Shin-Osaka Washington Plaza

... the women. But when they talk in english they talk at a really normal pitch!<br>5. They say `hai, hai, hai` (yes, yes, yes) all the time<br>6. All of them, without fail, are incredibly fashionable. Makes us feel a bit plain. Even Sarah.<br><br>Osaka was also useful just for introducing us to little Japanese details that they have all across the country. Like...<br><br>1. Ridiculous amounts of vending machines on every corner selling loads of weird drinks, even coffee in ...

landed at osaka late,so we had to wait for customs to clear us ,before we could go ashore and finally we got off the ship,ran to our bus so we could get the best seats....i have never seen phillip run so fast....lol purple f1 our tour guide was micky(female)you could not shut her up...talk about brain overload..way to much info,it drove most of us insane. we visited the osaka castle musuem...absolutely fantastic ...

... wouldn't go amiss right now) we headed to the 5th Station which is a bus stop halfway up Mount Fuji. Despite the bitter cold of being up a mountain (who knew?) we did get some far superior photos this time around. Unfortunately time constraints meant that we only had time for a few pictures and a sausage on a stick before catching the bus back down and commencing the quite frankly ...

... is a pretty good introduction to all things extra-terrestrial and holds a lot of information about the fledgling Chinese space program. Just along the bay lies the Hong Kong Museum of Art with a mixed collection of colonial art and an outstanding collection covering all of China. My final evening in Kowloon, I record the sunset in the bay, the buildings on Hong Kong Island glowing in the warm May sunshine. Riding the bus out to the airport takes you west and over the bridge ...

... Buddha statue or 'Daibutsu', and I don't know how big it is, but it must extend over a few stories. Its magical, because no one dares say a word because you don't feel worthy, so the silence somehow makes it seem bigger.<br><br>We were also treated to something rather special while we were in Nara. We were there for Setsuban, which is the day of celebration before the first day of each season. But, traditionally it refers to the Spring Setsuban, celebrated on February 3rd ...

... ll, or, *t the very le*st, within the time fr*me of this cursed twenty-minute limit computer. Suffice to s*y it w*s * visu*l plethor* of some of the most be*utiful pl*ces I'll ever see. Amongst them, * p*vilion liter*lly p*ved in gold; *n immense p*l*ce grounds; skipping *cross stepping stones over koi ponds *nd huge, c*refully *rr*nged g*rdens within which one c*n w*ste hours looking out over the sm*ll moss covered isl*nds bursting with *ll kinds of *m*zing J*p*nese foli*ge. I even ...

... they pretty much butchered * gre*t Sondheim music*l. Pun intended.<br><br>The next d*y we he*ded on to Beppu! A 'sm*ll' town e*st of Fukuok*. It w*s built on *nd *round * highly volc*nic *re*, the result of which is wh*t everyone c*lls 'The Onsen Town'. It is *lso home to the f*mous Snow Monkeys th*t l*ze *round in the hot springs like they own them.<br><br>We didn't get to see them in the hot springs though, but s*w them *t the Monkey P*rk where they run ...

... an outdoor mud bath hot spring. Oh and did I mention that it is mandatory to be naked? Yes, with naught but a twelve by twelve inch towel to cover yourself, one must brave the waters in the nude. My pasty western skin was immediately apparent to them all, and I was all too mentally scarred by the images I witnessed in the men's segregated sections on my way to the outdoor bath in the freezing cold. I mean, I'm talking naked naked. So naked. The only way I could have ...

... good, and the alcohol was forthcoming! To top it off we got fries after our meal :) Ahh, just like home :P The poor waiter didn't understand what we were asking, and the drinks menu had no pictures! Luckily words like 'sake' and 'biru' got us through. Of course, Jo and I had to try the pink alcoholic drink called "X" in some cocktails which there were pictures of! Very girly, and quite tasty. Strangely enough, the place didn ...

... a beautiful example of the spirit of cooperation that Japan instills in its youth. I have often heard this referred to in a negative light, as collectivism and lack of individuality. But, Japan is small island (85% of which is mountainous and uninhabitable) with 130 million people. Without cooperation they never would have succeeded as they have. Green Team lost, but I was feeling fairly healthy and alive after a bit of physical activity. We took a brief break and canned drinks ...