I think I'm turning Japanese (I really think so)

So, we've landed in Osaka after about a twelve hour flight that took us over Canada, Hudson Bay, Alaska, and the greater part of Japan. I'm sitting at an "e stand", trying to type on a Japanese keyboard (where are the quotation marks?).

The flight could have been worse, especially considering my current contempt for flying. I spent a lot of time reading (Mindstorms by Seymour Papert), doing Sudoku puzzles, and listening to music. I even sat through Inside Man (sorry Spike, me no like) and a crappy Lindsey Lohan movie (I'm gonna pretend that I don't remember the name of it).

The in-flight culinary experience was decent; they served dinner, a snack, and breakfast. The dinner consisted of chicken in BBQ sauce, mashed potatoes, green beans, a salad, shrimp cocktail, a dinner roll, and a tall, cold Budweiser (what would an international flight be without a little buzz?). The snack was just a turkey sandwich and a Twix bar. Breakfast, served at the end of our flight, was a Swiss cheese omlette, sausage, potatoes, fruit, OJ, a muffin, and some tea. Mmmm . . . jealous? Don`t be. I`m hoping for more interesting gustatory experiences in the next 9 days.

Our brush with Japan is proving quite fascinating. Here are some pictures from inside Kansai airport in Osaka. I especially like the Kansai mascot. I'll have to take another trip to Japan to explore more someday. Anyone else interested?



Thanks for your comments so far. It's really encouraging. I hope that I can bring you every excruciating detail (like the in-flight menu) throughout the trip. Gotta fly to Taipei!