Ross Family Adventures in Japan 2019

Yesterday we packed our bags to head from Osaka to Tokyo.  After carrying heavy suitcases up and down stairs, we arrived at the station for the shinkansen. Fueled up with food and drinks for the 3 hour journey, we sat back and watched the countryside go by. It was a grey, cloudy day, so no nice views of Mt Fuji this time! On arrival in Tokyo, we headed to our new air bnb in the older part of town. After dropping off our bags, we went out to explore.  It seems like this is a university area, with lots of cheaper dining options. This will be perfect for easy dinners this week. We happened to come across a local fair with food and drink stalls, a monkey show, playground and samurai competition. Despite not understanding the language, Ella and Angus were keen to get involved. They didn't end up being winners, but we came home with lots of goodie bags anyway. Great souvenirs and presents. Clint and I tried some sake and cr...

Today was our last day in Osaka, but we decided to take it slowly and have a relatively quiet day. I had read about a food market not too far away with delicious cooked food, so was keen to have a look. We set out with good appetites to have a look around. There were all sorts of weird and wonderful foods on offer. Some were cooked and ready to eat, there was lots of sushi and sashimi and plenty of regular market produce to cook at home. Our first stop was an onigiri burger, which I had read about. These burgers are part sushi, part burger with nori sheets, sushi rice and a filling of fried spam, egg omlette and lettuce. You can then choose to add another meat or fish to the filling. We decided on the slow cooked miso pork. It was surprisingly delicious! Ella and Angus loved the one we bought and want to make these when we get home. Next was okonomiyaki, one of the traditional foods from Osaka. It is a type of pancake filled with shredded cabbage and then filled...

After our big day yesterday, today was relatively  quiet. We had a big sleep in, a slow breakfast at home and didn't get organised to leave until about 10am. We caught the train close to Osaka Castle and then walked the rest of the way there. On the way, Angus found his first car! The current Osaka Castle was reconstructed in 1932 and the interior is pretty much a bare concrete shell with a lift to the viewing deck at the top. Luckily we were warned about this from the man who run our cooking class the other day, so we didn't bother paying the entry fee. From the outside, it's an incredibly impressive building, with amazing stone walls, two moats and beautiful gardens. The autumn leaves are just so lovely at the moment. The photos really don't do them justice. We wandered the grounds for an hour or so and then went in search of lunch. We came across a local restaurant with no English menu, but decid...

Yesterday was the biggest day on our trip, from the perspective of the kids. For months, we had told them we were going to visit the Children's Temple in Osaka and that it wasn't just a normal temple, but much more fun. When we set the alarm for early in the morning, we felt we had to tell the truth about where we were really going. It goes without saying that they were super excited! After a 40 minute journey on 3 trains, we arrived. There were lots of people lined up for tickets and waiting for the gates to open. I was a bit worried that there would be so many people there and that we'd spend most of the day lining up and not be able to enjoy any rides. As soon as the gates opened, we rushed to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which we knew would be a favourite with the kids. The streets were built like in the movies and seeing their delighted faces made it so worthwhile, as did the constant and continual hugs, cuddles and 'thank-yous' throughout t...