Higashi-san, blast from the past and Japanese hospitality
Arrived in Kyoto just as my hangover cleared up so it was pretty good timing all things considered. Kyoto is a very pretty town and I got a great intro to it.
I went to a cafe to have some lunch and got talking to an older man about where I was from. He didnt speak English and I dont speak Japanese so the waiter was translating for us. Then he tells me he works at a Kimono printing factory and that I should come and visit it. So we jump in his car and drive to the factory where he showed me the process and let me print up a pattern on some material. He gave the printed stuff as a gift and then took me shopping to buy a frame for it. We then headed to the cafe where he bought me a coke and then took me back to the Hostel. His name was Higashi-san and he was an awesome host for the afternoon.
I got back to the Hostel and met up with a Glasweigan named David who I got talking to. We went for a drink and suddenly he says he had a school friend who studied in Aberdeen, Mairi McDonald. Small world since she was the flatemate and best friend of one of my exes, Naomi. Turns out me and David had been at some of their parties so we must have met before (I mean surely!).
We got talking to some of the locals in the bar and then one guy started buying us drink in the form of sake and shochu. He was fun to talk to and had a few questions about Scotland but wouldn`t believe I was only 22 years old. He kept saying I looked 30! I would`ve been offended if it wasnt for the fact he bought me another round of Shochu.

Umeda floating garden
Now Playing: Queen.
I took a wander around Osaka and found myself at the Umeda Sky Building so decided to check out the observatory. The view of Osaka was just awesome so I knew that I would have to come back to see it at night. I then took a wander around the subterranian shopping streets under the building which are made up to look like Showa era stores which was pretty cool. The next night Trev and I grabbed some beers and some whisky then headed to Umeda. We scooted up the top of the building and went onto the roof to drink a beer and take in the sights. It was crazy to see the city all lit up like that. We headed inside and grabbed a bench then finished the beers and chatted away. On the way out since we were drunk enough to make pratts of ourselves we knelt and bowed before the clerk to thank her. We then hit a Sake bar and had some Shochu (think vodka but a bit more minging). Then we bought more beers and snacks and headed back to terrorize our fellow hostel mates.

Man, fish are ugly.
Now Playing: Red hot chilli peppers, cat empire and other chilled out vibes
Very lazy day today. Took a slow wander out the hostel and took a late breakfast then headed to the aquarium.
I took in a mad and very camp street entertainer who was quite funny to watch. He did a good set with diablos, juggling and unicycling.
Then it was aquarium time. I timed it just right as when I arrived it was feeding time for the sealions and I got to see them doing all their tricks like saluting, waving at the crowd and bouncing in and out of the water.
There was so much on display from sun-fish to dolphins, giant turtles to mantarays and lots of really ugly fish.
The main attractions for me were the 12 m long whale shark which was constantly surrounded by a shoal of fish as it glided so easily around it`s tank. The other attraction was the 2 metre wide spider crabs that moved slowly and delicately and looked like something from another planet than something from the bottom of the sea. Got a lot of pictures but no idea how many came out cos of the dim light and glass panels reflecting the flash.

Shopping and big piles of meat.
For some unknown reason I appear to have been undercutting my budget majorly. So I decided to have a bit of a spending moment. I headed to America-Mura to check some bad t-shirts out and have a bit of chat with some of the staff of the shops. I eventually ended up buying a leather glove effort which has become my new favourite piece of clothes next to the cowboy hat.
I then explored the rest of the Osaka Castle grounds that I missed before and took in a couple of the musicians practicing there. Then it was back to the Hostel for an Onsen (hot bath). I met Trev in there, one of the Leicester lads who I befriended and invited him to dinner at a place I`d seen.
It was a bbq with a great twist. The tables all had a pit in the centre that was filled with hot coals then covered with a grill. The meat is then brought to you raw and you get to cook it yourself. We took the "all you can eat" special which meant endless refills of meat. Trev`s face was a pure picture. He looked like a kid at Christmas and we both got real excited about getting to quaff vast quantities of meat. Was awesome fun.

