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The Sun Rises over NagoyaJune 22 Journey's end: Osaka Part 1After a little over a month of being back, I thought I needed to write some more emails putting a little closure on my time in Japan, talking about some of the events that happened near the end. The month of May passed off very quickly. It began with a holiday in Japan known as Golden Week, a week which encompasses 4 days of holidays such as Nature Day, Constitution Day, and Children's Day. It is also a prime time to travel in Japan which is one reason why I was recommend not to since everywhere would be crowded. I saved my traveling for after Golden Week. I spent my Golden Week with friends as well as taking the time to read a few books. After Golden Week, my friend Zack came to visit from America, and we did some traveling. The first place we visited was Osaka which is a city that I have never been too. I had heard so much about it. Everyone talked about how friendly the people were and just what an energetic place it was, so I wanted to be sure to go there at least once before I left. Every city seems to have a life of its own, and when you are driving into the heart of the city, certain unique characteristics always appear. Just like when I mentioned how Hiroshima seemed to have a much more down to earth feeling than Nagoya although that necessary did not mean that I was more fond of it. When we were pulling into Osaka, we saw many famous corporation building over the skyline, such as Bandai, as well as other striking building. The entire layout of the city was very different than Nagoya, it had a much more layered feeling, with things stacked on top of each other and interconnected, criss crossing. When we pulled into the station, it was already late in the afternoon, and we were pretty exhausted from rushing to get to the bus on time, but we had to push on and find the right subway line which would take us to our hostel. We found that the subway system in Osaka was not as nearly as user friendly as Nagoya. After having been to many different cities in Japan, Nagoya seems to have the most well laid out and ease of use than other subway systems in Japan. This is due to the fact that one of their main lines is just a giant circle with other lines crisscrossing it. However, I was also very familiar with the names of the subway systems in Nagoya as well which could have been one cause for the discomfort in Osaka. Osaka's layout was definitely more convoluted though and interestingly each stop was numbered as well which while as an afterthought could be more convenient but didn't help at the time. We were able to find the right line though and managed to drag ourselves and the luggage to the hostel. The room turned out to be exactly as advertised, it was big enough for two futons on the tatami mat floor and a small television but it was all we needed. I always enjoyed sitting on tatami and sleeping on futons anywhere, and we didn't need anything bigger. After resting for a while we walked around the vicinity of the hotel for a bit. The first thing that we both noticed and agreed on was how much the city felt like New York. We have never been there, but there was just something about the air, the atmosphere that felt like New York City. It might have been the cracked sidewalk, the dark atmosphere, and the almost inner city feel, but those are of course all images probably instilled in us from the media, television, movies, etc. As we walked further suddenly a crowd of people, bright lights, and tall building greeted us. We found an underground restaurant center and entered in hopes of getting something to eat. While we were walking around, some students walked by us and said hi, how are you and then giggled and walked away. That had never actually happened to me in Nagoya, and it made me think that perhaps it was true that people were more friendly and open in Osaka. We stopped at some Italian restaurant although I can't remember the name. We ordered some kind of pasta dish, that I swear tasted like ravioli. I had not have ravioli since I left America. Many times when I was in Japan, I had experiences where I tasted something familiar in an unfamiliar dish, for example I had peanut butter tasting tofu once even though the Japanese are not very fond of peanut butter, making it hard to come across. While eating dinner a song came on the radio, Faye Wong's "Eyes on Me" an old favorite from a Japanese video game Zack and I had both played many years ago. It was very nostalgic, there was just something wonderful about sitting underground in Osaka listening to that song, whoever thought life would take such turns. It was an almost rewarding feeling. I wondered how many people in the restaurant knew that the song was from Final Fantasy VIII. We both agreed that it had to have been more than if we were in America right then. After eating we headed over to McDonalds for a Mcflurry at Zack's recommendation. I had never had one before, how interesting to have one for the first time in Japan. They had two flavors, Oreo and Kit-Kat, and what is funny is that even though Kit-Kats are made and sold in America, there is no Kit-Kat Mcflurry in America, so we had one for the first time in Japan, kind of an odd occurrence, sounds like such an easy product to be found in America, but no only in Japan. It was actually quite good. Shortly after we headed home, tired from the long day. I think I will end this entry