Today is disembarkation day – oh joy. I don’t think I’ve yet seen one that went according to schedule. Today is no exception. We are in group #26 – one of the last ones since we were going to the hotel and didn’t have flights to catch. This is nice since we can eat a leisurely breakfast and relax and not worry about making a flight or getting to the airport in time. If you are making your own flight arrangements and not using HAL (or any cruise line’s) transportation, be SURE to get a later flight. Some friends we met on the cruise had made their own flight arrangements so they weren’t going by HAL busses, but they still had to wait until their number (actually letters for them) to be called before they could get off the ship and they weren’t called until near the end. Fortunately they had later flights so they were OK. I would have been biting my nails though if we’d had a flight to catch. There were tons of empty busses on the dock waiting to take passengers, but they couldn’t load up and head out until everyone had located their bags so they were just sitting there.
The reason for the delay was that instead of just taking our bags directly to the hotel or airport from the ship as they had planned to do, I guess the Japanese authorities decided that we all had to identify our bags first on the dock before they could be sent anywhere. So mass confusion arose as the groups were all milling around and getting congested and trying to find their bags and then HAL was trying to get them loaded to go to the appropriate places. I wonder how many people flying out didn’t get their bags to the airport in time. What a mess. And a VERY good reason to stay a few extra days at a hotel at the end of a cruise. It’s a lot of fun to have a few more days to really see a place and it saves all that hassle of worrying.
Luckily, since we were one of the last groups, we could look off the ship onto the dock and spot our bags before we were called so we knew exactly where they were and didn’t have to go hunting for them once we got off the ship. When we left, almost all the baggage was still on the dock. Again, I don’t know how or if they managed to get them all to the airport on time for those people flying out. Another thing… if you don’t make transportation arrangements thru HAL (basically by either booking your air thru them or getting a post-cruise package), your bags are just left on the dock and you have to fend for yourself in trying to find out how to get to the airport. Theoretically this shouldn’t have been a problem since the Kansai airport is not too far from the dock (at least by water), but the people we knew who had made their own flight arrangements were frantic for most of the cruise trying to figure out how to get to the airport and HAL was absolutely no help to them. Their attitude was "you have made your own arrangements to get to the airport" and that was that.
Stefan, the port lecturer (and probably the info desk at the port terminal) finally helped them figure it out. As it turns out, there is a subway station right there and I guess has a place (or there is a place somewhere near) that has a ticket counter/baggage check-in for the different airlines so you can check your bags there and have them sent on to the airport and then take the subway to the airport with your carry-ons. I am assuming it worked out for them OK. All HAL told them was that they could buy transfers from HAL for $100 per person or $159 with a small sightseeing tour included (what a rip!) or take a taxi which is ungodly expensive in Japan. They had found out there was a ferry to the airport (which is on an island near the port) for pretty cheap, like maybe $15 per person, but that it didn’t allow luggage. The subway probably cost them about $5 per person. But be aware that if you are going to Japan, be sure to figure out in advance how you plan to get to the airport. It cost them a lot of worry and hassle. We had already checked into transportation to the airport from the hotel since it is not included in our post package since we made our own flight arrangements. There is an airport bus that leaves from the hotel for like $15 per person that we can book from the hotel.
Well, finally our number was called and we headed out about 10:30am. They had a little sightseeing tour for us before they took us to the hotel so we’d get there later since check-in wasn’t until after noon. We went to the Osaka Castle and got out and went up into the castle and looked around. It was nice with great views of the city from the top of the castle. The original castle had been mostly destroyed but Osaka rebuilt it and it looks pretty good. It has a huge moat all the way around it with big walls and the castle sits on a raised hill inside the moat walls. Did I mention the asian style toilets? I was thinking that maybe Japan would have western style toilets, even though China and South Korea didn’t but no, they all have the toilets in the floor just like everywhere else. It’s a real trick to situate yourself over them and to keep your clothes out of the way and hit the hole. One older woman got stuck and had to have some people help her up. She was very embarrassed, but just couldn’t get "unbent" on her own. Also, there is rarely toilet paper (although there was occasionally places with TP) and also in Japan they don’t have paper towels or blow-dryers to dry your hands. Everyone carries a little towel/hand cloth with them to dry their hands.
Next we went to Dontombori, which is a really interesting part of Osaka near the river with tons of little shops and eateries and pachinko parlors (a form of gambling where you put little metal balls in the top of the machine and they fall down and hit pegs and I guess if they land certain places at the bottom, you win). It was full of sights and sounds and wild signs and assorted paraphenalia hanging on the buildings like huge crabs and a monster coming out of a building and big statues of superheros and neon and all. I tried some fried octopus which was so-so, not too bad but no taste treat, in my opinion. Dontombori is supposed to be a major nightlife area too. I guess the boys all hang out on the bridges and pick up girls and all. They gave us about 45 minutes to wander around and look at stuff before we headed to the hotel.