Quiet day to Loud day
Now Playing: Crazy Japanese Live bands!
I had a quiet day since my budget wasnt looking too clever and just wandered the town. Stopped in at the Sega Joyopolis which is a huge arcade topped with a ferris wheel. Place was fun to wander in and see all the crazy machines and pachinko stalls.
I took in a park called Nakano-Shina after that where there were a bunch of artists painting the near-by buildings so I stayed and chilled there for a bit enjoying the ambience. I went over to Nippombashi, the electronic district, and took in some of the high tech nonsense and the anime shopps that spanned four floors. A pretty uneventful day but at least it was cheap.
My plan the next day was to hit a temple and then the aquarium but was told some live bands were playing at the Osaka Castle park so decided to head there. I got there fairly early and bumped into Iain who was also there to see the bands. We took in a set done by some Japanese drummers which was good to watch. We then grabbed some beers and took in the bands. There were some awesome set-ups. We watched a few then a few kids took an interest in Iain while I was away at the toilet and when I got back we ended up playing soccer/basketball with them for a bit. We then watched the bands again. There was a couple of J-punk bands who had a good sound, a band that seemed to be led by Willa Wonka (of chocolate factory fame), a Irezumi tatooed band who sounded like the mad-capsule market, a 50`s rock n roll band with their Kawazakis lined up at the side of the stage and a funky ska band who were really into getting the crowd to participate.

Osaka Castle, America-Mura and Dotombari
Devon, Kale and I headed out to invade Osaka castle and see what all the fuss was about. We got to the castle, saw the surrounding moat and walls and thought: "Screw invading that bastard!"
The walls were around 30-40 feet high with a wide moat surrounding them. Once passed that wall and moat invader would find themselves a little frustrated by being confronted with another moat and another wall.
We took a lesiurely stroll round the grounds and bumped into a volunteer guide beside one of the shrines and she took us around to show us the sights and even showed us where we could try Osaka`s famous Takoyaki (octopus in balls of dough and fried). The castle was very cool to see and we got some cool photos of the grounds.
We took a wander after that and stopped in at some random anime shops and t-shirt places to see the awful translations on the t-shirts.
We then headed to the America-Mura (American Village) a part of town where it`s all anerican themed and all the Japanes go to hang out and dress up American style... or what they think is American Style anyway. We did our American tradition of buying a few cans of beer and chilling watching the skaters as we drank em. We then headed to Dotombari, the bar/nightclub area for a couple of drinks. Kale and I had an absinthe and got the full perforated metal spoon with buring sugar cube on?@it and soda water treatment. After that it kinda made wandering round Dotombari just a little more intense since all the bright lights seemed to take on another edge. The experience was very potent shall we say. We dropped in a skewer bar on the way back, got some snacks then?@hit the hostel.

BATTER UP!
I left Kobe on good terms and headed to Osaka. Using my mastery of the Japanese language it didnt take me long to reach my hostel. I dumped my bags and headed out for a wander.
I took a gander round the city and got a burger since I had a huge meat craving.?@I took a look around the business district which is about an interesting as a group of very large buildings can be then headed to the hostel.
I ran into an American named Iain who came from Wisconsin who invited me out with his German friend Carlo to come see a Baseball game. Having never seen a baseball game before I was all for it. We were joined by two guys, Kale and his little brother Devon, from Chicago. We had a few drinks beforehand to lubricate us up for the game then hit out for the cheap seats. It was the Osaka buffaloes Vs the Nagoya Dragons so we went with the Home team. We arrived in the forth inning to see the Buffaloes were ahead. The stands we were in were fairly empty so we decided to sneak into more crowded and lively ones. We cooly (drunkenly) walked past the gaurd who didnt even register and then found ourself a spot to stand. It took a moment and we suddenly realised we were in the Nagoya dragons stand... we quickly changed our loyalty and decided that the dragons were our team. They scored a run and we started high-fiving a bunch of people and caught the interest of a few businessmen who we ended up sitting with. They were the sponsers of one of the pitchers: Sato. So we joined in the cheers for Sato. Iain turned around and then said "Lets get a wave going." So we leapt up and got the business guys to help us out and we started a mexican wave in a Japanese baseball game. We got the crowd really riled up and got them to do the wave about 4 times! We were getting a lot of interest from the crowd who were very amused by our antics. The Dragons won the game and we celebrated by jumping around, screaming and high fiving anyone near us. People were crowding us to give us high fives, kinda felt like being a minor celebrity. All in a good introduction to baseball and Japan

