Day trips to Himeji, Kobe and Nara:
 
The good thing about Osaka is its proximity to other places, meaning day trips are the order of the day. One day we went to Kobe (yes, where the beef comes from) and checked out the harbour and the fun park and gorged ourselves on so much meat that we got the "meat sweats". Another day saw us head to Nara which is a town populated with spectacular temples and shrines and an over abundance of aggressively hungry deer. One of the temples is the largest wooden structure in the world and houses a Buddha which is so big it makes your brain think it is an illusion of some variety - photos do it no justice. Another day we headed to the city of Himeji - well known for its amazing castle - which remains in its original form from many hundred years ago. In the royal quarters the floorboards are designed to squeak at every step so that the guards would know if any ninja, samurai, or sushi chef was coming in to assassinate the dignitaries.

Afterwards, we caught a bus and a cable car up a mountain to a lesser known attraction, Mount Shosha which is covered in a beautiful forest and houses Shoshazan and Engyo-ji Temples. More of a pilgrimage for locals than a tourist attraction, it was the surprise package of the trip, as we trekked through the forest catching glimpses of age old temples and the odd tombs. It provided the backdrop for part of the filming of Tom Cruise's "The Last Samurai", if that means anything to anyone.

Getting around Japan is at first a daunting experience and trains are the best way to do it. At peak hour, people are hired at train stations to push people into the carriages to make sure as many people are jammed in as possible. After the initial shock of the volume of people and the fact that they rarely acknowledge each others existence, you realise just how good this train system is: frequent, reliable trains that go everywhere and anywhere you want at an affordable price. Plus you get to sashay on silent carriages shared with salubrious salary men and sassy school girls - what more could you want? Food, fashion and freaks Shopping in Japan is an experience unto itself. Many fashion trends start in the land of the rising sun and the point where many believe they originate is a small district in Osaka called Amerika-mura where no matter what you wear you will still feel tragically unhip.

On the seedier side of the track, there is an entire suburb in Osaka that is devoted to “women of the night”. In a country where you can buy used girl's underwear from vending machines with a photo of the girl attached, this was not surprising. But a stroll through its many streets makes Amsterdam's red light district look like, well, it makes it look like a bordello! It's like you have stepped back 300 years where geisha choose who they want as customers and not the other way around. Every little house had a mama-san (of grandma age) who chooses whether or not the passers-by are worthy of being a customer for her "daughter". Curious!

 Lots of people have been asking me about the food, so lets explore that area shall we? Okonomiyaki is a mix between an omelette and a pizza and in Osaka you generally make it yourself in a restaurant with each table having their own hot plate and of course a few friends to make things interesting. Other delicacies include takoyaki (octupus balls), ramen (a thin noodle soup), horse sashimi (a novelty purchase but delicious), beef tongue (see horse sashimi), fried chicken cartilage, fish head, udon, gyoza (fried dumplings) and teppanyaki (we were shouted to a very expensive restaurant by future in-laws where we had two chefs for our table of 9 people situated 25 floors above Osaka and the food, well, it was divine). We particularly enjoyed the karage (a type of fried chicken) with Asahi beer, both of which are cheap and in abundance and go together like Kyoto and the protocol (except in Australia and the US, but I digress). I also had the best sushi ever but that is no surprise.

Coming back to Australia we were confronted by the rude service, when in fact we had just become so accustomed to the friendly nature of the Japanese, and the exemplary service that we forgot what was the norm in Australia. With the Australian dollar so good against the Japanese Yen, and JetStar's amazing deals to Osaka, any Aussie would be mad not to head over there for a holiday of culture shock, weird rock and sushi roll.