The wine got the better of me last night so I’m writing this on the bullet train as we hurtle towards Hiroshima at 160 mph.
Yesterday, we took ourselves to Osaka for the day. This city was almost flattened during the war, so most of the buildings are very modern and none so archetecturally dramatic as the Umeda Sky Tower. Standing nearly 200 metres high, its mirrored twin towers are joined by a glass walkway. The 
description, ” a space-age Arc de Triomphe” just about sums it up. We took the glass elevator up the outside of the building, right up to the observation gallery – definitely not for those suffering from vertigo. When my heart rate got back to normal, I was able to enjoy the amazing sights across the city – a bit like the Empire State Building experience. We were then able to go up to the rooftop observation deck to get our heads blown off.
On then to Osaka-jo, a castle that took 100,000 workers three years to build in 1583. It was meant to be impregnable but was destroyed only 30 years later by the armies of Tokugawa. He rebuilt it but then razed it to the ground rather than let the forces of the Meiji Restoration claim it in 1868.
The castle that stands today is another reconstruction of the original, but built in 1931. A bit of a swizz? Maybe, but there’s no denying that it is a very impressive structure, perched on a hill with its moat, the most glorious gardens, and a sensational view over the river.
For dinner tonight, we decided to go for something different so went to an “Italian” restaurant. Well, a Japanese take on Italian. Once again, I wasn’t quite sure what I was eating but it had loads of chicken, basil and garlic in it so it made me very happy. At the end of the meal, I presented my compliments to the chef, using one of the expressions in my limited repertoire of stock Japanese phrases. The waiter must have passed them on because the chef came out of the kitchen and gave me the whole bowing thing – all smiles and joyful exclamations. He then proceeded to take a paper napkin from the table and create a little origami ballerina which he presented to me, to the applause of the waiters who by now has encircled our table. I was scundered!
I’ll just finish by telling you about a charming wee device I’ve noticed in public ladies toilets. When you sit down, just on your right at hand level, is a sensor thing. If you hold your hand in front of it, it starts to emit the sound of running water – like a river. Its purpose is to mask the sound of your piddle and protect the sensitivities of easily embarrassed ladies. Not sure if it would mask the sound of my fecal activity this morning though, after last night’s meal and a couple of bottles of house white.