Final Destination in Japan

Osaka is just South of Kyoto and just North of the Kansai airport (from which I fly to China). It is a good place for me to regroup and see a few things before heading to mainland Asia.

I stayed at the Osaka-fu Hattori Ryokuchi Youth Hostel, part of the Nagai Soccer Stadium. The stadium and its surrounding park were built specifically for the upcoming Fifa World Cup of Soccer in June 2002. Being that it was new it was a fancy place in comparison to all the other hostels I have stayed at in Japan.

I was able to rest up and see a few things in Osaka during these last days before going to China. The main attraction for me was the Umeda Sky Building and its observatory. Upon reaching the building I noticed that they offered free internet-o. I jumped online for a bit and took full advantage. Then, it was up, up, up to the top. Near the top, the elevator, which allows you to see out as it goes up, stops a few flights short of the top. Then I boarded an escalator, which is also encased in glass and runs to the top between the twin towers. Here I then ventured to the open air observatory a few more stories up. The view was of nothing special...but the getting to the top was very interesting. The sun began to set so, I sat down and wrote a few postcards there and enjoyed the sunset. Then, it was off to dinner.

I travelled down to Minami (all travel in Osaka, for me, was by the Misosuji subway) for dinner. I had a good helping of Unagi(eel, one of my favorite Japanese dishes) for my last dinner in Japan. Then it was back to the hostel for a bit of R & R before entering China.

Tomorrow I am off to China. It should be a whole new ball game....