Woke up and checked out of the Hotel at 10 am. Marc still sick and now Sean starting to get a sroe throat! Had a quick bite at Starbucks and caught the Shinkansen back to Osaka. Evertime I travel on one of the bullet trains it just blows me away how clean and efficient the whole japanese railway system is. Makes us look like we are in the stoneage. We had a nap when we got back as the boys energy levels aren't the best. Showered and left for the Adelaide game at ...

Slept in and grabbed some breakfast across the road from the hotel. Travelled into Umeda to meet up with Makoto and his Wife and kids. We had a tour around the shopping centre at Umeda and the went to a Chinese restaraunt he had booked on the top floor of a high rise. Spectacular view of the area from up there and the food was great. Good to know the old San Choi Bow is on the menu in japan as well. After the meal we headed out to Expo 70 stadium for the Gamba ma...

Arrived in Namba and exited the sation, took a little while to get my bearings but we found the hotel OK. Note for next time don't rely on Google street view entirely, as a shop I was using as a landmark was goooone. Which brings me to the hotel. Japanese hotels always have small rooms, read any travel blog on the web and a westerner will always bemoan the size of the room. This room however was built by disgruntled hotel architects sick and tired of being ridicu...

Day 2 Marc arrives! We met him at the station without incident which is amazing as the place is a bloody rabbit warren! Walked him back to the shoebox and gave him a cold beer. To his credit he didn't blow up deluxe as I expected, I guess your kids can surprise you after 24 years. We had brought with us a bottle of Fireball whisky as a gift for the owner of the bar we went to all the time last trip. Get this, the barman that worked for him is in the bar and he i...