Today was the day I was to meet the group I would be spending the next 12 days with, but first I wanted to visit the local aquarium. Osaka is home to one of the best aquariums in Japan (and that's saying something). Despite the Aquarium being on the outskirts of town, it seemed that the entire city had decided to visit that day. The top floor consisted of an indoor forest with trained otters and crabs climbing waterfalls. Entering the lower floors one sight explained the aquarium's reputation. The centre of the cube contained a 3-story tank holding shoals of Rays, Sharks (including a hammerhead) and 2 whale sharks, the largest fish in the world. The surrounding tanks held interesting animals (turtles, sunfish, anchovies, Jellyfish), but you could spend whole days watching the shenanigans of the sharks and rays. Once I'd wandered around (stroking a ray and a shark along the way) it was a few hours to meeting the group and having near mastered the subway system, I went back to the hotel, showered and had a nap expecting a late night out.

Fortunately, I had been correct. In the lobby of the hotel I first met a couple of the guys that I'd be sharing our sprint around lower Honshu with. Jack (an Aussie), Paul & Roger (fellow Brits) and me were all simultaneously checking our e-mails, correctly expecting the internet would be haphazard from now on. Our guide, Sonya, walked over and corralled the group together (though we were missing a Swedish couple, who would arrive later that night). After being briefed on travel details for the next day, Sonya took myself and the others mentioned earlier (as well as a Glaswegian couple on their honeymoon and a Kiwi Couple on the last leg of an epic 4 months travelling around the globe) to an underground restaurant that catered gourmet quality sushi and sashimi to local Osakans (or anyone with enough local contacts to find it). All 7 courses were sublime, the rich varied taste was complimented by the free drinks, (me and Jack pouring each other's Sake as is traditional) mainly a cavalcade of sake cocktails , made the first meal of the tour a high bar to be matched in the rest of the trip.