Abroad the Cathay Pacific flight to Kansai (Osaka) Airport, I was fascinated to discover that there was a channel to view the camera which was mounted beneath the plane. This shot was taken a couple of minutes after take-off.

Lunch of green tea soba noodle with wasabi and soy, stir-fried beef with sa cha sauce, steamed rice, assorted vegetables and creme caramel.

Everything is so convenient! These little bento boxes are available at any local grocery store.

And yes, it's true... watermelon in Japan aren't round! They're grown into cubes for efficient storage.

Here I am, outside the Hello Kitty store at a shopping strip in Shinsaibashi.

I love the way the interior has been designed... very fairytale-like.

Another thing I love about Japan is the way each restaurant window displays a realistic plastic imitation of the food. This is a true mouth-salivating WYSIWYG.

More plastic food displays in Shinsaibashi, Osaka.

Grand Afternoon Tea, Shinsaibashi.

At night, Shinsaibashi is packed with people and glows with fluorescent neon lights.

For dinner, we were taken (by our Wing On tour guide to Nijyu Maru at Shinsaibashi, Osaka. The PO Box look-alikes behind is actually where shoes are kept after you take them off.

Shabu-Shabu means "swish swish" which describes the way these fresh vegetables (enoki mushrooms, shimeji mushrooms, chinese cabbage & spring chrysanthemum leaves) and thinly sliced beef and pork are cooked.