I had worked in Osaka for four months as Project Supervisor installing "Woody Woodpeckers Animation Celebration" theater show at the new Universal Studios on Sakurajima Island. It was a long, hot and dirty job, but the Japanese crew had made the project a joy.

I delighted in exploring this fascinating city in the coolness of night, and treasured my Sunday journeys to nearby Kyoto, Nara and Kobe, but I now yearned to travel throughout Japan.

The job was now over, and I had a rail pass to travel anywhere in Japan for the next three weeks. It was a ticket to the magic kingdom...I was alive with excitement.