More to do in Umeda

4/13 - 4/15

Let's see, Friday I had class again but this time it was a special class. It was Japanese class, not one of my elective classes, but it focused strictly on speaking. It is a Japanese class where the whole time we just speak Japanese. I found it to be very straining, but probably the best practice I've had since coming. I can tell that Fridays are going to be interesting and I just hope I can keep up with the teacher. After class though, it was off to the Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi Station to go meet my Uncle and Aunt who were visiting from the States. They live near me in California, but they travel to Japan every year to visit family and such. I made it to the station just on time and found them very quickly. They couldn't actually come into the station (that would mean they would have to buy a ticket) so they instead called my name from just outside the gates. We headed over to a local shopping strip and sat down for a nice lunch. We spent a good hour or so just talking about Japan and different things and ended up grabbing some coffee after our meal. It was nice to talk to them and hear some of the suggestions they so kindly gave me (tips on how to use the Osaka Subway, etc...) We then departed even though we were both headed to the same destination. The only reason we split up even though we were both going to Umeda (a huge shopping district), was because I had to wait a little. I wasn't going to meet Lexi for another 30 minutes so I just meandered around the area for a while. When it got time to go though, I hopped on the train and headed to Umeda.
Wow... so picture Japan, as stereotypically as you can... huge buildings, neon lights galore, crowded streets, you name it... it was here in Umeda. I had been here before but I forgot how dang big it was. one could get lost within a few blocks becuase of the sheer size. So anyways, Lexi and I went shopping because we both needed running shoes. I want to join a volleyball club and use the gym at school and to do this, I need to have separate "clean" shoes dedicated solely for those purposes. I found a good pair of comfortable shoes for around 3000 yen (less than 30 dollars) and Lexi found a pair as well. We continued to shop and eventually had dinner at this trendy restaurant. I only mention this because the ordering system was just incredible. A waiter shows you to your table and takes your drink orders and after that, you are free to order whatever you want, whenever you want, from a small computer screen attached to the wall. It's so convenient because you don't have to worry about being rushed and you can order things in waves if you want to. I don't know... it doesn't sound that cool as I write this but trust me, I think you'd like it just as much as I did if you actually got to try it. Well, after that, it was a little bit more shopping but mostly people watching. Lexi ended up buying another coat for herself while I tried to save my money. I saw this really nice white coat that I wanted but it was pretty expensive so that made the decision of not getting it really easy. I should have tried it on though, just to see what a 300 dollar Japanese jacket felt like. Anways, as I said before, Lexi and I then went people watching. It's interesting to find a busy spot to sit down at and just watch the people going about their everyday lives. The styles, the language, the atmosphere... it's just completely different that the US and it's really interesting to soak it all in. Lexi and I had an interesting conversation about how we can't really believe that we're in Japan. It totally hasn't sunk in for me yet and I find myself laughing because I have remembered that I am in another country and am living a dream I've had for some time now...

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