good morning. i’ve been playing tourist here in japan and i’m loving it. i’m with 18 people from hawaii exploring inside and out of japan… today it’s on the shinkansen heading to kyoto. i’m going to find myself a maiko or geisha… haha.. hope your having a nice day.. oh, by the way, thanks for the calls texts from my friends here in osaka. sorry i can’t go out for late night drinks because i need my precious sleep. i’m with a huge group and unless you can fit 18 of us in your car, i can’t leave them. maybe next time? but thanks for the invites….

i’m staying at the 5 star swiss hotel here in namba. the service is excellent, the rooms are excellent, and the food is excellent. i feel like a king!!!

i have a 7 day japan rail pass and it’s in good use. kyoto, himeji, kyoto, hiroshima, and wakayama. the best way to travel!!!

i think japanese kids are the cutest. this was a pre-school going on excursion at the himeji castle. lucky kids…

the castle was built in 1333. there must have been some crazy samurai/ninja battles in there. i don’t know how the enemies got through this huge front door??? gosh, i wish i was living in those days fighting like all those samurai’s. i would kick tom cruise’s ass. haha…

my favorite place in osaka!

osaka night!