So, yesterday (Sunday) I went to Osaka to meet up with Chris and Ray for the day. They're the only people here I feel completely at ease with. Everyone else is a little bit fake nice. I think they're all afraid I'll just up and leave. A wise fear to have, given how much FUN I'm having on this island.

The Midosuji Parade:
Today, or yesterday - who can tell anyways, was Sports Day in Japan. Everyone gets this Monday off. It's like pseudo-Thanksgiving for Canadians, woohoo. Ray, Chris and I walked around. Chris shared some big news with us, which is making me question things even more than I was already. It was an EVENTFUL day, let me just say. We were trying to find this accessory store called Monique, which is apparently near Hanshin Department store. We were not having any luck finding it. We stopped a group of Japanese guys heading into a restaurant (I know, we foreigners have NO shame!). "Sumimasen... Hanshin?" Lots of very confused looks, much Japanese consulation, and then the head Japanese guy, a short-ish guy in a brown jacket, decides that they're going to WALK us to Hanshin.

Picture this: three nice gaijin girls walking along with three Japanese guys, only one of whom knows almost any English. What occurs? Why, the same thing that happens everytime you meet up with someone who barely speaks your language. They call someone who... TADA... "speaks English." Don't be fooled. Their friend who speaks English is usually someone who knows maybe 5-10 words more than they do. Actually, though, this friend did speak English. Bullseye.

Chris picks THIS time to ask the Japanese guys how to say "back off." Apparently, one of the tissue people (monsters, the lot) was a little bit persistent with her the other day and she wanted to know how to get her message across more clearly. The Japanese guys must've thought that she meant for THEM to back off. Oh, joy. Once we got that cleared up, we had been walking for at least 10 minutes. They brought us to Hanshin, bless their hearts, and Chris decides to be nice and says, "Thank you, that was nice of you." Takes another 3 minutes to get THAT cleared up. AND THEN, the bomb drops. Chris says, "Enjoy your dinner." Three words. This ended up being confusedly taken as a dinner invitation. Hell, maybe they though we were TELLING them to buy us dinner. Haha. Luckily, we were like "oh forget it, thanks!" and sort of scooted off into Hanshin. Never did find Monique.

Decided to hit up the Yodoyobashi Pier for a boat tour. So, we started walking, but it was the day of the Midosuji Parade! See photos below. So much colour, this parade lasts for TWO HOURS. It went on for ages, a gazillion marching bands. A British regiment. Dancing, singing, waving things, poor horses dressed to the nines. You name it, the Japanese had it in the Parade. Very entertaining. Also, SO many guards. People handing out fans. It was quite a spectacle!















So that was the Midosuji Parade in Osaka.

We also ended up at Shinsaibashi, after ending up near Honbu, so we went wandering. Saw some interesting things, various large sculptures of seafood, the hugest Hello Kitty sculpture I've ever seen, though likely one of the smaller ones in Japan.





After we grabbed some dinner at some weird "Mos Burger" place (WTF does that even mean... a tribute to Mos Def? Who knows) we decided to hit the road. Chris took her train back to Senri-chuo, and Ray and I decided to search for the internet cafe Honbu told us about. Crappiest directions EVER, thanks a lot. But we did end up locating Popeye's Media Cafe. Shittiest online experience ever. Weird keyboard. Which didn't work. Japanese commands. A PC that kept turning off. It took me 20 minutes to get going, because I had to switch computers. Kept trying not to cry on the train ride home. I felt sick, and the train kept jerking around everytime we started moving again after stopping at a station. I thought I was going to throw up, but luckily I didn't. Managed to make it to Akashi, and then to Nishishinmachi, but of course, my ticket didn't work. I don't understand Japanese, so I don't even know what's always wrong with me ticket. If I'm buying the wrong one, or what. I don't particularly care at the moment.

Sort of down at the moment. I've been contemplating going home again. It's hard not to because everything here is SLOW as molasses. Anything minor is fast, big things takes ages. I still don't have the internet. I will have to wait at least 10 days more, likely 15. Another half month. Joy. Technilogically advanced, my ass. I'll believe it when I experience it. Phones here, even local calls, are metered. Gone are the haydays of a quarter will get you all the time you want. You pay by the minute.

I am not bitter. Lol, actually maybe I am at the moment. Oh well. Lots of things here are amazing. Just not at the moment. I need to do laundry when I get home, so that should be a barrel of laughs. Might air out my futon, too. It's been a few weeks. Should also vacuum. Ah, domesticity. That's enough of a post for now. Enjoy!