If you’re wondering why there haven’t been any posts while we were in Osaka, it’s because we didn’t do anything while we were in Osaka. Cassie hasn’t been feeling well, and we didn’t have any specific plans in mind anyway, so we just chilled.
Okay, it wasn’t literally nothing. We went to church on Sunday and had a lovely time chatting with another couple who was also just there visiting as they roamed around Japan. The part that really impressed us at this church, though, was that everyone – Japanese and gaikokujin alike – seemed to speak both English and Japanese, at least enough to converse awkwardly in.
We also went for a walk in a lovely but frankly kind of strange park near our airbnb. I took pictures, but they don’t really capture what made it odd, so I’m not bothering to post them; it was like… the whole place felt half pleasant, half “keep out!” There was a lot of construction around it, but not within it, which contributed to the vibe.
The weirdest part was that there were several paths and even some stairways that just went nowhere. Some of them were clearly supposed to go somewhere but were currently blocked by construction, some were probably just overgrown from lack of care, but others it felt abrupt and deliberate. Very odd.
We also found a couple used game shops, and some good deals on some games. I found one (Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition) that I’d been looking for since getting here, and it actually a good price! …Unfortunately, while I’d assumed it would have English options since it was a Zelda game, I forgot it was a third-party Zelda game, and it turns out it’s only in Japanese. Alas! But one of the used game stores also had a secondhand clothing shop inside, and I found a pair of sneakers that fit me! Nice!
And that’s pretty much it! We’re setting off for Hakodate early-ish tomorrow morning. I’m just not looking forward to sitting around in the cold with our bag until check-in!