Brisbane to Osaka

After battling with an extraordinary number of cars trying to get into the international airport, we made it to the airport for the flight to Japan. Thanks Paul for the chauffeur service! Jetstar self check-in was chaotic to say the least and Lynette and I (and many others) were afflicted with a similar inability to scan our passports! We didn't realise the scanning lurgy was going to plague us the rest of the day. Our packs are super light at just 8kg each, plus about 4kg for our day packs. We are travelling lean!

Bottles of water, coffee and almond croissant (for me) purchased and we settled in to wait for departure.

We left a bit late but the flights was uneventful and we arrived only a little later than expected. I passed the time on the flight with two of the longest movies in recent history, each well over three hours. Getting through all the check-in points to exit the airport was relatively painless despite a few more scanning difficulties. I ran into a colleague from work, so we chatted whilst waiting for Lynette's bag to eventually arrive.

Cash was then extracted, travel card topped up and train platform identified. Slight panic then ensued when Lynette realised she had left her day pack at the rail pass machine and had to dash out of the railway station area to reclaim it. The pack was just where she had left it courtesy of Japanese honesty! Of course, every visitor has just handed over their fingerprints on the way into the country, so you'd be foolish to attempt any crime. 🙂

We took a train one long stop to the mainland and navigated our way to our accommodation, Hotel Star Gate which was quite literally metres from the station. We were given a premium suite on the 48th floor, just 5 down from the top. It all looks a bit swish, with bathrobes and slippers and a plethora of free stuff in the bathroom. Very comfy beds and just enough pillows for me... Three instead of my usual five, but I coped.

Tomorrow's challenge: take four trains to get to Kyoto.Read more