Japan 2025 Osaka 

It was a straight forward transfer from Vancouver Island to Osaka. We were on a 10:15am flight across the Salish Sea to Vancouver and connected with a 1:30pm direct Air Canada flight to Osaka. We landed at 4:30pm (a day lost across the date line), took a one hour train ride from KIX to Mikunigaoka Station in Sakai (south Osaka). We had rented a ground-floor apartment for three nights and we were all settled in by 6:30pm. We picked up some food at the Life Supermarket a short distance away and we were done for the day.

Our unit included free parking (but no car) and two folding bikes that we located in the parking area. We made a tour around Daisen Park and then further east to Oizumi Ryokuchi Park. It was post peak cherry blossom time but we got our fill and saw a number of Hanami's (picnics under blossoms). The Shimano Bicycle Museum was next on our itinerary to admire the bike collection and we rode on some good city bike infrastructure along the way. 

Hiro, hand made soba noodle, restaurant was our lunch spot. The meal energized us and we stopped in at Myokoku-ji on the way to the Sakai City Hall and 21'st floor observatory. We were able to look at the massive Mozu mounds, that couldn't be fully appreciated at ground level from Diasen Park. We were tuckered by 3:00pm and rode home. We walked over to a Kara-yoshi restaurant for a meal that cost less than ¥2,000. We managed to ride 27km on the colourful little bikes.

A nine minute train ride took us from Mikunigaoka Station to Tennōji Station and then we hit the pavement and very quickly joined the tourist flow. We admired the 5 tiered pagoda at Shitennō-ji and wandered past the Isshin-ji Temple. We had an okonomiyaki lunch at a tourist restaurant. Afterwards, we wandered the shopping streets and admired the signage and people through Tsutenkaku Hondori  street (Tsutenkaku), Nipponbashi Denden Town, Nipponbashi shopping arcade to reach the Dotonburi canal. We had been through the area a few years earlier, and we were happy to catch a Nankei train (15 minutes) back to Sakai. We picked up groceries and self-catered that evening. 7km on foot, but it felt like three times that on pavement.

We were on light duties: we took the train and then subway to Suminoekōen Station, then we walked to collect our rental bikes. This was our second time renting e-assist bikes from Shinya at XB-Planning. We got our gear organized. We ended up with almost new bikes (one had 40km on the odometer, while the other had 400km).  We had lunch around the corner at Siotsu and then we took the bikes for a spin along the Yamato River. Everything worked well and we made some slight seat adjustments and proceeded to the Osaka port area, this time we found an excellent route that kept on a wide pathway right to the ferry terminal. 

The Sunflower ferry to Shibushi (South Kyushu) departs at 17:55, so this time we enjoyed the dinner buffet. Our "superior room" was comfortable, the grand bath was warm and the overall experience was splendid.