Usha's Odyssey

Osaka must be the second largest and busiest city after Tokyo. If you are in Osaka city one may get lost easily.  Osaka has 2-4 railway stations taking you in all directions depending where you want to go. After Narita Airport of Tokyo , Kansai must be the second busiest airport. For Sight seeing I would recommend only three places , Osaka Aquarium , Osaka Castle and Shitennō‑ji. 1. Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan This is one of the largest aquariums in the world. The central tank re

Lake Biwa is located entirely within Shiga Prefecture in west-central Honshu, Japan. As the nation's largest and most ancient freshwater lake, it covers approximately one-sixth of Shiga Prefecture's total area The lake is located near Otsu city, the capital of Shiga. It is located entirely within Shiga Prefecture (west-central Honshu), northeast of the former capital city of Kyoto. Lake Biwa is an ancient lake, over 4 million years old. It is the 13th oldest lake in the world

Victoria Victoria  is actually a city on Vancouver Island , in Canada. From Seattle people often go there by ferry. When we were returning from Alaska , we stopped in Seattle for 2 -3 days. We stayed at a B & B near university area. It was managed by a very strict lady.  She would allow visitors to use phone only by those who had Phone card. We didn’t have that. We could not talk with our daughter who was in Atlanta with her friends. After roaming in the city we wanted to go

Hawaii is popular due to its stunning, diverse scenery (volcanoes, waterfalls, beaches), perfect year-round tropical climate, unique blend of Native Hawaiian, Asian, and American cultures, laid-back "island time" pace, and abundant outdoor activities like surfing and hiking, offering a familiar yet exotic escape for many Americans. Its safety, cleanliness, and well-maintained infrastructure also make it a preferred tropical destination compared to some international location.

Year 1990 was a great year for our travels. We visited several exciting places - but our first trip to China takes the cake. I am inserting a small map to give you a better perspective of where all we went   Most of my journeys in over years are connected to my husband’s meetings in Echocardiography. So when we heard that there was an APCDE meeting being held in Beijing in end September we were excited. Via Hongkong we arrived in Beijing - but to our surprise there was no one

On one of our early trips to Kyoto for a conference, a doctor friend of ours invited us to Kagoshima in Kyushu. That’s the southernmost major city on Kyushu island. It is situated close to a bay. In the center of the bay is a volcanic island named Sakurajima. It is an active volcano and from time to time when it erupts city of Kagoshima is covered with dust. We were lucky - this didn’t happen during our stay. During our stay our friend took us to this island and we walked aro

First time we went to NARA in 1978 when we went to Kyoto in a group. It was a day trip from Kyoto.  Japan's first permanent capital was established in the year 710 at Heijo, the city now known as Nara.  Nara is a treasure trove of history and natural beauty, offering some of the most unique sights in Japan.  Nara is one of the oldest capital  Nara Periods (538–794) : Japan's first capital was established in Nara. Heian Period (794–1185) : The capital moved to Kyoto. Political

Also called Seto Inland Sea. I had a great fascination to travel across Inland Sea of Japan. It is also known as the Seto Inland Sea. It is a body of water that separates three of Japan's main islands: Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. It is an important and historically significant maritime area, known for its calm waters, scenic beauty, and numerous islands. The Seto Inland Sea stretches approximately 450 kilometers from east to west, and it is connected to the Pacific Ocean thr

I had heard about visit to Little Rann of Kutch from a friend.  He gave me contact number and I decided to go there for 3 days.  It is not far from Ahmedabad. Once when travelling in northern Gujarat I met a group of school children - when I asked they told me that they were from Zinzuwada. And that name remained with me. Surprisingly when we went, I found Zinzuwada was just adjoining this Ran. We went to this place with friends for 3 nights. We had to make reservation throug