The Hilton Osaka is very nice and is in a great location, right next to the Osaka Eki which is the main station for trains and subway. It makes it easy to get the train or subway to various places. A few of the people stayed at the Holiday Inn in Dontombori, which was also a nice location (and probably cheaper, especially if you are paying for it on your own instead of as part of a package). There was a subway station right there near their hotel that took you directly to Osaka Eki so it was convenient too. When we got to the hotel, they had a HAL hospitality desk set up on the second floor where we all checked-in and got our room keys. The desk was open the whole time we were there to help with stuff too. Actually, the information desk at the hotel was so good that we didn’t really need the hospitality desk except one time, which I’ll explain later. We went to our room and discovered we had 2 twin beds. So we went back to the front desk and asked to switch to a room with a double bed. They switched us, no problem. I also asked if we could get an upgrade since I was a Hilton HHonors member but since they were completely booked, we couldn’t. We did get late checkout though which is nice for when we leave since our flight doesn’t leave until 5:45pm and regular checkout is at noon. The room we got was really nice with a double bed and a loveseat couch with a table and a nice TV and a little fridge and large electric hot water pot so we always had hot water for tea and coffee and whatever. The bathroom was small but nice with a very large bathtub. Sean could stretch out in it which pleased him to no end. Nothing like a good bathtub! It also had a western style toilet which I expected, since it was a western style room, but was still glad to see. The room also had a huge picture window with a view of Osaka that was outstanding. We could look over the city and the train station and it was really nice. We were on the 23rd floor so we had a great view. And the window had sliding rice paper shutters that filtered the light and made it very nice. Sean wants to make some for our house. And it also had sliding woven shutters that you could close to make the room completely dark.
After we got situated, we headed down to the hotel’s information desk to figure out some questions we had, like how to make local calls and what the cheapest way was (it’s cheapest to buy a phone card and use it at a pay phone – they had a machine for cards and pay phones on the second floor). You can also use the card to make international/callling card calls at the red phones. What the train schedule was for Kyoto (where we planned to meet Peter tomorrow) and for Kusatsu (where we were going to meet Peter the day after to go to his dojo). The information guy (who spoke English, but not completely) actually tripped over himself once trying to help us get all the information we needed. He was absolutely killing himself to be of help. You don’t see service like that here. He made a copy of the train schedule for us and showed us which times were for Kyoto and Kusatsu (fortunately both were the same train, Kusatsu was just farther along) and which were for the Shin-Kaisoku (the fastest "special" express train) and the Kaisoku (the regular express train) – since we didn’t want to take the train that stops at every station. We asked about the airport shuttle and he gave us a copy of the times it left. It mainly had times for the Hotel Hanshin which was about a block away. It only stopped at the Osaka Hilton a few times a day, none of which were good times for us. But he said that the bell captain would put our bags on a cart and wheel them down to the Hotel Hanshin for us when we were ready to go. It is amazing what the people will do for you. Whenever we would ask directions, instead of just pointing in a general direction or saying how to get there (which of course, was difficult for us to understand), people would actually walk us all the way to where we were going, no matter how far it was. We also got the phone number for United to check that our flights hadn’t changed (it’s a toll-free number and is 0120-11-4466).
Then we went over to the Osaka Eki (eki means train station) to make sure we could figure out where to go and what the fares were and all. They have a big sign with the JR lines and stops marked on it (fortunately in romanji which is the english translation along with the japanese characters for each stop) and the fares for each stop. I think it was about 640 or 720 yen to Kyoto (around $5) and I can’t remember, but I think it was 1110 yen to Kusatsu (about $10) each way. You go to a ticket machine and put in your money and buttons light up with the different fare amounts and you push the amount you want and a ticket and change (if you have some coming back) comes out, just like for the subway. Then you go to the gates and put in your ticket and take it from where it comes out and do the same thing when you exit after you get where you are going (unless you have the exact amount on the ticket, then it keeps it at the end). Again, just like the subway. Above the gates, they have signs that show when the next trains are leaving and what platform to wait on. It shows in japanese and then in english. So we could just look for the "Special Rapid Express" under the sign for Kyoto (and some other stops). It seems that platform 9 is the platform for the special rapid express to Kyoto and Kusatsu (at least it always was when we took the train). You can also get a JR rail pass in the US which costs about 37,800 yen for a 7 day pass (which is about $323). That’s a lot, but if you were there for 7 or more days and were planning on doing a lot of traveling, you could eat that up in a hurry. It is valid for JR trains, most of the Shinkasen (bullet) trains (except the Nozomi – whatever that is) and the JR busses (whatever those are) and most of the ferries. One site said it also included some subways, but I don’t know about that. Too bad, the subways can cost a ton too, it was usually between 540 to 720 yen per trip on the subway. I think you can buy an all day pass for the subway, but haven’t found any information on it on the internet yet (I’m looking). But I did find a very useful web site with lots of good info here: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/letters/nea/jap_pc.htm. It has misc. travelers experiences and tips from people who have traveled to Japan. At this point I am going insert an excerpt from something I found at this site. It doesn’t have anything to do with this trip, but is really major for Sean or any other surfers for the next trip we make and I want to have this information handy. So here it is for all you surfers out there:
