As the Skylark Sings - Osaka Part 1

I can't recall exactly when I popped this suggestion to Abe. It must have been after those long and laborious back breaking hours of doing house cleaning, in between my pants for air, that I said, “Let's go to Japan!” (read: one does get extremely creative (and expensive?) during stressful situations)

Frankly speaking, I wasn't expecting a positive reply; it was more like trying my luck. If boleh okay, if tak boleh...tak pe lah (dan terima rejection dengan hati yang sayu dan pilu....gosh I am pathetic, am I not?)

And it was to my very surprise when he actually said, “Jom lah...”

Maka dengan kata-kata itu, bermulalah pencarian dan segala research I could get hold on about Japan. However, it's a no brainer at guessing who was my greatest aid lah kan. Uncle Tony lah of coz; and it was none other than his AA introductory offer to Osaka some time last November that got me all stirred up.

There wasn't much hassle at trying to purchase the offer tickets. I didn't have to stay up late and neither did I have to wait long online in AA's waiting room looking at those not so cute bees (for those who are ardent fans of AA's BIG offers, they'd know what I am referring to). In just minutes, I got ourselves 3 return tickets to Osaka (and that made my credit card issuer all happy and smiling, I bet). That's was how easy it was – go to the website, fill up your details, click confirm and you are in the roll! Isshhh tak baik betul perangai....azam untuk perbelanjaan berhemah itu hanya tinggal encrypted di dalam buku tiga-5 sahaja.

Okay...enough said about my crazy obsessions with AA's offers.

“Why Japan?” a colleague asked me just after the news broke out that I was going on long leave. “Not expensive ke?” asked another.

When I was a student in the US, Japan was a sure transit during my trips home or back to the States. I'd be flying from Chicago O'Hare to Narita on one of the American airliners and from there on transfer to a MH flight back to KL. A few times, I was lucky enough being given a night stay at a local hotel in Narita as my connecting to KL wasn't till the next 12 hours. And there was one time, it took me longer to get out of Narita as the airport was closed due to heavy snow.

But that was yonks ago. There wasn't J-Pop nor the high-speed Shinkansen. But memories of beautiful mountainous terrains and that infamous tune “Sukiyaki” braced fresh in my mind.

Later came the tear-jerker serial Oshin and movies like “The Last Samurai” and “Memoirs of a Geisha” plus many others (read: animes, Japanese cotton, Takashimaya etc) that kept waving at me to bring myself back to the Land of the Rising Sun.

Okay...enough justifications, let's get on with the real jalan-jalan stories in this great nation – a country rich with culture and customs and so bursting with life.

Bye bye all....we are all set for the Land of Rising sun.

Six hours after we left LCCT, we arrived safely at Kansai International Airport - one big and modern airport located on an artificial island in the middle of Osaka Bay.

Checking out info about Osaka City

Information was readily available for tourist at the airport. All you need to do is ask. The ladies at the counter speak English fairly well. They gave very clear directions for us to go to our train.

Kansai Airport is about 50 kms from the city and easily accessible by train and bus from the city, unless you prefer the taxi (but that would really burn a hole in the pocket)

We decided to take the JR Kansai Airport Rapid to Osaka Station. The fare was about 1200 yen and it takes 70 mins to get there. The JR Airport Line is the inexpensive express train between the airport and central Osaka serving Tennoji, Osaka and other major stations on the Osaka Loop Line.

A short wait in the train car before we departed to Osaka Station

Tired....but excited to get going. By the time we finally got to our hotel, it was already dark. Dinner was packed sushi and rice plus tapau-ed serunding from home.