Let's Enjoy Traveling in Japan!

 Shopping and Dotonbori MAP I spent the morning tracking down some model train shops. There were actually two near the hotel. There was a Popondetta in the Hankyu Sanban Gai building. I got some Green Max building models there that fit in well with the Showa era switching layout I want to build.  Railroad diorama in Popondetta. Then I went to Hobby Land Pochi Umeda in the nearby Akashi Building. This chain usually has a pretty good inventory of used model trains. I was looking for a DD-13 model locomotive and I found one there. I asked the clerk if it was new or used:  “これ は 新品(しんぴん) です か、中古 (ちゅうこ)です か”. He said it was used, but the price was still good. So I tried to ask him if I could run it to check it out. I incorrectly used this phrase: “走ってもいいですか” (Is it okay if I run?), but he understood what I meant. I should have said “試運転(しうんてん)してもいいですか”.(Is it okay to do a test run?). I ran it slowly back and forth over their test track, and it ran smoothly. I also bought a lit...

Last minute shopping and bus ride to the airport MAP We checked out of the Hotel and left our bags at the front desk again.  We all went to the 13th floor of the South Gate Building's Daimaru Umeda department store. The Nintendo OSAKA flagship store is located here, and they don’t sell the actual Nintendo games, but character goods, such as Mario plushies. Pokemon, Capcom, One Piece, and Tomica stores are also here. After that we descended to the fifth floor and relaxed on the Toki-no-hiroba Plaza, a glass ceilinged astroturf park that spans above 11 tracks of the Osaka Station.  Back at the hotel, we did some more shopping at Uniqlo and Yodobashi. Then we picked up our bags and headed to Hankyu Sanban Gai to catch the Limousine Bus. On the way, you can cross a low-budget Shibuya style scramble crossing for cheap thrills. We paid for tickets at a vending machine, and we were able to get onto the very next bus. We were given tickets for our baggage, which was marked with our de...