Six Canadians walked around Osaka today like deer in headlights, amazed by the lights, the people, the amount of bicycles cruising the sidewalks which never collide with the masses of people bow-leggedly trudging from one shopping plaza to the next. A blissful night was spent at the Antique Inn Sumioshi Ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn which was run by the sweetest older folks. They seemed to take delight in our limited ability to communicate, but the universal language of good food provided us a common ground. Dinner and breakfast was included in the package, and local dishes such as hida beef and hoba miso roasted on a magnolia leaf had us stuffed and in bed by 8pm. Maybe the lingering jet lag played a part in it too. The day had us walking along preserved houses and storerooms, many of which were still producing sake, wine and miso soup and selling wood blocks, carvings and other local crafts. Takayama, by the way, has the best miso soup EVER. Centuries of isolation in the mountains allowed them to develop and retain their own twist on many specialities. The rain continued to pound, so we made our way to the Takayama Green Hotel for our first onsen venture of the trip. There were two outdoor and two indoor baths, and the feel of the hot mineral water was heavenly on our aching feet. The next day, waking up on our futons in a traditional tatami room, we were treated to a huge breakfast, with that aforementioned miso soup included. Reluctantly we left Takayama, and rode the train back down to Nagoya, where we transferred to the bullet train, or Shinkansen, to get to the crazy town known as Osaka. Boys and girls walking two by two, sporting the same high maintenance clothes and haircuts, clogged the streets. They were also seen suffocating the iPod kiosk at Yodabashi, a huge electronics store with floor upon floor of electronically distracting delights for the young masses. (By the way you can also waltz in and buy the iPod Nano at Seven-Eleven here.) Dinner was gorged at a kaiten sushi restaurant, remodelled into a modern, clean joint from a year ago. The sushi spinning round and round was hypnotic and fascinating, especially the nigiri sushi with the raw egg sitting gingerly on top. A few pictures with the Big Man and some real life doll girls (yes there are still a few of them lingering around), and a spin around a brand new ferris wheel by the river later, and the crew was spent. Today`s travels will see Boy and Girl heading off to Chirashi Villa in Okayama prefecture, located on an island in the South. More importantly, a trip to McDonald`s is planned, where the new Ebi (prawn) filet-o-fish looks adventurous yet comforting.
Ribsy, meanwhile, is having a great time with his new house full of furry and human friends. Boy and Girl who?

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