So here we are in Osaka finally. The Mount Fuji area went by very quickly but was a nice chance from the busy city of Tokyo. Our stay at Mount Fuji (Hakone area) was very relaxing with the amazing scenery of mountains and nature, Our balcony view, which you will see in the pictures to come was just exhilarating. We also were able to enjoy the very warm onsen(open-air bath). What an experience that was. We both were able to get in after Bobby taped his body to cover his tattoos. It was the respectful thing to do since they do not allow tattoos in the onsen period. It is a Japanese custom. My tattoos were small and therefore not a problem. But bathing in the open air just felt free and it wasn't embarrassing to just be naked and walk around taking a shower and then enjoy the onsen. The hubby on the other hand was a little nervous about the 'tattoo police' lol. But eventually was able to enjoy a nice 10 minutes in the Onsen. I was in the onsen for about 20 minutes and when I went to get up I almost blacked out because I was in too long. But the scenery was just great (onsen overlooked the Lake Ashi river) and it was an experience we will both never forget.
Now we are in Osaka and taking the last part of Japan in. Our trip here was rather nice as we experienced the bullet train/ shinkansen to get here. It took a little over 3 hours to finally arrive to our hotel which was nice as well. We have ventured around the city and found a discount store for me but sadly not for Bobby. We are trying to save some money for Europe so I held back as well. We are going to visit Hiroshima, Universal Studios Japan and go to Kobe tonight to enjoy authentic Kobe beef so that should hold us down until we get to Germany on the 22nd. We will tell you how our adventures in Osaka go. Until then enjoy some things we would like to note:
1. Doors in Japan open in the opposite way then at home.
2. Magazines are opposite as well and open up towards the end and finish in the beginning.
3. We have found that taking off your shoes is a custom in many places and not just in the fitting rooms.
4. We are having a little trouble with the food because we cannot read any of the menus. We are however getting by. The Chinese buffet was nothing like home. Bobby is losing weight. We also were going to go to a Tapas restaurant but were told we couldn't stay because we needed more people in our party. Bummer.
5. Everyone is still being very nice to us. If someone cannot speak English they quickly try to find someone who does.
