Day 1: Plane, Train & Automobile

We begin our adventure flying from Oahu to Osaka. The flight was delayed an hour, but relatively uneventful. We were expecting our first stoic challenge would come after we landed in Osaka as we tried to find the JR express to Osaka with our luggage, but that all went remarkably smoothly.

The challenge came on the way to the airport when we realized Jim (the man who always double checks everything) left his wallet behind in the dresser in our condo. At first we thought we would have to drive back to get it. After starting our drive back to Waianae, we puzzled it out and realized we had our passports and I had all the credit cards we needed. The cash was unnecessary and although Jim felt “naked” without his wallet it was best to leave it behind. Cutting it so close was not a good idea. Our dear friends Ken and Maria went above and beyond to try to Fed Ex the wallet to Osaka. But it will take 5 or 6 days. Nothing is fast in HI. So we will make do with what we have.

As I said before going through customs was a breeze, we learned where to buy our tickets for the JR Express to Osaka by watching a YouTube before we left and we made it to the train with 10 mutes to spare. Trains in Japan are so efficient and so clean and Jim loves trains.

It’s a bit of a circuitous route out of the enormous Osaka Central Station to the taxis, but not a problem. We forgot about the lovely, clean Japanese taxis, complete with lace.

Our choice of the Conrad Hotel in Osaka to work through jet lag seems perfect so far. We slept relatively well, the service is excellent and the pool and spa lovely.

Today’s weather is pretty “Seattle”, 50 degrees and raining. So we’ve decided to enjoy the pool and spa. Dryer weather is in the forecast for tomorrow and we plan to explore.

Sayanora for now!

Fawn & Jim