Osaka Day 1

 Our flight was at 8:40am. We were there 3 hours before so we left really early. Our driver overslept and refused to answer our call. Luckily, we got a grab car fast enough and we got there on time. No traffic at 5am :)

Our check in was ok. There wasnt a long queue. We leisurely took our time. We got some food at Bo's coffee near our gate. The sandwhiches at the other stores seemed risky. I do not want to get  sick at the start of our holiday.

There were slight turbulence while we were up in the air. I just slept through it but it was a bit nauseating. The AirAsia pilot landed really well. I'm used to Philippine airlines and it was comparable in smoothness.

Our gate in Kansai was far but they had a train that brought us to the main terminal. 

I had to hurry and pick up our Wifi device from the NEST counter accross the street since i booked the wifi device too late. The weather was nice. It wasn't too cold that i needed a jacket. I had some trouble meeting the driver because the mobile internet needed me to restart my device. He was sending messages via skype. I should have logged on to the airport free wifi. In any case, we found each other and we got on our ride to the flat. Their hi ace van is different from the hi ace vans here in Manila. It was much more roomy.

Our Airbnb sent us the code to enter the building and the code to open the key box hanging on the door. It was a fairly smooth check in. They did need is us to send selfies and passport photos upon arrival and to fill out a google doc form for the government. It goes without saying that our faces looked haggard from the trip.

We arrived after lunch so first thing was to eat. On the way to dotonbori main street, we had the obligatory glico running man photo. It was a little drizzling but luckily, our airbnb host provided umbrellas.

Dotonbori was full of tourists and there were so many options to eat and shop.

The moving giant crab sign and others were all here. We ate at an okonomiyaki place so that we can sit down. The food was ok. 

After eating, we window shopped a bit then as i brought my sons and nanny to the flat, my wife and friends went shopping at Don Quixote. There were food stuff, souvenirs, cosmetics, toys, etc. I went back after securing the kids. The tax free line was long. I did not know that once you bought the stuff tax free, you need to keep it sealed in its container until you go home. If you consume it while in japan, you need to pay consumption tax... if you get checked and caught. 

I had to wait to try out the sakura kitkat and sakura lipton tea. (The tea is so fragrant! I wish i bought more.)