The bullet train from Kyoto to Osaka took 14 minutes and cost around $55 for the two of us. That sounds expensive, but considering the distance covered, it was OK.
We checked into our tiny room at the SmileOsaka hotel.
The afternoon was spent at a nearby mall where we had lunch in the seating/dining area of a nice grocery store. In Japan we learned two important things: you must not eat while walking. Children are trained at a young age to sit while eating. It is a way to be respectful of food. Second is that there are no trash cans as there is the expectation that you will haul your garbage with you to dispose of properly at home. When visiting North America, the Japanese must think we are quite uncivilized considering the garbage that ends up on the street.
After lunch we shopped at Daiso. In Canada the base price at Daiso is $2.50, in Japan the same items were $1.
On the way home the goal was to figure out how to get to the Expo site, about a half hour ride away. There were three choices: shuttle bus (only one every 30 minutes, requiring a reservation that was sold out for our 9:00 a.m. entry time, trains with three transfers, and a cab for $75. Taxis are expensive in Japan and Uber is not the same service we’re used to, it’s a means to book a cab company. Turns out the fare included an Expo toll for a direct road through the city, built specifically for expo. We took the taxi there and the bus home.
Expo was impressive site-wise, but they were not ready for the crowds. The app for advanced pavilion tickets was not working and lines were long.
We were lucky that the Canadian pavilion gave preference to Canadians, and of all the countries we saw, it was the most impressive. I suppose I’m biased. You entered a room with large iceberg shaped sculptures, while holding a tablet on a handle. As you aimed your tablet at the icebergs, scenes came to life.
The site was surrounded by a raised wooden walkway, this section along the reflecting pond with a fountain show.
We also visited Poland, the Nordic Countries, the UK, a multi-national marketplace, and a corporate pavilion featuring nature and medical technology. It was there we tried the bed of the future.
We snacked throughout the day: my favourite pastel nata at the Portuguese pavilion, pizza from Japan’s famous 7-11 (where you can buy acceptable food including noodles, soup, and chicken, there’s one on every block) and at the food court I tried a curry bun, basically a delicious deep fried donut filled with curry.
The Portuguese pavilion had a nautical theme, hence the ropes decorating the outside of the structure.
After a long day of crowds and queuing we were more than ready to get on the bus back to town.
We decided to return to the restaurant of last night’s dinner, a steakhouse called Buff, two blocks from the hotel. We had lamb chops for an appetizer, followed by delicious steaks. The quality and price were excellent. Tonight we wanted to try the 100% beef burgers. Big disappointment, we thought the 100% referred to the amount of meat in the burger, when it really referred to the fact that the only meat in it was beef. There was a lot of filler, more like a meatloaf and gravy.
Next will be the trip back to Yokohama for one more night in the Grace Hotel prior to boarding our ship the following morning.