November 22, 2016
Tuesday
7:55 PM
Touchdown Kansai International Airport. I follow my fellow passengers out of the plane, into the train that would transport us to the main building, and tail them through the airport hallways until we reach Immigration.
The queue at Immigration isn't long. Either our flight's the only one that arrived within the last 15 minutes or so, or their immigration procedure is really efficient. The immigration officer stamps me through and smilingly informs me that I could stay for 30 days (how I wish my bank account and I could!). Immigration, baggage claim, and into the Arrivals Lobby in just a few minutes (ah, yes, they are extremely efficient).
Before proceeding to find the train to Osaka, I search and find the Tourist Information Booth where I collect some brochures and buy an Osaka Visitors' Ticket which I plan to use on my the last day of my trip. Why buy it this early? So that I wouldn't have to go and hunt for the Tourist Information Center in Shinsaibashi in Osaka City.
I mentally go through my things to do and still have two items on my list: (1) buy a Koyasan World Heritage Ticket to be used the next two days, and (2) buy a Kansai One Pass, an IC Card to be used for getting around Kansai. I buy these two at the Nankai Airport Station. I carefully stuff my Koyasan World Heritage Ticket in my bag and hold my Kansai One Pass, ready for its first use on the Nankai Airport Express to Shin-Imamiya Station.
I arrive in Shin-Imamiya Station in 45 minutes and soon I am rolling my bag along the dingy but clean sidewalks of Osaka, passing by wobbly drunk gentlemen, towards tonight's accommodation: Hotel Raizan. I check in and find my tiny room at the end of the hallway on the nth floor. I take pictures of my tiny room and send it to my family WhatsApp group, letting them know I have arrived safe and sound.
Japan
Know Before You Go
Single Entry Tourist Visa for Japan
Roam Around Japan with a Swagger
An Ignoramus in Japan: Vending Machines
An Ignoramus in Japan: Bathrooms and Toilets
An Ignoramus in Japan: Manhole Covers
I Spy With My Little Eye: Japan's Fashion Contradictions
I Spy With My Little Eye: On the Go in Japan
From Tokyo to Hiroshima (2015)
10D/9N | Tokyo, Toyama, Kyoto, Hyogo, Osaka, Hiroshima
Tokyo Accommodation: Shinjuku Airbnb
Tokyo: Memorable Tokyo Eats
Tokyo: Odaiba
Tokyo: Doing Touristy Things in Tokyo
Toyama: A Hamlet Called Ainokura
Kyoto Accommodation: K's House Hostel Kyoto
Kyoto, Japanecdote: Wisdom from the Road: On exits #2
Kyoto: By the Thousands (Kyoto Imperial Palace, Sanjusangendo, Fushimi Inari Taisha, Arashiyama Bamboo Grove)
Kyoto, Japanecdote: Turning Japanese
Kyoto: Braving the Crowds at these UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Kyoto (Kiyomizu-dera, Nijo Castle, Kinkakuji)
Hyogo, Japanecdote: If Only I Could Speak Nihongo
Hyogo: Day Trip to Himeji: Himeji Castle and Shoshazan Engyoji Temple
Hyogo, Japanecdote: Am I an Alien?
Hiroshima: Strolling and Snacking in Miyajima
Hiroshima: Remembering the Past in Hiroshima
Osaka, Japanecdote: How to Lose Friends
Osaka Accommodation: Osaka Airbnb
Osaka, Japanecdote: Where is Bentencho Station?
Osaka: Osaka Adlaw, Osaka Ako sa Osaka
Osaka, Japanecdote: Learn From Your Mistakes
Concentrate on Kansai (2016)
9D/9N | Wakayama, Nara, Kyoto, Osaka
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Kansai Region
Osaka: Kansai Diaries, Day 0: Arrival (you're here!)
Kyoto Accommodations: Guesthouse Wind Villa, Shiori Yado
Osaka Accommodations: Hotel Raizan, Hotel Mikado