Tuesday 1 December 2015

More from Tuesday 1st December

After a late, unusual "breakfast" the group set out for Shin Osaka station to exchange the three rail pass vouchers for passes. Today we took the subway, using a single day pass, which made getting on and off trains a lot easier, rather than buying tickets every time. We also had our first good look at the outside of the stadium which houses the youth hostel, and the park and complex that surrounds it. However, a short stop at the first vending machine was required before moving out.


The subway was a novel mode of transport for the group, and many were keen to catch the train arriving at Nagai Station on ourvway to Shin Osaka.



It took about one hour to get everyone's three passes processed so a change in the planned place for lunch meant we ate at a kushi katsu restaurant in Shin Osaka station. The owner and staff were very helpful in seating 17 people, explaining the menu and getting us sorted with a variety of deep-fried, crumbed selections on sticks. We had a group photo with the owner and his No.2 when we left.

No visit to Osaka would be complete without getting down to Dotonbori to see the famous Glico-man sign and the moving crab.

There are some strange creatures ready to surprise the tourists in this area, but Mr Smith 
and Wade were willing to keep these two entertained for a moment.

And then there are the shop-a-holics doing their bit for the local economy. H&M and Forever 21 were doing well today.


Finding a place for dinner was a bit of a mission, as the intended place seemed to have disappeared. However, we eventually found an udon restaurant with a variety of different types on offer.



We made it back to the youth hostel around 9:00pm, fairly tired after a long day out, where patience was exercised very well by all. A sound sleep should help re-charge the batteries for Day 3 of the adventure.