Thursday 29 February 2024

Japan day one, two and three mostly travel

all the bags! All the pouches!



And my swim kit bag! All perfect for a Budsmam road trip!
All packed a week before I left then checked and rechecked umpteen times!
Got through check in and got through security with my metoject injection pen I was a bit worried about that it was absolutely fine!
Well the journey to get to Japan was a little bit stressful 😳 I was told 2 and a half hours was more than enough time to transit through Dubai
Well yes but not if your plane is initially delayed fit an hour then another 40 minutes in a holding pattern!! So I legged it across the concourse, head down elbows out! And made it!
But I get ahead of myself,  floght was good I had ordered a vegan meal so I got it served to me first - huzzah! Also got snax a cashew bar
Only watched 1 film on first leg but what a film- Oppenheimer good grief it was amazing 
Played a lot of solitaire to soothe myself. I love playing Solitaire!
On the second leg it was great so many people wearing masks felt so comfortable.  On first leg I was the only one ...
I watched my second film - Concrete Utopia, incredible film quite dystopia, but lord of the flies ish.
Very disappointing meal, no vegan option was offered an omelette... that would not have been good!
Second film on this leg was Meg 2 with Jason Statham 😆😆😆😆 just perfect flight watching glorious and over blown 
Got a better second meal, chicken panko
Osaka airport was lovely so much queuing but all very orderly.
And LOOOOOOOOOK! I git the Hello Kitty Haruka so cute!





I arrived at Shin Osaka Station quite big and it took a few goes to find my hotel but it was great when I did find it!
Great 7/11 in the station so I stocked up with rice balls and tins of gin!
I picked up these drip coffee things at the hotel reception,  but being jet lagged and menopausal meant I picked up the decaf 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️
Still nice though
Room had chair massager!
So that was day 1 and 2 I think one this time zone difference it such a mind f**k!! This is the view from my hotel room, I just lie here and think I'm in Blade Runner 🤣🤣 it's bizarre

I pulled up my very brave underpants and went down to the station to find breakfast,  there is a cafe there which has a choice if Japanese or Asian breaking I went for  Japanese omg it was brilliant... rice miso soup, Mackrell wee omelette tofu, pickled veg salad bean things not sure what they were and yoghurt and fruit. Ab Fab



Pootled round sone shops found sparkling sake ♥️♥️
Wanted to take it easy so went to find fabric shops, found Yuwa And Kokka in the Hankyu dept store a bit like Fortnums. Natch I blew my budget on Hello Kitty Liberty 🤣🤣🤣



Such sweet fabric from Yuwa

Panda tags!!
MOOMINS 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
I didnt know how tired I would be but felt OK to go to Team Lab Osaka in Nagai Botanical Park. Oh my this was exceptional,  I cried at some of this... I saw it all on instagram but to then see it for real was incredible,  moving and wonderful 













This moved me to tears


This was my absolute favourite 

I could have looked at this all night












I don't have the words to express how I feel I'm actually here and doing this

February swimming

I simply cannot express what finding this group has meant to me, a whole new earls has opened up a whole new group of chums this is what we got up to in February 

Aberdour black sands, sunrise dip feb 3rd 8am























Wednesday  7th, dip at lagoon





Lagoon 11/2024


I'm still munching on my peanut flapjack here!!

Loveliest of ladies

Oh Ken 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤣🤣🤣
Lagoon, 13/2/2024




Lagoon 16/2/2024




17/2/2024

Lovely dook, calm peaceful,  Pauline's neighbour Stuart joined us. There was a young man on his own so he got scooped up into the group,  such a lovely group, so much laughter
Aberdour, 8.30 18/2/2024



The beach was heaving!!!

Waterfall Campsie glen 24/2/2024









The face below says it all ! A very bracing 2.7°ðŸ¤£ðŸ¤£ðŸ¤£









Me pointing at an airplane 🤣🤣