Osaka & Kyoto

Entering Osaka early evening on Monday, you can tell you are not in Tokyo.  There is a pleasing feeling
as you can see farther than one block in most directions and the crowds are less.  The subway station near our
hotel looks and probably is brand new.  Our hotel, Ana Crowne Plaza, is very nice with a  club floor, breakfast, tea,
happy hour and free Internet that starts our stay off well.  And I found the oFuRo!  Hope to go twice a day.
Riding the Hikari Shinkaisen was a great experience.  The ride is smooth and quiet, making it very easy to read,
type on a laptop or sleep.  The visitor center at the Osaka station had free maps and an events calendar all in English.
It was raining all day in Tokyo and Osaka and the hotels are nice enough to loan you umbrellas for the weather.