Japan - Day 1

Hard to know where to begin!  We are truly blessed to have just been on an awesome family break to Japan.  I was trying to think of the last time I went to a new country and realised it has been waaay to long.  (Some of you are rolling your eyes right now but my fellow travel buggers know what I mean).  It has been so long since I experienced something totally different.  I find a lot of asia similar in so many ways and as most of our recent adventures have been around this area, I was itching to be pushed a little out of my comfort zone.  Don't get me wrong.  Japan was not hard by any means but the mere fact there was a significant language barrier (English was not as widely spoken as many countries in SEA) was a challenge and just what the doctor ordered.

Our flight with Vietnam Airlines left Ho Chi Minh City just after midnight.  Flying time was about 4.45 mins.  I HATE night flights but if you are flying into Osaka there is not much choice.  Flight was full but the kids managed a few hours each of sleep.  Vietnam Airlines in all of it's wisdom decides to feed you an inedible snack on departure and then wake you up 3 hours later to serve you an inedible breakfast of fish.  Do you get the feeling I am not a fan?

We arrived and the calmness and order  of Japan was evident from the start.  My goodness...the customs man SMILED at us!  Bags collected we walked across a bridge to the train station where we boarded the RAPIT express train to Frasier Residence in Namba.  The trip took about 30 minutes.

The hotel is literally minutes from the train station.  One of the first things I saw was these awesome sumo guys!  Loving the shoes.  I knew then that we would experience things here that we had never seen before.

As the flight arrived so early we could not check in.  The hotel were great and took all of our bags and we set off for a bit of a wander.  We are lucky enough to have a friend who live in Osaka in town and she met us and showed us the ropes. (nb, that is not her on the right...I have no idea who that lady is!)

The Namba area is quite famous for it 2 major shopping malls, Parks and City.  They are pretty much part of the underground station which is like a huge suburb underground.  The Japanese Rail System is mind-blowing.

When the zombie apocalypse arrives I'm moving to Japan and living underground here.

Maybe the fridge was broken?

So we headed to Hep Five Ferris Wheel.  The kids were holding up surprisingly well.  This ferris wheel is on top of a shopping centre and takes in fab views of the Umeda area.

A full loop takes about 15 minutes and from memory was not expensive at all.

With Asami leading the way if was time to eat some Japanese food in Japan!

I love the fact that they will give anything a go.

Although sushi was not really their thing there was plenty for them to enjoy.  They had the fried chicken as well as rice and teriyaki chicken.  I mean really...who can blame a 7 year old for not being a fan of raw fish?

Back to the hotel and time for a well earned rest.  Nick had hurt his back in the days leading up to our trip and was struggling with a bulged disc.  We headed out just around the corner with Nick walking like a 90 year old.  The furtherest he could manage was a Chinese place in the next street.

Luckily...they had AMAZING gyoza (an addiction of mine) and we had a great meal.  The kids had held brilliantly for such a huge day.

Yeah Yeah...I know...but it was literally across the road and we don't have one in Vietnam.  Sundae's all round was a great way to finish off a huge day.