"Surfing in Shikoku: a really great overnight surfing trip is possible from the Kansai area. Take the overnight ferry from Osaka (Nanko ferry terminal) to Kannoura (Tokushima prefecture, Shikoku). Rates depend on whether you walk, drive or cycle on board. Ikumihama Beach, Shikoku is a 10 minute cycle from the ferry terminal, a 25 minute walk, or hitch a ride from one of the many agreeable Japanese surfers driving there - very easy to do. The ferry leaves Osaka at about 11pm and arrives in Kannoura around 6 am. The ride itself is pretty interesting - this boat has no chairs. It's take off your shoes in the walkway, grab a blanket and cushion and catch a few zzzs on the padded floor. Most of the Japanese on the ferry are surfers too. The return ferry leaves Kannoura around 5 pm and arrives in Osaka at midnight, just in time to catch the last train home. Alternatively, you could camp overnight near the beach for free, which many Japanese do." Derry McDonell, Japan (Jan 99)
OK, back to our trip…
After checking out the JR station, we headed back to the hotel to call Peter. I called from the pay phone and got his japanese wife’s grandfather (or someone like that) who spoke absolutely no english. I managed to tell him my name (although I don’t think he had any idea who I was) and to ask for Peter and got the idea that Peter wasn’t there, but beyond that it was a lot of talking on his part and silence or "ummmm" or "wakarimasen" (I don’t understand) on my part. I "think" I either left or got the message that I should call back around 8 that night. Finally I managed to hang up. Whew! THAT was a trip! I was totally unprepared for that. In retrospect, I should have figured out a few phrases in advance in case something like that happened. We had some phrases in our books that I could have used, but I couldn’t find them while trying to talk on the phone. So this is where the HAL hospitality desk came in very useful. They were one the way to our room so I stopped and told them what happened and they offered to call Peter’s house for me and leave the message and even used their own phone so I didn’t have to use my phone card (which I managed to use quite a few units up on from that disastrous first call). The woman at the desk left the message that I called and gave the number of the hotel and my room number and said she thought that Peter would call me back when he got back (he was in Kobe and was expected back that evening). I figured I’d wait until later that evening and if I hadn’t heard from him, I’d try to call back. Then Sean and I went out walking around and looking for food.
We’d heard there was a food court on the top floor of the department store across the street. I’m not sure, but it might be common to have restaurants on the top floor of a dept. store and a food shop (bakeries, take-out foods, grocery, etc.) in the basement. It’s worth a try anyway if you are near a dept store (and you usually are). At least in this dept. store, the stuff on the various floors were listed in english for each floor at the elevators and escalators. So we headed up to the top floor and there were lots of small restaurants there. Most all of them had their dishes displayed in front (plastic food) so you could see what it looked like, but we were having a hard time figuring out what was in them and where we could eat that would satisfy both of us since Sean is vegetarian and I’m not too keen on weird food or udon (noodle soup). Finally we found a restaurant that looked like it had some vegetarian stuff and things that I’d like and the lady who ran it came out to help us as we were looking at the food so Sean showed her his handy-dandy "I am a vegetarian. I do not eat meat, seafood, etc. etc." card in japanese (I’d bought him a set that has the same info in a ton of different languages so you can show them to the restaurant so they know what you are trying to find to eat) and she pointed out some dishes he could eat and they had a nice fried tofu udon dish that he liked although when he asked if it was tofu, she said no it was something else which Peter later told us was probably "agedashi dofu" which means fried tofu. Anyway, it was tofu (bean curd) and good and Sean really liked it. I had a delicious veggies and prawn tempura and cold soba noodles with wasabi (hot green japanese mustard which I love). And green tea and beer. Yum! It was expensive though (compared to our prices), I can’t remember how much, but I remember it was somewhat expensive (but not outrageously so).
We then went to the basement to check out
what they had and found they had much cheaper carry-out stuff there and
snacks and pastries so we bought some pastries for breakfast. Then back
to the hotel to relax and watch a little TV. The only english speaking
channels were BBC and CNN and I hate news stations (especially since all
you hear about is Kosovo at the moment). But there were some amusing japanese
game shows or something like that on. One was where these people dressed
up in velcro suits and tried to see how far up a velcro wall they could
get and the wall was marked with points for where your hands landed. That
was fun. There were also several of what appeared to be dating game type
of shows. One thing I noticed was that on almost every show, at least one
man was dressed in pink. One show the hosts all wore pink suits, in another
they had pink ties and another one a guy had on a pink shirt. I guess pink
is more popular there with guys than it is here. Then we lucked into some
really good american movies that were subtitled in japanese so they were
actually speaking english and we watched them. Then it was time for bed.