I pride myself in taking after my father and being able to sleep anywhere. Unfortunately, like most people I've got to be tired to sleep. I drank too much coffee and had a fairly sedentary day before my eight hour bus ride; so I would have had a restless night even given the best sleeping arrangements. I think I slept a combined total of two hours that evening. I hadn't bothered to shower before I left Tokyo because I didn't want to pack a wet towel and knew I would want to shower as soon as possible after my bus. I cannot imagine what a mess I must have looked like when I got to J-Hoppers Hostel in Osaka. Also, I had walked for nearly twenty minutes from the bus station. I could not check-in until later, but I could use all the facilities (thank God!) and nap on the sofa in the basement if I wanted. I felt much better after showering and just rested in the hostel basement. Aside from the castle, which I had already seen, Osaka is a fairly boring Japanese city to visit. On top of that I was tired and it was raining. I chatted with GGG and my sister some and got a hold of Ikuko.
Ikuko was the other Japanese girl who stayed with my family in 2005 and she now lives in Osaka. We planned to meet for lunch. J-Hoppers was centrally located and Ikuko was familiar with it, so she met me there. It was really nice to catch up with her. I definitely enjoyed my time with Mebae, don't get me wrong, but Ikuko speaks English fluently now and we were able to talk more than Mebae and I could. If I remember correct, Ikuko spoke better English than Mebae in 2005, and she improved her language skills by studying for one year as an exchange student at a university in Canada. She is also required to speak English for her degree- International Relations.
For lunch we went to a restaurant near the hostel and had shrimp and crab. As with most Japanese food, it was delectable. Then we walked around the area for a bit and chatted over coffee. I got a little overzealous with a story and spilled my drink on my lap. Although I was almost finished with it (though there was certainly enough liquid in my cup to make it appear as though I wet myself), the waiter brought me a new coffee to replace my spilled beverage. What a nice guy. Despite my high caffeine intake for the day I was exhausted and wanted to get into some dry pants, too, so we went back to the hostel. We first went to a convenience store and purchased tickets for a baseball game the following evening.
Back at J-Hoppers my bed was ready. I changed out of my wet skirt and crashed. I woke up an hour or so later feeling refreshed. I went to the basement to edit my blog and I met a group of Americans. Shelby, Audrey, Sam, Paul, Jasmine, Christopher, and another Sam were all from the same university program en route to a summer internship in Singapore. The seven of them had decided to take a side trip to Japan before they began work. I went with them to dinner and to the Umeda Sky Building. As with all big groups, it was a whole big thing trying to decide what and where to eat. I took control because I didn't know any of them and had the least to lose if someone was upset. We found a restaurant in the Sky Building. I ordered fish and got an entire fish. I lucked out because my meal was the only one that was of a decent portion size.
We went to the viewing lounge at the top of the building. I think it was the forty-ninth floor or some ridiculously high number like that. I didn't have my eyeglasses, so the view was just OK for me. My company was comprised of all architecture students and they were much more impressed with it all. There was an even higher viewpoint that went outside, but it cost money. I wasn't interested and neither was Jasmine. We waited on the ground floor for her friends. Before returning to the hostel we all went to 7/11 and got ice cream. The one I got was like Squeez-it bottles of soft vanilla ice cream. I went to bed shortly after.
I slept in the next morning and when I woke up all my roommates were gone. I took advantage of having the room to myself and reorganized my bag. Other than the baseball game I had no plans or any desire to do much more in Japan. Two-and-a-half weeks was plenty of time for me. I went for a walk, but other than that I had a very lazy last full day in Japan. It was nice. I had met a few people from hanging around the hostel and was invited to go to karaoke that night, but I had the baseball game and I wanted to end my Japanese karaoke experience on a good note, so I declined. Also, the guy who invited me had kind of hurt my feelings by laughing at me when I told him about my trip and I didn't feel it necessary to subject myself to an unpleasant atmosphere if I didn't have to. That's why I travel alone. I'll do what I want! ;)
The baseball game with Ikuko was so much fun! It's been a while since I have attended a baseball game and the last one was quite lackluster. My Spanish friend put it best (and most accurate) when she said, "I've seen chess matches with more action than this game." The Mariners are quite disappointing (here I will offer an apology to my friend Kyler, who is a Mariners fan through and through... Sorry, Kyler). OK, so Japanese baseball... Ikuko told me it was different from American style and she was right! It's much more exciting. The rules of play are exactly the same; what's different is the crowd. Everyone has noisemakers and there are unique songs and chants to sing for each player at bat. There is an American on the Osaka Tigers team and his song is in English. Most spectators are sporting baseball uniforms, too.
There are girls that go around selling beer and snacks and it's a very similar system to the maid cafes. Although I thought the baseball girls were prettier. Ikuko told me some men will only buy beer from certain girls and the top sellers have special arm bands (like the blue bows the maids wear). At the seventh inning stretch everyone blows up these big balloons and releases them after the Japanese anthem. It was nuts! I really enjoyed watching the crowd more than the actual game. The craziest part of all this? The game I went to on a Tuesday evening was minor league and the team lost. I can't imagine a winning major league game. The subway was jam packed with fans after the game.
