We were so exhausted when we reached Itami, we couldn’t think straight. The good thing is that our accommodation, the Airterminal Hotel, is in the airport and is a short elevator ride from the Arrivals area. It is modest, but clean, comfortable and quiet. We like it. Dinner from Lawson’s, the onsite Convenience Store, did the trick and then straight to bed.
Our hotel offers breakfast from a restaurant at the airport…excellent. Congee with tofu skin and a yummy sauce, grilled salmon and tasty condiments…a good start to Japanese travel.
Our trikes aren’t quite as pretty as they were when we began our trip. Every spot, where the Airport Inspector cut away the covers that Barry had created at home, are covered with Inspection tape. The positive is that they arrived unharmed. Another kudos for JAL is that they handle our bikes with respect. No tossing of bikes on their watch.
We set up to unpack and assemble our trikes in one of the large empty waiting rooms that we have used in the past. As we got going, an airport guard stood watching us and told us we weren’t allowed to do this inside. He escorted us outside and we did the job on the sidewalk in front of the terminal and thankfully it was undercover. It was fine as there was no rain….and I think the fresh air made us feel a bit better.
Just as we got going, Barry was trying to remove some of the packing and the scissors cut his thumb instead. Being on blood thinners, it was quite an event, but it finally slowed down.
It took us longer than usual to reassemble our trikes. It could be jet lag, or being another year older, but we finally got the job done…which meant that we needed to eat before heading out. We have watched massive, continuous lines of people waiting at a take out in the airport for house made dumplings, etc. we decided to give their restaurant a try in the airport.
Barry had the set meal…Butaman Pork Bun, shrimp/pork dumplings, noodle soup with prawns, sweet and sour meat ball, spring roll and finished it with Almond jelly. He loved it!
One of the reasons we came to Japan at this time is to see the beloved spring season of cherry blossoms in bloom, called Sakura. We are getting a preview of this on our ride to Osaka.
We love the ride in to,Osaka from the airport. It is about 26 km and the beginning section is along the river with sports fields and this cemetery. We try to follow small roads as much as we can.
Cats are beloved in Japan. This young man comes to this spot and extends some care and love to wild cats. He had food but the best part was the brush he uses to brush them. This black cat was loving it and seemed to enjoy his tummy being brushed. We saw others today tending to wild cats.
We arrived at our hotel at dusk. We are so happy to return to Hotel the Lutheran, our home away from home in Japan. We have stayed here so often, that they recognize us and greet with big smiles. They always give us a secure place to park our bikes in the underground parking which is unusual in a big city in Japan. The bonus is that we are minutes from the Osaka Castle which has over 360 acres of common property. It is beautifully landscaped with gardens, flowering trees, etc. Tomorrow morning we will ride over to the Castle to see the cherry blossoms known as Sakura. Rain is forecast in a few days so it sounds like we have arrived in the knick of time.
Just like last night, dinner in our room and straight to bed.
Our business card for the trip…when travelling in Japan, Japanese people appreciate business cards and it is a good thing to offer these. It offers them the opportunity to follow our journal on Cycle Blaze and Barry’s Instagram posts. Cards are a good way to “ break the ice”.
The front and back of our cards. This year we added a photo on the back as recipients would always turn it over and were confused why it was blank.
