Our Osaka Holiday

We needed to do something between rugby games and the 400km ride on the Shinkansen to Osaka seemed like a good holiday idea. 

We have a full time guide with us and once off the train we were on our way to the Osaka Castle, a not so humble abode built in 1583. Built as a defence position by one lot of Japanese to save themselves from being attacked by other Japanese it had a number of triumphs but also a number of defeats. It’s been burnt down and knocked down during attacks but the greatest mishap was when lightning struck the gunpowder store in 1660, causing an explosion and fire.There are several of these castles in Japan and they seem to be mostly the same.

After our train ride and an afternoon of walking we arrived at our hotel to find that our luggage hadn’t arrived. (It was sent in a truck rather than us have to lug it onto the train and then to the hotel). It seemed the decent thing to do would be to partake in some Heineken beer seeing as they sponsor the World Cup Rugby. I ordered 2 glasses and sat down with the rest of the crew very satisfied with our day. Bags arrived, time for a shower but better pay for the beers first. $19 each!! This is a 300ml glass!. I wrote to Heineken to thank them for sponsoring the Cup but telling them that some pubs think their product is worth far more than the average kiwi thinks. I won’t get caught like that again.

We had a free day following so a few of us organised a whisky tasting outing with lunch that turned out very well. We tasted 5 whiskies each but as some of the crew weren’t overly impressed some of us managed 8 or 10 tastes. Not the best of ideas in the middle of the day and definitely not best followed by a visit to one of the higher buildings in Osaka. We took lifts to a viewing deck 175m high so we could see out over the city. Bit higher than the Post Office building in Blenheim but not as high as the Sky Tower (or has that burned down??).

Hardly a "Hustler"

Our second free day saw us on a walking tour amid the millions of natives here. Surprisingly, for the number of people in this country it doesn’t really seem overcrowded. There a few people who still ride their bike on the footpath among the pedestrians…and no one cares, they just step politely out of their way. Makes me smile to think that in Blenheim there are walkers who are trying to prohibit cyclists on our riverside walking tracks. Another observation of the cyclists here sees that no one has their seat set at the length of their leg. So they appear to be pedalling in a sitting down fashion, never getting the full benefit of their leg power. I must check the success of Japanese in the cycling events at the Olympics. I’m guessing it will be meagre pickings.

From Osaka we took an hour long bus ride to Kyoto the old capital for a sightseeing day. I didn’t get too excited as we were in out of the bus to view temples, shrines and pagodas. But it seemed to be a nice enough city from the bus window.

We did have an organised lunch here with a traditional lunch menu, I think a Christmas type meal. Made note to self not to stay for Christmas. It started well with sashimi. Some of rest I found inedible, the first time that any of the food put in front of me that has been graded in that category. Dozens of small dishes with a lot of gelatinous offerings. One looked like an eyeball!  Some of the strangest textures we have encountered in our travels. Putrid doesn’t start to describe the flavour of some of them. A good experience all the same and prepared with the usual Japanese love for what they do and attention to detail. As we entered the restaurant we encountered a robotic large trolley moving down the hallway!!

Near the end of our meal we had the opportunity to be entertained, meet and talk to a Maiko (apprentice Geisha).She was 17 years old and quite happy to talk to us through our interpreter or directly back to us where her English allowed. It was really interesting to learn about the life she is leading. They learn to perform songs, dances and play instruments for their guests. About a 5 year apprenticeship but our Maiko was not sure if she would continue to the Geisha level as she is “not allowed to fall in love”.

Our last journey back into Tokyo was by Shinkansen bullet train where we have returned to a previously visited hotel (seemed like coming home) and will stay 3 nights as we take in the last two games. Tonight we expect the All Blacks to perform outstandingly well in beating Wales and tomorrow I don’t care who wins as long as it isn’t England.

Then on Sunday morning we begin the journey home, arriving midday for us 5^th Nov back in Blenheim.

Devastation at Yokohama Stadium

Our journey back from Nikko to Tokyo was about 200kms and 8 hours of travel including a quick stop for okonomiyaki for lunch. Oko…is a bowl of cabbage with an egg and some diced pork mixed together, some noodles on top then flipped over. All cooked on a hotplate like Bar-b-que for 20 minutes, then mayo and sauce pasted on top - very tasty. The travel is often slow despite fast trains on a regular schedule, generally not more than 10 minutes apart. Our major hurdle which we have failed to clear is the signage. Getting out a stop too soon and travelling 2 stops too far on a regular basis ensures that travelling takes far longer than necessary! But it has been fun and as we are aware, if you are left on the platform here then you will see another train very soon, in New Zealand it may not be until the next day.

Hotel View

Back in Tokyo we checked in to the Grand Nikko Hotel which indeed was grand. Here we met the Williment tour we had booked on to ensure that we had tickets to semi’s and finals of the Rugby World Cup. 

We had a day tour of the city on Friday and it was pouring with rain from the tail end of another typhoon so we just had a brief look at sights through the bus window and a short walk at the city’s most famous temple, Sensoji Temple. This is a Buddhist prayer house dating from the year 630 and has 30 million visitors a year now.

Our trip is called “the Business End Tour” by Williment and we were in a positive mood as we boarded local trains to the game. We had a guide at this stage so we negotiated the 4 track changes well and crammed into cars full of All Blacks and English supporters along with a few mystified locals. We had a pint of Heineken to support the sponsors and were in our seats before kick off, still positive and probably even more confident than when we boarded the train. Two minutes into the game and a slight crack appeared in the confidence. By half time time the crack was a little wider but we knew Steve Hansen would sort things out at half time and we would be back in this fixture in a few minutes and prove ourselves worthy of a place in the final. But not to be, a sad business end tour limped home. We needed victim support and medication. Medication was liberally administered in liquid form while psychological support came by way of giving an English fan a hug. By all accounts this really had a positive effect on one’s view of the world but I can’t say I tried out. I went for the cold turkey method and am slowly coming right.

Disappearing highway

Today we are on our way to Osako for three nights, first class in a Shinkansen (Bullet) train. It travels at about 250k/hr and certainly more comfortable than an airliner. It has heaps of leg space, very comfy recline seats, big windows and you don’t have to turn your phone off as you come into a station.