Ikuko escorted me back to J-Hoppers and we said goodbye. When I walked in the group who invited me to karaoke was leaving. They invited me once more, but I was tired and didn't want to go out. They left a note for a guy named Shane because he was meant to go with them, but was missing. I went to the basement for a little while before bed. While there an Australian came down and asked me if the wifi was functioning. I told him yes, and asked if his name was Shane. It was not. His name was John. We started chatting and I got on really well with him. We swapped quite a lot of travel stories and even confessed to some of the stupid mistakes we've made on the road... mistakes we are too embarrassed about to barely admit to ourselves. It was nice to know we aren't alone. We talked until 04:30! He had declined an invitation to karaoke as well because he wanted an early night, but as it was, we stayed up later than the karaoke group. It was nice to find someone with whom I had so much in common.
In the morning I had to go to the airport. I had some time and talked to John for a bit over breakfast. I seriously don't know where the time goes when I talk to him! I almost left too late. Luckily the Osaka-Kensai International Airport was very organized and everything went on without a hitch.
Ikuko was the other Japanese girl who stayed with my family in 2005 and she now lives in Osaka. We planned to meet for lunch. J-Hoppers was centrally located and Ikuko was familiar with it, so she met me there. It was really nice to catch up with her. I definitely enjoyed my time with Mebae, don't get me wrong, but Ikuko speaks English fluently now and we were able to talk more than Mebae and I could. If I remember correct, Ikuko spoke better English than Mebae in 2005, and she improved her language skills by studying for one year as an exchange student at a university in Canada. She is also required to speak English for her degree- International Relations.
For lunch we went to a restaurant near the hostel and had shrimp and crab. As with most Japanese food, it was delectable. Then we walked around the area for a bit and chatted over coffee. I got a little overzealous with a story and spilled my drink on my lap. Although I was almost finished with it (though there was certainly enough liquid in my cup to make it appear as though I wet myself), the waiter brought me a new coffee to replace my spilled beverage. What a nice guy. Despite my high caffeine intake for the day I was exhausted and wanted to get into some dry pants, too, so we went back to the hostel. We first went to a convenience store and purchased tickets for a baseball game the following evening.
Back at J-Hoppers my bed was ready. I changed out of my wet skirt and crashed. I woke up an hour or so later feeling refreshed. I went to the basement to edit my blog and I met a group of Americans. Shelby, Audrey, Sam, Paul, Jasmine, Christopher, and another Sam were all from the same university program en route to a summer internship in Singapore. The seven of them had decided to take a side trip to Japan before they began work. I went with them to dinner and to the Umeda Sky Building. As with all big groups, it was a whole big thing trying to decide what and where to eat. I took control because I didn't know any of them and had the least to lose if someone was upset. We found a restaurant in the Sky Building. I ordered fish and got an entire fish. I lucked out because my meal was the only one that was of a decent portion size.
We went to the viewing lounge at the top of the building. I think it was the forty-ninth floor or some ridiculously high number like that. I didn't have my eyeglasses, so the view was just OK for me. My company was comprised of all architecture students and they were much more impressed with it all. There was an even higher viewpoint that went outside, but it cost money. I wasn't interested and neither was Jasmine. We waited on the ground floor for her friends. Before returning to the hostel we all went to 7/11 and got ice cream. The one I got was like Squeez-it bottles of soft vanilla ice cream. I went to bed shortly after.
I slept in the next morning and when I woke up all my roommates were gone. I took advantage of having the room to myself and reorganized my bag. Other than the baseball game I had no plans or any desire to do much more in Japan. Two-and-a-half weeks was plenty of time for me. I went for a walk, but other than that I had a very lazy last full day in Japan. It was nice. I had met a few people from hanging around the hostel and was invited to go to karaoke that night, but I had the baseball game and I wanted to end my Japanese karaoke experience on a good note, so I declined. Also, the guy who invited me had kind of hurt my feelings by laughing at me when I told him about my trip and I didn't feel it necessary to subject myself to an unpleasant atmosphere if I didn't have to. That's why I travel alone. I'll do what I want! ;)
The baseball game with Ikuko was so much fun! It's been a while since I have attended a baseball game and the last one was quite lackluster. My Spanish friend put it best (and most accurate) when she said, "I've seen chess matches with more action than this game." The Mariners are quite disappointing (here I will offer an apology to my friend Kyler, who is a Mariners fan through and through... Sorry, Kyler). OK, so Japanese baseball... Ikuko told me it was different from American style and she was right! It's much more exciting. The rules of play are exactly the same; what's different is the crowd. Everyone has noisemakers and there are unique songs and chants to sing for each player at bat. There is an American on the Osaka Tigers team and his song is in English. Most spectators are sporting baseball uniforms, too.
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| "Go Tigers!" At baseball game in Osaka, Japan |
There are girls that go around selling beer and snacks and it's a very similar system to the maid cafes. Although I thought the baseball girls were prettier. Ikuko told me some men will only buy beer from certain girls and the top sellers have special arm bands (like the blue bows the maids wear). At the seventh inning stretch everyone blows up these big balloons and releases them after the Japanese anthem. It was nuts! I really enjoyed watching the crowd more than the actual game. The craziest part of all this? The game I went to on a Tuesday evening was minor league and the team lost. I can't imagine a winning major league game. The subway was jam packed with fans after the game.
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| Balloons Released at 7th Inning Stretch |
In the morning I had to go to the airport. I had some time and talked to John for a bit over breakfast. I seriously don't know where the time goes when I talk to him! I almost left too late. Luckily the Osaka-Kensai International Airport was very organized and everything went on without a hitch.
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