does cheer me up is looking out the window to see blue sky, not a cloud in sight. So the day is spent wandering the streets of Issha.

12th
Another day without rain. Its warm enough not to need a jacket, so out i go to explore the back streets and am impressed with what i see. No more high rise apartment buildings, but normal looking houses, be it small, and off street parking. The street are immaculate, no litter or graffiti, no dog pooh. Really enjoyable place to walk. Beats Tokyo by a mile!
Tomorrow i am off to the east coast of Japan to a place called Toyama, by bus. The trip will take 3.5 hours