So the first 2 weeks are gone...

I have already done so much since arriving I can't really think what to write about. So far this trip has been much more about the little things that I have encountered that have left their mark, rather than the 100ft bhudda's and 250mph bullet trains. Things like a man called Takashi Saito who stopped to talk to us in the midst of Osaka Jo castle grounds to practice his english. Both me and james found we were able to communicate better than we thought just by picking out key words in his japanese, and we soon felt comfortable enough to ask his questions about the sakura season, such as the best places to view it and how long it would last.

He then gave us orange boiled sweets (sweets=okashi) and insisted he buy us an ice-cream, which we initially declined but he was very keen to give us 'present'. After some pretty credible queue-jumping, I ended up having a ice-cream cookie sandwich (love those things). To our collective amusement I asked what the centre was, expecting something japanese like plums or sweet bean. He lifted the wrapper to point out the katakana on the front.... "Rum en Re-i-san" Haha, classic. What a pleasant surprise, I love rum and raisin. Takashi-san then handed me his business card when I asked about his name... To my surprise yet again, it was beautifully hand painted in watercolour. A picture of the Osaka-Jo with a branch of Sakura. Truly beautiful and a gesture that made my day, perhaps more than the ice-cream :-) You start to expect this kind of thing eventually, the level of commitment and devotion to honing a skill or craft in Japan is exemplary. I walk through a residential area to get home, and you can hear someone practicing piano at around the same time every night. Just like I should have but didn't when I was learning an instrument back in the day.

I hope to go to Kyoto soon, and Nara as well with it's big Bhudda and deer everywhere. It's something I've done already 2 years back, but there are some places that you really just need to return to. To reaffirm that they still exist and are still as wondrous and beautiful as you remember.

I'll write more when I have pictures to back it up. In the meantime, here are some sakura pictures and many many photos of the band Rampant, who were one of many bands playing in the park that day at Osaka-Jo. It was like nothing else I've ever seen. About 5 bands playing at a time all in a row. Just amazing. I liked this one so much I was motivated to buy their album. The lead singer gave me a rock handshake, which I thought was a nice personal touch. I was glad I did.

Till next blog I guess, miss you all

x