And on to Osaka

On Friday morning we left our cozy little apartment and headed for Osaka.  The highlight of the day was the bullet train, which carried us 300 miles in a little over 2 1/2 hours, reaching speeds of 165mph.  We saw big cities, coastline, and rural areas along the way.  We also passed by Mt Fuji, which was truly magnificent.

Once in Osaka we checked into our Japanese-style hotel and then headed out to the dotombori, which can best be described as Osaka's version of Times Square crossed with the Mall of America.  It was huge, lit up like a Christmas tree, and full of thousands of people.  On Friday nights the local teenagers dress up and "cruise" the main thoroughfares.  It was some awesome people watching, indeed.  We ate Syabu-syabu (meat cooked in water at your table) and then headed back to the hotel.

Mt Fuji from the bullet train

Dotombori shopping district

Paper lanterns outside a tavern

Of course I did!

Laundry day in our traditional hotel room