Golden Week with Victoria

Ah I'm the worst blogger. This post is being made way, way after the fact, so many details will be missing from any posts here on out unless otherwise specified.

Golden week was pretty awesome, even having been sick. Going around Osaka and Nara with Victoria, and having some great catch-up conversations. Victoria works for the JET Program (Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program) as an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher). We've known each other since high-school.

with a side of extra fun

 This is the view from the sky tower in Osaka - Victoria and I had a fun time meandering up to the "floating garden" which we actually found out was just a cement circle with a great view of Osaka. There were also gift stores along the way, and we got to reminisce a little bit of how terrifying glass elevators can be (such as the one we rode in this building and the one at the Seattle Space Needle).

There was also a cute little kid's train that looked like the Shinkansen (bullte train). 

We then went to eat lunch; Osaka Okinamiyaki is apparently unique, so we had some of that. Okinamiyaki is like a pancake full of vegetables, meat, and deliciousness. Also, it's fun to make it yourself. The waiter kindly asked if we needed help, though.

Next we visited Osaka-jyou - the castle in Osaka. It's quite a scenic site, with a moat, park, and everything. Each level is filled with artifacts, video, art; basically a museum. 

The top section was of course another scenic view spot, but mostly we just saw buildings, including the stadium where a concert was being held. Victoria and I hypothesized it was a K-pop concert.

Also, there were these golden fish on the edges of the roof - Japan loves it's fish. I assume this is a sort of gargoyle to represent royal, or rich status. Who knows, we only had an hour to climb all the stairs, so I didn't get to really read my way through the exhibits.

The next day we hung out, I woke up late (like an idiot) and Victoria waited while I navigated my way to Nara to meet her. There were quite a few rice fields and tightly packed industrial scenes that I got to glimpse as I rode the train over. 

When i finally got there, got some food from the conveni, and walked up to the park, most of the deer were tired of their deer crackers and had started eating visitor's maps. 

Like most places in Japan, wonderful illustrations warn us of serious dangers with adorable signs.

We finally found some dear that would eat our crackers, and they swarmed us before running off to find more visitors with crackers.

Then we went to another shrine where we passed along street vendors and large crowds. There was certainly an abundance of おみやげ(souvenirs) and tasty street food like candied strawberries, bean filled pastries, and chocolate covered bananas. 

Stairs that lead to nowhere! Metaphor?

This was probably the most impractical cell phone
key chain that I encountered in Japan.

We thought this might have some significance, turns out nope.
Just another tower donated by some group.

We then went to dinner in a plaza near the station.
Unfortunately this place was full.

So we made our way to this restaurant
(which was very pricy...)

The last day we spent in Hirakatashi. The first thing we did was hop a train with some friends for a JSL  (Japanese Sign Language) get-together. As the JSL club was the only club I really participated in on campus, I very much enjoyed the time I got to spend learning about the deaf community and sign language. Our hostess, Shiori, showed us some old money her grandfather left us, as well as some WWII photos. It was a lot of fun, but hurt my head transitioning between English, Japanese, and the very little Japanese sign language I had picked up.

Shiori, me, Victoria, and (I want to say Sayaka, but I'm not sure)

We had Nan tacos ad Moss Burger.
An 'only in Japan' experience...

And of course some Fallout Boy among other high school
bands during Karaoke with a soar throat. 

After hanging around Hirakata station, and the nearby park, it was time to say goodbye. One more photo, and then Victoria made her way back to Tokyo. Not much later, I would make my way to Tokyo and have more fun with my wonderful high-school friend.