travelling allrite

Stepping aboard the Haruka Express, it is time to begin our journey home. If only the train could take me all the way, but it is merely a carriage to the main event. I sit back and try to enjoy the journey. The waning day, undecided between cloud and clear skies, gives rise to a fiery sunset, a red, gold and grey background edge to the uninspiring landscape around Osaka. Alex is excited by the sunset. It is delightful the way he has started noticing the world around him, appreciating it for all its wonders. As the light fades and the nightlife awakes I still imagine walking those streets. Yet now that the die is set I am ready to go home, ready to fall back into a familiar bed and routine. The long bridge to the artificial island that houses Kansai International Airport provides amazing views and I watch the aircraft landing on the runways, bright landing lights against evening skies, as we rattle across it. In the back of my mind I am studying them, watching how they fly th...

The final day in Japan is usually the worst. Leaving the hotel as late as possible, last minute shopping and a whole lot of anxiety about the flight ahead meaning no appetite and a desire to curl up and sleep. I don't want that day, so I suggest we go to Nara, a single half-hour train ride away from Tennoji. B agrees. Alex doesn't know what he's in for. Checking out, we leave our bags with the hotel and head to the Mio building at Tennoji Station for our traditional breakfast of pancakes, eggs and bacon at Muu-Muu, a Hawaiian themed restaurant. Then it's down to catch the Yamatoji Line Rapid bound for Nara and Kamo. I've done this stretch twice before, as this is the first section of the Kansai Main Line. No KiHa 120 DMU's (my favourite trains) for me today, or at all on this trip, as this section is electrified. It's quite pretty, running along the Yamato River. We arrive at Nara and join the hordes of other tourists. The grand old...