Shin Osaka JR 281
Riding on the Shin Osaka
I am a huge fan of Japan. I cannot tell you how much I want to finish learning Japanese, studying Japan, and go visit. And when I go I definitely want to spend time visiting the major cities; Tokyo, Yokohama, Kyoto, Nagoya, and Osaka are some of the biggest. And when I am in Osaka, I will definitely have to go see the Shin Osaka, and (if I'm feeling brave) take a ride on it. If I did, I would definitely want to avoid the Shin Osaka rush hour. Rush hour on a Japanese train can get really cramped. Not that people will get hurt or anything, I mean this is something they do every day for crying out loud. Not to mention the fact that they are a people that are in general very civilized, courteous, and polite (almost to a fault it seems).
Staying at the Shin Osaka
And, the cool thing is, if you are planning on traveling via the Shin Osaka to many destinations you can stay at the Shin Osaka hotel, located (conveniently and predictably enough) right near the Shin Osaka station. Now I am not decided yet whether or not I would want to stay at the Shin Osaka hotel and I'll tell you why; I don't know if it would be more like a traditional western-style hotel, or traditional Japanese ryokan (kind of like a little inn or bed and breakfast; sounds awesome, right). Quite frankly, I think that experience of traveling somewhere far and away and removed from one's ordinary life is somewhat marred by falling back onto what is known and familiar. Really, if one is going to be traveling in Japan, it seems only proper to stay in a traditional Japanese lodging (preferably one with an onsen, because I just love the hot springs). Why would you intentionally miss out on that kind of experience?
Places to visit via the Shin Osaka
The great thing about traveling from the Shin Osaka station is that one can travel to many popular and worthwhile destinations from Osaka. Tokyo, Kyoto, Fuji, and Nagoya are just some of the destinations that can be reached via train. In fact, the awesome thing about Japan in general is that nearly everything can be reached by train. They have an amazing public transportation system. Even just traveling within a city can be much easier, safer, and cleaner if done through the public transportation, like the Shin Osaka station. Granted, it can be harder if most or many of the staff for the public transportation don't speak English and you don't speak Japanese (but since I'm learning Japanese, I'll just sit here and gloat for a moment). So let's go for a ride at the Shin Osaka!
