Osaka Part 1

Our long awaited trip to Japan finally began on Wednesday July 29th. We went to the bus station the night before to buy our tickets in order to make sure we get to the airport on time.

Wednesday July 29

I could hardly sleep the night before and we got up bright and early at 6:30am to cath our 7:30am bus ride. The bus ride took just about four hours getting us straight to Incheon Aiport. When we got there, we had to wait half an hour to check in and then found out our flight had been delayed for an hour. Since we were already at the airport and there's not much to do so we just sat by the gate and waited.  Finally, the plane arrived and we got on. The plane ride was only 1.5 hours! We arrived in Osaka at about 8:00pm and then waited another hour going through immigration. We've been traveling for well over 12 hours by now. We bought a two day subway pass and boarded the subway.

The Osaka subway has many lines and it was overwhelming and complicated the first day but eventually we got the hang of it. We ended up not taking the direct train out of the airport so that took about an hour from the Airport to hit Namba station, which is the center of the city. Our hotel is still a ways away and rather than taking the subway we opted to grab a taxi. It was dark and super hot already. (maybe 30C) The taxi ride took about 20-30 minutes and cost about 30,000 yen. It was an expensive ride but we were tired and just wanted to get there quickly. 

We checked in at the U Community Hotel and settled in. It's a nice hotel with all the amenities we need. It's not super fancy but definitely no hostel. There was a Chinese restaurant in the lobby but we didn't have a chance to try it. We went out to a nearby restaurant and had some food before calling it a night.

Thursday July 30

We woke up around 10am and set out for our first destination: Osaka Castle. Of course, before that we had to grab some quick breakfast. We got a simple bento box at a nearby restaurant. It's fairly easy to just point and order. It was very yummy. 

Our subway pass was good to ride for the entire day unlimited. It was a scorcher and I wish I had a parasol to keep the sun away. We made our way to the right station and got off to walk to the Castle. It was not a long walk, but in the heat it felt like an eternity. When we got to the park (outside the castle) we used one of the vending machines to grab a drink. Then proceeded to walk around the moat and entered the gate.  It's almost noon and there were a lot of tourists around but this place was huge! We took many pictures and opted to walk up the 8 floors rather than wait in the long line up for the elevator. Surprising I was not as tired as I thought I would be, it was nice to have a bit of A/C too. We got the observation deck and checked out the views. It's a shame there was so much smog that you couldn't see all the surrounding mountains that clearly. Every floor of the castle had a different display of Japan's history. The most interesting to me was the clan war that took place there. I didn't get to read much because there was so many people but I planned to google it when I got home. 

We made our way back down the castle and was ready to head to the next destination: Osaka Kaiyukan Aquarium. At least I was ready. Neil insisted on finding a good view of the castle and taking pictures. At one point I stood in the shade to wait for him because I didn't want to go, but he insisted and I went to him. Little did I know he had a different plan.  A plan that involved a ring and a bended knee. (story below)

After Osaka Castle we headed to the aquarium. It was very easy to get the and stopped in a restaurant to grab some lunch. Our lunch consisted of okonomiyaki, beef steak and some sides. Everything was cooked right in front of us and it was super delicious! After refueling, we made our way to the aquarium. The wind picked up and there were sounds of thunder so we hurried inside in case there would be a storm. We spent an hour or two exploring this place. There were so many things to look at and it was well designed. The main attraction for us was to see the Whale Sharks. There was a huge tank built into the middle of the aquarium so many people can see this beautiful animal from all floors and area. It was great! We bought some magnets to commemorate our trip. Neil even got to pet a sting ray! 

The Proposal

Shortly after we had taken our pictures with the Osaka Castle backdrop in this very secluded area, Neil said to me, "Wait, one more thing," like an English Columbo. I turned around and asked, "What?" He had one hand in his pocket fishing for something and started to say, "Fanny Ly, you are my cup of tea..." I had a pamphlet in my hand as a makeshift fan, which was now covering my mouth. "...you complete me, will you marry me?" I quickly responded with, "Oh my gosh, are you serious?" With a wry smile, Neil answers, "Yes, will you marry me?" And pulls a case out of his pocket and drops down to one and knee while holding out the shiny ring and repeats his question again. I repeated my question again, "Are you serious?" Then he replied, "Yes, and you really do have to answer me." I threw my arms around him and said, "Yes! Of course!" He got up and proceeded to put the ring on my left ring finger. I was ecstatic and shocked and unbelievably happy for the rest of the day and trip and really for the rest of my life. :)