Japan - the land of the Rising Sun, or so they say, was the next stop on our journey. We'd decided to make a base at Osaka and trek out from there. There is something comforting about being able to unpack your luggage and put down roots for a couple of weeks. We'd booked the first part of the trip at the Umeda Dormitory in Umeda, which turned out to be the smallest room of the trip so far, and then completed the two weeks In an Airbnb near Namba, close to the baseball stadium.

We always try to arrive in a new place during daylight hours, but to snap up the cheap flight ticket we had to waive that this time and arrived at Osaka airport at 10.30 pm. It would have been impossible to bring currency for all the countries we've visited, and something of a security nightmare so our first job after clearing all the official immigration formalities is usually to locate a toilet, ATM, and coffee shop normally in that order. We scoured the airport for an ATM but the only ones we could find didn't seem to like international cards and refused to cough up, so we rounded up the notes leftover from Thailand and Myanmar and headed for the money exchange. Luckily just in time before the shutters went down for the night. At least we now had some cash to pay for the bus to our accommodation. We were rushing as we'd been told that check-in after midnight would cost us an extra 1000 yen ( about £6.50), so headed outside to locate the bus. We'd just missed the 11.00 and the next one wasn't due until 12, so we settled down for the wait.

Eventually, the bus arrived and after a journey of around an hour dropped us in the centre of town. The instructions we'd been given seemed very straightforward when we'd checked them on Google maps....but it turned out we had all got off on the other side of the mall building. You can imagine the confusion which followed. In Japan, many routes take you through malls using underground tunnels, which of course after the closing time are blocked off...so we headed off on foot to locate the dorm. Ipad in hand, open on the google map, we tried to match what we saw with the screen. Eventually, after walking for about 20 minutes we concluded we had no idea where we were, and the GPS locator on the map didn't want to tell us, so we decided to call into the Seven Eleven for help, hoping they would be able to pinpoint our location on the map. The two young lads looked blankly at the screen as we tried to communicate with hand signals and a smattering of English words. Eventually, they suggested a rough location, some distance from our intended destination, so we made a decision to flag down a taxi and check the fare. As the taxi stopped the back door of the cab swung open automatically, and I half expected a portly man in a dark suit to lean across and beckon us in. Instead, a smiley Japanese driver slightly older-looking than us, gestured that we should put our luggage in the boot. After checking we had enough money for the likely fare we jumped in. Coordinates were put into the sat nav, the meter switched on, and we were off.

As we stumbled out of the taxi at the Umeda Dormitory we were met with darkness and no signs of life. The door was firmly closed and the lights were off. Oh well, here we go again......another night in the open air! We had forewarned them of the flight time and been assured they would wait up, but with no working sim in the phone, we'd been unable to let them know of our delay. I made myself comfy on top of the rucksack on the fire escape stairs whilst John paced around in frustration. Eventually, John spotted someone smoking a cigarette on one of the balconies, and managed to get his attention. He recognised our plight having arrived just before us and agreed to try and find the owner. A few moments later we were inside, being shown to our room, a tiny space just large enough for a set of metal bunk beds and two upright locker cupboards. John just wanted to go to sleep so I had the tour of the common room, kitchen, shower cubicles and toilets, and after explaining rules for laundry, and accepting that I would present the passports and pay in the morning Kazu the owner bade us goodnight and retired to his flat on the top floor.

When we woke the following day we discovered the Umeda area is home to three railway stations all linked underground by a warren of passages lined with shops and stores, and many high-end shops. Our first priority was to find food, as neither of us had eaten much the day before when we'd flown from Malaysia. We always say that the first few days in a new place are the most expensive as you don't know the cheap places to eat, and how to find your way around cheaply. Despite that, we always spend time searching and then pick the best deal in the bunch. Our first meal in Japan turned out to be a very tasty but pricey concoction, compared to the Asian food court food we'd been used to. The restaurant was popular with locals and the prices seemed reasonable compared with the many others around so we dived in. The bill, pretty much twenty pounds, for brunch made us realise that we would have to try harder next time if we were to eke out the budget. We did learn that most places offer free iced water so we stopped ordering drinks with meals. We also learned that Seven-Eleven (other small supermarkets are also available) sell a wide selection of snacks and pre-prepared bento-style meals ( a sort of picnic in a tray). They even have microwaves so you can heat them before you leave, so we managed to reign in the food/ meal expenses.

One of the expenses it's often difficult to reduce is transport. We walk as much as possible as this gives us a chance to take more photos and see things we would miss on a train or subway, but when distances are too large it just can't be avoided. Japan offers a huge range of passes for its various rail links, including the famous seven day JR pass which allows you to ride on any JR train, and a few other oddments within seven consecutive days. The only catch to it is you have to order outside Japan. As we were going to stay in Osaka we decided we wouldn't recoup the outlay so hadn't pre-ordered. In the event, we were glad we made this decision. Instead of the JR pass, we opted for the five day JR KANSAI pass which allowed us to travel within the KANSAI designated area on the JR trains, including the super-fast Shinkansen. The price difference was significant so we saved on Yen, but the five days still had to be consecutive. In the event travelling around for five consecutive days proved more than enough for the two of us and our ageing limbs, so we were glad we had chosen this pass rather than the 7 days version.

We decided to spend the first couple of days just finding our feet around Osaka before activating the pass, and started to plan our itinerary. John's request was Hiroshima, somewhere he'd had on his wish list for some time, so we decided to start there. The return fare to there alone was almost the price of the pass, so we were already going to save on the other trips. We decided to use the pass for the more expensive journeys so also scheduled trips to Kyoto, Miyajima, Shirahama, Himeji, and Kobe. Unfortunately, Koyasan wasn't covered by the pass so we decided to leave that until the end. I've written separate blog posts for each of the locations (or will have eventually) so this won't get too lengthy, and I can concentrate on telling you about Osaka.

We soon settled in at the dorm, and although it was very basic this was balanced by the fact that we were actually in a good location for exploring much of the city. It took us a couple of days to get a mental map in our heads of the different stations and their respective malls, corridors and walkways. We were just becoming blasé about our ability to get around when our time at the dorm came to an end and we needed to move to our Airbnb accommodation. Our new place was located near the Buffaloes baseball ground, not far from the nightlife of Namba, and the famous Dotonabori street. It was like being in a completely different city. One of the things we have learned from our trip is that we get a different view of a place depending on where in the city we stay, and it pays to try and stay in more than one location if you are there for a while.

The Airbnb property was a small flat, in a residential area. For just eleven pounds inclusive of the cleaning and Airbnb fee we had the flat to ourselves, and the charge included the use of the portable wifi which proved to be a real bonus. We grew to like living in Osaka, although neither of us was sure we could live there full time. Everyone is so polite and respectful, but like all cities the cost of living is high, and neither of us got very excited about the food. Many of the buildings in the city were uninspiring, except maybe the Umeda Sky building which came into its own in the evening, due to the lights shining on the glass panels. Although the mountains seemed to be ever-present as a backdrop they couldn't improve the drab buildings. As we ventured out of Osaka things improved slightly and in some places, there were some small characterful buildings but on the whole, the prefabricated look made for a dismal looking environment, surrounded by majestic and beautiful mountains.