Japan at Last!

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Well, I've been in Japan for a week now, even though the time has flown by and it barely seems real. It's been an adventure from the beginning. Our (Zach and I) flight from Baltimore was cancelled, so we had to get a plane from Reagan International in Washington, D.C. From there it was all smooth sailing, although the flight was very long. I slept most of the time, waking up long enough to catch parts of bad movies and change radio stations on my headphones. Thank god for Jpop and instrumental!

We landed at Kansai International and my first thought was, "Oh my god, it's HOT!" I was hoping it was only the airport, but no. Apparenly summers in the Kansai area are brutal. I've been sweating almost non-stop since I got here. The taifun cooled things off for a couple days, but not enough, and now it's hot again and will be til mid-to-late September.

Our first night in Hirakata we went to a bar, but that was about it. Since then and amongst the limitless meetings, orientations, and whatnot, we've been to downtown Osaka and ALL over Hirakata-shi. Downtown Osaka was great; we visited Shinsaibashi and Dotonburi, as well as the Amerimura (American Village). Very hip, very busy. I did some music shopping at Tower Records and picked up L'Arc~en~Ciel's new album and B'z new single, plus some VK magazines. We also did purikura and got some really cute pics.

So far Japan is wonderful, although I'm anxious to see the more "Japanese" parts; that is, some temples and shrines and things that don't feel so modern.

And I wish it wasn't hot.

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Photos

Hirakata-shi
Just a short walk from our dorm, this is our local neighborhood.

Dotonburi
Dotonburi, in downtown Osaka. That's the famous Dotonburi crab there, too.

Comments

[Mom~~]

Finally!
I didn't think you'd ever write!! I'm sorry it's been so miserably hot and humid. You'll definitely appreciate some cool fall weather when it arrives. Just stay safe and keep up updated often.