right here, there will be a few more emails, part 2 of Osaka and then writing about Kyoto. I hope everyone is enjoying their summer. As always, send me an email when you can. Take care. April 15 The earth movedI just wanted to let everybody know that I am all right in case you hear about an earthquake that happened today in Japan. I have not heard anything official yet, but a few hours ago I heard a sound which I thought was just from the next room over and then my desk and table started shaking. There was an earthquake about a month ago but only my chairs and legs shook a little. This one must have either been closer or more powerful because the desk and the chair were moving. It was a real interesting experience though. It really was like the whole world was moving. It lasted just maybe 10 seconds or more, it was definitely longer than the last one. This will be the fourth earthquake that I have been in since being in Japan but only the second I have felt. I was not scared or anything though, and I did not hear anybody else seem to panic either, I suppose it was just a normal thing, no police sirens, nothing. It might not have been as strong as I thought, I might have just been closer to the epicenter. Well that is all, just wanted to share my experiences and let everybody know I am all right. Take care.I just wanted to let everybody know that I am all right in case you hear about an earthquake that happened today in Japan. I have not heard anything official yet, but a few hours ago I heard a sound which I thought was just from the next room over and then my desk and table started shaking. There was an earthquake about a month ago but only my chairs and legs shook a little. This one must have either been closer or more powerful because the desk and the chair were moving. It was a real interesting experience though. It really was like the whole world was moving. It lasted just maybe 10 seconds or more, it was definitely longer than the last one. This will be the fourth earthquake that I have been in since being in Japan but only the second I have felt. I was not scared or anything though, and I did not hear anybody else seem to panic either, I suppose it was just a normal thing, no police sirens, nothing. It might not have been as strong as I thought, I might have just been closer to the epicenter. Well that is all, just wanted to share my experiences and let everybody know I am all right. Take care. April 12 Rebith under the cherry blossomsThe cherry blossom season is almost over here in Nagoya. Last
week my class had a day where we went to Tsurama Park to hanami (flower viewing). We were supposed to interview some Japanese people there about hanami, and then report our finding to the class later that week. It had been cloudy for most of the week before that day, so I was a bit worried that it would not be the most suitable day for flower viewing, but thankfully it was a very beautiful day. I had never been to Tsurama park before, and honestly I was expecting a really small place, especially since I had never heard of it, but it actually turned out to be huge. It is probably one of the biggest if not the biggest park in Nagoya. Apparently it held an expo many years ago. We arrived around 9:30am, so there were not very many people there at the beginning, but there were a few people spread out on the blue tarps under the cherry blossoms as you can see from the photos (In the photo box). Some people had a piece of cardboard taped to them, listing their name, phone number, and day they would be there. People try to reserve the best spots. In the tradition of hanami, people would gather with their friends and family while eating and drinking sake. It is a time of relaxation from the very stressful and busy life of the city life in Japan, especially for the company workers. I don't believe I mentioned this before but there is a term in Japanese known as "death from overwork" due to many people dieing in companies for that very reason, usually from a cardiac arrest, so I believe times like hanami are essential to the well being of the Japanese company workers. As the day went on, a huge crowd of people appeared in the park. It was really amazing, there was so much energy, so much joy, you could really see people enjoying themselves, relaxing. The cherry blossoms provided a wonderful backdrop. The cherry blossoms are very special to the Japanese. Pretty much the whole world associates Japan with cherry blossoms. They have influenced Japanese artists, writers, and ordinary people not only for their beauty but because of the brevity of its beauty. It takes about a week for the cherry blossoms to mature and then about a week later the petals have all fallen off, beauty faded away. This week as I have walked to school, I have seen petals falling, blowing in the wind, touching the ground, there is something very moving about it. The ephemeral nature of beauty. It is something we should all keep in mind. Beauty only lasts for a short time, so just enjoy it while it is here. The wonderful thing about the cherry blossoms though is that they will come again, born again each spring, only to last a very short time. Remember the beauty of life. Take care everyone. April 02 Trip to Hiroshima and MiyajimaDuring my spring break, I took a trip to Hiroshima and Miyajima with my fellow IES students. I compiled all the video clips I took there and put it together here, enjoy.
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