A mothers day gift, wrapped to perfection!
Today was our free day in Osaka and it was amazing to explore on our own. Luckily being a free day we were all able to sleep in and have a leisurely morning. After being so busy these past few days it was very nice to just walk around without plans and stop in anywhere that interested us. We began walking together, shopping in all of the small boutiques along the way and even popped into an anime store. Everything inside was so interesting because there was not a word of English. Attempting to read some of the comic books and playing some of the hand held games was quite the experience. Kirsten even recognized some of the anime titles her sister has watched and sent a picture of an episode that hadn't been released in the US yet. Kennedy bought a cool video game and we were all tempted to buy the cute Kawaii toys. Since Lauren was late meeting up with us on the trip there were several events that she missed such as the opening of the Takashimaya department store. Everyone agreed that it was an amazing experience we wanted to be sure that Lauren could experience it as well, and that was our next stop. We first ventured back to the home section so that we could further understand how the Japanese home looks, and we got an up close look at all of the hand made items. It was so obvious that everything was made with care, and Lauren purchased a pair of hand carved chopsticks for her Mom for Mother's Day. The girls then found a section with fans, and after seeing how readily used they are by the people of Osaka, they each bought one to keep them cool in the hot sun. We found these in a very traditional section of the department store along with many different kimonos and hand woven baskets and bags. We all found it amazing how craft is such an important aspect in everything in Japanese culture. Even the service was so precise and crafted in the store. Gift-wrapping was an entire craft in itself, and we were all amazed when we received our gifts. Even having a lazy day in Japan wore us out.
Balloons whirling around the Hanshin stadium!
After a nice nap and attempting to watch some Japanese soap operas we got ready to go to the Hanshin Tigers baseball game. Running through the subway was a tad stressful but we made it on the right train with ease. Once we got there everything about the game was an amazing experience and we all had a blast together. Although the game was slow and not many runs were scored it was obvious to us that baseball is the Japanese pastime. The stadium was packed although this wasn't a rivalry game, and the crowd was constantly going wild with chants an noisemakers. Across the first few rows of seats were several men waving giants flags with different Tigers logos on them, and the sea of yellow was quite amazing. All of us managed to try some stadium food and even buy tiger towels to fit in with the crowd! Although many things about the game and the stadium were different there was still a sense of pride, teamwork, and excitement that can be seen at any sporting event no matter what country it is in. It was incredible seeing all of the commercials, stats, and anime characters on the big screen and the excitement that the people of Osaka get when their favorite players and their songs come on. David bought us all these large balloons that everyone in the crowd had and the entire stadium blew them up at the same time and shot them of in the seventh inning stretch. It was quite an astounding site with thousands of balloons soaring through the sky screeching with excitement. This game was one of the most exhilarating and different sporting events we have ever attended and couldn't be happier that David scheduled it on our itinerary. Unfortunately the Tigers ended up losing the game, however it was most definitely an amazing time for all!
-Lauren, Tori, and Raakhi
