Geishas

Pictures from Reuters

Geishas are a very important part that represents Japan.  I was in Osaka.. and attending a conference there.. where these lovely ladies where hired to entertain us in the evening.  A lot of people associate the Geishas with being the traditional ladies of the night.. but we were told otherwise.   That this ladies were trained to sell and art.. and not their body.  But I can never make out where they have to paint their faces these way..??  it doesn’t make sense to me at all. I often wonder too.. if those white painting on their faces would caused acne , afterall they do have this for a long night sometimes.

Hotels In Osaka

This is the Swissotel Nankai in Osaka, being a hotelier before with the Swissotel group, i had the privileged to stay in their complimentary rooms when i was on vacation in Osaka many years ago.  When we had first decided to choose Osaka as one of our destination, we didn’t know that Osaka is actually a very vibrant city.  The hotel itself is at the heart of Namba .. where you can just shop till you drop because Takashimaya which consist of a 7 storey high shopping arcade is just beneath the hotel.   And when you are tired out with the shopping, you can just head back to the hotel’s 9 different restaurants and bar and i have to specially mention their  bar stools because they were really pretty and comfy. You bet it was expensive.. !! had we not had gotten complimentary rooms, I doubt that we could have afforded to stay a week in Osaka.

Paper Thin Cell Phone

Some 15 years ago, i was in Japan for a business trip and a cell phone was required for keeping in contact with the Singapore office.  They didn’t use GSM phones then.. so i had to loan one when i was in Narita Airport, but i was amazed at how light and think the phone was.  It was paper thin.. and didn’t look or feel real at all, a toy phone my boss had laughed. A cell phone repeater would be nice, since we had to go to some remote warehouse out in the jungle but alas they didn’t provide it.

Osaka Castle

When one is in Osaka, you’ve gotta visit the Osaka Castle. Touted as one of Osaka’s most famous and unforgettable landmark, the Osaka Castle is well known for its cherry blossom season. Many people from all over Japan and other countries flock here to see the cherry blossoms.. in April. There is an admission fees of course.. i think adults pay like 600 yen.. if i remembered correctly. Don’t forget to take a picture of the cannon outside of the castle.