I began my morning with a cup of coffee and three “Japanese Pecan-Style Nuts CHOCOLATE.” I’m not sure if these sumptuous nuggets qualify as cookies or candy, but they literally melt in your mouth.
Japanese Pecan-Style CHOCOLATE — these things are so good they should be illegal (Eileen Bjorkman photo)
I bought a box of them last night after the proprietor of the hotel gift shop pushed a sample on me and then sweetened the offer with a 5% discount coupon. How could I resist? The woman in front of me bought five boxes, so at least I showed some restraint. The box came with eight packages of three nuggets, and I gave Leo, Luke and John each a package (and hid the remaining packages).
This morning started with Luke adjusting the clutch shaft on the 1928 Plymouth. He did this in the parking garage of our hotel — definitely field conditions!
Luke adjusting the clutch on the 1928 Plymouth (Eileen Bjorkman photo)
After Luke finished with the clutch, we caught the Hankyu Railway to the Umeda Station in Osaka. We thought we were getting pretty good at these trains until we got on the “JR Osaka Loop” train going clockwise instead of counterclockwise and were treated to a scenic tour of the city before arriving at our destination. And then found that the Modern Transportation Museum we had planned to visit is permanently closed.
So it was back on the loop train to the Umeda Station, going the correct direction this time (we learn fast) followed by a short walk to the Umeda Sky Building, a two-tower, 40-story architectural gem with an observation tower. We took a glass elevator to the 34th floor of one tower and then rode an escalator across the courtyard for the next five stories. Then a short staircase to the observation deck. Here’s the view:
View from Umeda Sky Building Observation Deck (Eileen Bjorkman photo)
We actually made it back to the hotel a bit early today and started on our 38-mile drive to Otsu, which sits on the southern tip of Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan. Tomorrow we spend some time in Otsu and then drive to Tsurugu, where we begin preparations for our ferry ride to Vladivostok. I’m especially looking forward to doing some laundry!