ONTO JAPAN!
Now Playing: Asian Kung -fu Generation and Orange Range
Stayed in a hotel in Tianjin so it wouldnt be too hard to get to the Ferry in the morning although I was hassled not once, not twice but three times by women knocking on my door for massages. I told them straight tho: "I am not giving you a massage!" The taxi ride was fun: My driver was clearly awesome since he had all the tricks: Driving on the hard shoulder, going down cycling tracks and even cutting up a police car! But I made it to the Ferry and slogged through the 48 hour journey.
Arrived in Kobe with no complications. Compared to my escapades in Shanghai it doesn`t get much smoother than this! I arrived in Kobe port and caught the subway into town then headed to a large station map to find my hostel. Before I knew it a businessman asked me where I wanted to got then guided me through buying tickets and finding my platform. I thanked him greatly then headed on. ON the platform another man asked if I needed help and I greatly accepted so he showed me which train to get on. The Japanese people seem?@immensely friendly and enthusiastic. I arrived at my hostel a mere hour after landing in the port and headed to the nearest cheapest restaurant... I felt kinda bad since it was a chinese place and making it my first meal in Japan after two weeks in China is taking the piss a little. The room was a basic tatami mat floor job with an awesome view of the harbour.

Tiannamen Square and the Forbidden City... with a Hangover!
My head felt several sizes too big when I woke up but I managed to fight throught the muggyness to go see the sights. Our guide was a cheery chinese chap called Kevin who was very informative and funny. Tiannamen square was basically just that... a huge square with a couple of monuments dotted around but the real sight was the forbidden city.
It was a three km walk through it! It was great to see all some of the rooms and such and imagine how it would have been to be an emperor of China (a pretty cushy number if you ask me!). My favourite part was a small stream outside one of the main courtyards which was quite quiet and serene. The Gardens at the end were another high point, filled with impressive rock structures and gorgeous trees surrounding fascinating buildings and statues.
Then it was time for Peking Duck and saying "bye" to the group... and if you guys are reading this tyou better post a comment!

The Great Wall and more Kung Fu
So we went to the Great Wall and I have to agree... it`s a great wall alright. We walked up the steps (being to stingy to pay for the cable car) and took in the view. The weather was overcast and a little drizzly but it worked to our advantage as it meant there were no crowds and the views were awesome without any sort of heat haze to spoil it. It was quite a spectacle to see with the mountain ranges in the distance and wall stretching along it.
We walked the length of the section of the wall we were on and even beyond into a non-touist but of crumbling wall which was overgrown with trees and long grass, which was probably the best bit to be honest.
We took a tobbangan ride back down to the base of the wall which was fun then headed back to the hotel.
In the evening I was lucky enough to get a ticket to a Kung Fu show which was a dramatised show of Kung Fu skills of the shaolin schools. It involved choreographed fights, breaking metal on their bodies, showing different styles and even sneaking in the crowd to jump up beside us and scare the living hell out of us... bastards...
Then I hooked up with the gang and we headed out to play pool and drink beer. Then Dan, Peter and Me headed to a club called Vic`s for more dancing and drunken fun.