Osaka Downtown (29.03.)

When we were done with the official program for course registration on Thursday, we walked through the beautiful campus once again and finally went into Osaka. We should have actually changed to another tram at a big train station, but since it was so big and all signs were in Japanese, we decided to walk instead and of course, we got lost. The GPS on our phones didn't work without internet, so we relied on the sun for directions and hey, we actually eventually arrived at our desired destination. On the way there, we passed by a small temple, numerous restaurants, convenience stores, and my personal favorite: a gas station where the gas pumps hang from the ceiling and the hoses dangle down. The Japanese seem to have grasped the concept of gravity! We also visited a small park with cherry blossom trees, where some Japanese people sat under the trees and enjoyed the beautiful blossoms. This spectacle is called Hanami (flower viewing) and is also very popular in the small park right next to our dormitory. Even though it was very crowded, nobody bumped into me or even brushed against me at any point, the Japanese people are really friendly and respectful. Before we reached Dotonbori (similar to NY Times Square), we went through an unbelievably long shopping passage called Shinsaibashi, where you can find everything, especially clothing and food. Good-mood music echoes through loudspeakers and numerous saleswomen try to lure you into their shops with a loud 'Irasshaimaseee!' (Welcome) or taste samples. Ultimately, a large part of the things you can buy in Japan are small, incredibly cute (in any interpretation, whether in terms of taste or appearance), and simply useless. And even though you are aware of that, you just want to buy them all. It is quite a challenge for me to suppress this urge to buy, but this time I had to give in: cute flamingo stationery sneaked into my fingers and I had to buy it. At Dotonbori itself, everything blinks and shines, especially impressive in the dark. I also like the restaurants, where the dish simply hangs above the door frame in an oversized form. After this sensory overload, we were ready to go back to the dormitory. If it weren't for this enormous train station. As we apparently looked very lost while searching for the way, a Japanese man approached us and asked if he could help. With his broken English skills and our broken Japanese skills, we managed to at least find the way on the map. Implementing it in reality was a different story, so this kind man offered himself as our guide and brought us to our platform, even though he probably didn't have to go anywhere near that direction. This walk probably took about fifteen minutes, which strengthens my opinion about the unbelievable friendliness of these people. In the dormitory, we had (once again) instant ramen (after all, you have to try them all) and a big game session with almost all residents of the dormitory, which was a lot of fun. It's really great how people from all over the world meet here, talk to each other, and have fun together. There are no fights or arguments, only nonsense, fun, and some beer, which makes the whole stay here incredibly valuable because you meet so many new people and can share all experiences.