alyssacampbell

So, Osaka is supposed to be the second biggest city other than Tokyo, but I don't really see it. I stayed in Hirakata, which is considered to be like a farmtown because it's pretty small and it's mostly made of foreign and Japanese students that go to Kansai Gaidai, and there isn't too much to do other than go to the stations or eat at Sukiya. But, on weekends we usually either went to Shinsaibashi or Umeda. Umeda is like the rich part of Osaka, where there's all designer things like prada, gucci, burberry and all the fancy stores (I even found an outback steakhouse) so there's not too much for a broke college student like myself, other than the pokecenter. I was really excited to go to see all the pokemon and relive my childhood, ... read more

First of all, I figured I'd do an overview of the trip and then break it down by certain trips/pictures. I left JFK for a five and a half hour plane ride to Seattle, then 12 hours from Seattle to Kansai International Airport. I've never experienced the amount of anxiety or culture shock more than when I first arrived in Japan. I had to clear customs (people in the Kansai area don't speak a lot of English), pick up my ripped luggage from the baggage claim, and take out 2,000 yen from an ATM. I was fully aware of the exchange rate, but the first time you take out yen it feels like you're emptying your bank account and I was basically hyperventilating. Not only was I exhausted from jetlag, but I left everything and everyone ... read more