An old workmate from years past once told me that it was way better to travel alone than to travel with others, because you then had more chance of meeting people on the way. I would say she was right.

My morning started when I was awoken later than I originally planned; luckily I had managed to pack a fairly light suitcase the night before, very quickly. I ended up at Sydney Airport at 4:10am, bid my parents farewell and got checked in. I have to say, regardless of how many times I travel, I will never become used to security screening at airports. (I’m usually the guy who gets singled out for personal body scan by burly, grumpy security guards…) After getting settled in, I went out for a cigarette, which is where I met Kyoji. This guy ended up being my travel companion all the way to Osaka. He’s a 25 year old engineer who just spent 6 months in Australia for some sort of exchange program.

We had a McDonalds breakfast (because even in the airport, it’s practically the only thing fully open at that time of the morning) and then boarded the plane to Gold Coast.

Arriving at Gold Coast, I noticed the crowd changed significantly – all of a sudden, we were surrounded by Japanese people. I lost Kyoji in the crowds for a while, but bumped into him again outside duty free. We had to change at Gold Coast, where I picked up bottled water and gum. Jetstar were so kind as to call us up for boarding, then once everyone was lined up, tell us that the plane was going to be 10 minutes late. Then repeat the process once we were out on the tarmac. What the hell…

And so, truth is, I’m on the plane writing this now; I’ve slept twice but only 3 hours has passed. Still got another 6 to go. I’m very bored. I’m paranoid about exhausting the batteries on all the electronics I’ve brought with me, so I’m being careful not to overuse. I’m hungry, but refuse to give in to this ridiculously overpriced food. It does smell good though … must hold out! Keep telling myself that it probably tastes like cardboard.

***

Finally we landed in Osaka, pretty much on time, good job Jetstar(!) Let me just say, certain young children should not be allowed on planes. There was a lot of unnecessary screaming…

Got stuck in queues for immigration, customs, etc in Kansai Airport. They managed to process all the Japanese citizens quickly first, then opened up all 10 lanes to process foreigners. (This is just one example of the incredible efficiency of the people here.) The moment I managed to get out of the airport, I beelined for the smoking room. After I relieved my craving, I caught up with Kyoji and we took the train to Namba together. He was utterly lost in the hugeness that is Namba subway, so I took him to Midosuji line and we parted ways.

I walked around in circles for a while, because Tripit app for iPhone gave me a ridiculously wrong location for the hotel I decided to stay at. Once I found it, I checked in and renewed my membership card, then they gave me the portable wifi router that I had rented (and had delivered directly to the hotel).

(Background note: this time around, I rented a portable wifi router that runs off local 3G service, with unlimited bandwidth. It looks like it will cost me around $90 AUD but it will have me connected at all times (via my iPhone 4). It’s good for a trip like this, where I will be on the run to places I don’t know at all – I’ll be able to use services such as Google Maps, and it helps with hotel reservations on the fly also.)

So I showered, fixed myself up and headed out in search of cheap and quick food. Passing Joutou Curry on the way out, I decided to stick with something simple. I stared blankly at the vending machine for at least 5 minutes; that’s how out of practice I am with the Japanese written language. I picked a special cheese curry dish, then coupled it with some Family Mart kara-age and a 1L carton of Lipton Milk Tea. It all amounted to less than 1000 yen. Very satisfying.

The receptionists at my hotel were kind enough to remind me that I should pick up some complimentary breakfast at the lobby buffet tomorrow morning. We’ll see if I wake up on time. We’ll see if I’m not rushing like a mad man. I’m honestly glad to be back here though. There’s a strange feeling of “coming back home”, even though I’m not Japanese. I’m sure this surprises no one that knows me well.

Anyway, this time, as with all other times I travel alone, I want to fully document my trip. It will be detailed, it might run long sometimes, sorry in advance guys. But if you’re here, whether it be to just read about my trip, or perhaps pick up some tips for planning a Japan trip of your own, thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoy your time here.