We had to set the alarm today for 7:30. We wanted to be out of the hotel by 10am for our flight to Osaka.
One last breakfast was enjoyed by all, especially since we are headed to apartments for the next few cities and will have to start cooking for ourselves again. 🙂
We packed up and headed for the airport.
We knew we could check luggage on this flight if we wanted to but something we’ve noticed about people traveling around this country is they have HUGE suitcases. We rarely see anyone with carryons. If they do put anything in the overhead bins, it’s duty free items that they’ve just purchased. So when we got to the airport the line for checking baggage was massive. I’ve never seen anything like it. So we decided to stick with just carrying our bags on.
We got through security, no big deal. Found our gate and the flight was delayed by 50 minutes. Not a big deal, again. So we ordered some food from a little kiosk nearby, of which L wanted none of it. Had the kids do homework and we played some card games.
We landed in Osaka, and it’s definitely colder here! Like in the 40’s. We also knew we had to take three different trains/subways to get to our apartment. So we tried preparing the kids and ourselves in case this was a big ordeal. It was definitely tricky, from what I could tell. Ty is amazing and always tackles the logistical situations. So he was trying to figure out the ticket machines, not only which lines, to take where, but also how to use these machines that didn’t always offer English. We could go one way, but the landlord recommended we go another way. Which was easier? Who knows? It was definitely a bit stressful, but he always manages to guide us through it.
The part I didn’t expect was that all the subway/train cars are super nice! They’re clean which I expected, but they have plush fabric seats. And they’re super quiet on board! I heard maybe one other conversation but it was hushed, in whispered tones. So here we are with our loud American children who have been cooped up all day. It was like we were a rolling parade of noise. So that was trickier than I expected.
But like all things, we get through them, and we were so happy to get to our apartment. It has four separate bunk beds. This hilarious oven drawer, and it gives us more space than a hotel room too.
Dinner we got from a little tiny fried food stand that was next door. No idea really what was in the balls. It seemed almost like a cooked seafood chowder. But we got some stringy fried chicken pieces that were incredible! We went back two more times for more chicken.
We then went for a walk down a little side street market. We found the most giant vegetables. The carrots and turnips here are huge! I don’t even know what this is?
We also found a small playground, where we had the kids race around it for a while, to finally burn some energy and be loud, ie kids. We will definitely be back tomorrow. Too much sitting, and I think we all go a bit nuts.
Back in the apartment for an early bedtime of 7:30 for the kids. I’ll give them credit, they were actually excited about the idea of going to bed at a regular time. 🙂 Ty and I got some laundry done, and are just catching up on blogging, and planning out the day for tomorrow. It’s supposed to rain, along with the cold temps, it may not be the most enjoyable day. Let’s hope we find a few good indoor activities.
