Kansai Highlights

Once again, I'm in the process of recovering from an excellent, but exhausting journey. The past four days I spent in the Kansai area of Japan (Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe...) I stayed in Osaka, with my friend Kana's aunt and uncle, but took many day trips around the region thanks to her uncle's stellar driving skills :). Gosh, we did so much that I'm going to try to sum it up as best as I can!

Our hosts were amazing, though a little intense! They were so exciting for us to come and see as much as possible, which meant that sometimes we would only stop at a place for a photo-shoot before we were off to the next site. It was not my ideal style of travel, but it did allow us to see much more than if we would have tried to navigate our way around the area by ourself! I have to admit, though, that I've seen just about as many shrines and temples as I can handle! They all start to look the same after awhile, though we did see some pretty cool and unique ones on this trip!

We took the night bus from Tokyo to Osaka- 8 hours on a cramped bus = not a lot of sleep! But time did pass quickly, and I was able to doze, much to my delight. We arrived to Osaka pretty groggy, where we met Kana's aunt and uncle. On our way back to their house, we stopped at about 5 sites- they were really excited to get started showing us around! So, there are many precious photos that capture Kana and I in our pajama-ridden, glasses-wearing, bad breath-smelling, greasy-looking hair selves. As soon as we thought we were almost to their house we would stop at yet another place! When we finally arrived, they graciously allowed us a shower and nap (which was cut short when they heard me flush the toilet mid-nap and thought we were both awake and ready to go! I learned my lesson- a flushed toilet makes it seem like you're awake, so don't flush it if you want to keep sleeping!) That afternoon we went to Nara, which was a highlight of the trip. We went to a few temples and saw one of the biggest Buddha's in Japan. The coolest part was that it was enclosed in a building, which was absolutely huge!

Day 2- Mie-ken, Issei temple. We drove a long way to the opposite side of the peninsula from Osaka. The temple we went to is apparently a kind of pilgrimage destination so there were TONS of people there. There were lots of pretty trees around the temple. We stopped at a small island famous for harvesting pearls- it was really interested learning about how pearls are made. After a few more photo-stops (:)) we headed back to Osaka where we made ika-yaki (a kind of squid pancake egg thing- famous in Osaka). I actually enjoyed it because the squid was cut up small, and the whole thing tasted like one of my favorite Japanese foods- okonomiyaki.

Day 3- Himeji castle. The traffic was horrendous everywhere, but especially bad going to Himeji castle. In the morning we stopped at the baseball stadium where high school championships are held every year. We watched a few innings, and everyone kept telling me how famous and popular the stadium was, and how impressed my students would be if I told them I went to the stadium. I'll have to see if they're right... Anyways, Himeji was super cool! It's a big, old, intact castle (most castles are reconstructed due to fire destruction). It is so big, and has so many interesting features, such as small holes that soldiers (samurai, ninja) used to shoot arrows out of during battles, big wells, a huge rock foundation, and very steep stairs. It was definately worth the drive out there. We topped the day off with green tea soft cream...mmm...

Day 4- Osaka! Kana and I went into Osaka with her aunt. They lived pretty far away from the center of town, so we took lots of buses and subways and trains to get downtown. We had the most AMAZING lunch at a famous crab restaurant. It was a set meal, which means you get lots of different, little dishes. So we had plain crab (with an awesome vinegar and lemon sauce), crab sushi, crab salad, crab soup, crab gratin (think mac and cheese), crab rice, and crab tempura. It was all so good, and I am now an avid kani (crab) fan! We did some shopping and walked around Osaka for a bit. We ended the day with a view from the top of the World Trade Center in Japan. On our way home there was a wicked thunder and lightening storm. We packed up our stuff and headed back into town for a last meal of okonomiyaki (famous in Osaka and one of my favorite foods!) Then we get on the bus for another 8 hour ride back to Tokyo. I got back to Tateyama around 11 and slept until 6 that night. I was exhausted!!!

Kana insisted that Osaka people speak faster and do everything faster, which is why her aunt and uncle had made so many plans and did everything so fast, but I think a lot of it was just their style. They were amazing hosts- so much good food! Kana's aunt had set up our room with little snacks and bottles of tea and water, just like a hotel! They had an incredibly cute dog, Momo (peach), who was truly the apple of their eyes! It was a great trip, but I need another nap to make up for a lack of sleep!