I will, in this span of this update, try to fast track all of you to somewhat recent events. And by recent events I mean make it past my first weekend in Japan, because that’s still where you’re all sitting right now. To make this possible I’ll inevitably have to skip some goings-on, but it had to happen sometime, and now this just gives you more incentive to talk to me after I get back to get the rest of the details, eh?

So, I will now commence with my first (and only so far, although that’s looking to change on Saturday) trip to Osaka.  At about 1:30 on Saturday afternoon it was decided that Osaka was the place to be, and as Gauthier was looking to purchase a new camera anyway, we had all the excuses we needed.  With Rina acting as our guide, the three of us set off. After a brief train ride (not quite as cushy as the trip to Kyoto, I quickly noted, but still comfortable) we arrived at Shinsaibashi.  I had thought Kyoto was crowded, but that was nothing compared to the throng I was faced with upon exiting the station.  Rina led on to a long street crammed with stores, and it was then that I was really astounded. I felt like I was both outside and in a mall at the same time.  There was some sort of canopy overhead obscuring the sky, lights of all colors and intensities decorated every square inch of… everything, and the place seemed warmer than outside.  This last point is probably just explained by the amount of warm bodies crammed into the smaller space, but I wasn’t thinking clearly enough to put things together at the time. As I gazed down the street/elongated plaza/strip thing, I felt like I was looking at one of those optical illusions. Squint as I might, I couldn’t make out any visible end, just vaulted arches parading endlessly down as far as I could see.  After walking for a few minutes, I had almost convinced myself I was in a mall… until I almost ran directly into a car that was passing in front of me perpendicular to the street that I was on. And by passing, I mean inching forward at speeds easily eclipsed by the rate of toenail growth as people slowly made way for it.  The rest of the afternoon blurred by; I don’t remember many specific activities besides window shopping at more stores than I could conceivably list, and eating a deliciously fluffy strawberry-y pastry of some kind that I have no memory of purchasing.  At some point in the early evening, the three of us met Brett and Marissa, who had come to Osaka separately.  They reminded me that I hadn’t actually eaten anything substantial all day, and that perhaps I should consider spending some money on sustaining my body’s life processes through the ingestion of nutrition.  I now yield my explanation to pictures.

Definitely the least crowded area we saw all day, evidenced by the fact that cars could actually, y’know, move.

This man is happy because he was able to squeeze into that leotard. 

This picture looked normal to me until my gaze became fixated on my fingers.  The longer you look at them, the bigger they seem.  See what I mean?

And this picture is apparently so important that Google refuses to allow me to include a single copy of it. If I try to delete one of them, it actually just erases every picture I've uploaded so far. So it looks like you get two.

After some brief picture taking on the Shinsaibashi bridge, we went in search of food.  We found a nice restaurant that offered okanomiyaki, which is best described as Japanese pancakes. So, y’know, full of fish. Being the cheapskate I am though (heaven forbid I spend more than $5 on a meal…) Rina and I split an order of takoyaki, shown below.

They’re like dumplings. But, because this is Japan, they’re stuffed with partially cooked octopus and some sort of gooey, mushy something. Tasted good though! Oh, and do you see that exotic, Japanese sauce on top? Just lathering everything in creamy goodness and probably tasting like nothing you’ve ever had before? YEAH, THAT’S MAYONNAISE. Japan bathes EVERYTHING in mayonnaise. I would not be surprised to go to a restaurant and see some fellow guzzling the stuff down by the glass. 

Now it’s time for the unflattering pictures of everyone eating! No one is spared! Except for me! (Y’know why? Cuz I had my tray table up, and my… nevermind.)

Marissa looking happy, Brett seemingly attempting to elongate his chin.

Gauthier eating and probably lamenting at the lack of French bread, as is his mealtime tradition.

After explaining to Rina that she didn’t need to smile and do “posu” for every picture, and that I was trying to get CANDID photos, she goes and falls asleep mid-meal. The nerve!

After dinner, we continued exploring Osaka, and I managed to find my first exotic brand of KitKat.  For those not in-the-know (which here means everyone but Ava, I’d guess) Japan has TONS of flavors of KitKats, ranging from normal things like fruit to some rather strange variations like mashed potato. In any case, I found Green Tea KitKats, which look delicious but rate fairly low on the weirdness scale in my estimation. I’ll redouble my efforts though!

Fairly typical Osaka street.

Well, I hate to say it, but I don’t think I have the gumption to get into daily life and transition you all into the present. I kind of like you guys in the past, right where I’ve got you.  So I guess that means I failed this update’s single objective.  I thought at first that that would sting, but oddly enough I feel no remorse whatsoever. Perhaps I’ve just grown accustomed to failure after a couple years of Physics beating Nick and Derek and I into the ground, huh? In any case, seriously, I think I can you guys caught up next time.  Either that or I’ll just keep stringing you along, depending on how I feel.  You guys are a fickle audience, y’know that? Either I delay this post even longer in order to add more, or I leave you with the hollow feeling of dissatisfaction eating away inside you because of my unfulfilled promise.  And after going on for over 150 words now on why, precisely, I’m NOT going to keep writing, I think that’s my queue that it’s actually just time for bed. Later, folks!

In the meantime...

I hope you guys are all enjoying car life!