Osaka - Day 1

Today is the last city on the list. At least for the group tour. Today we will make our way to Osaka. There is still some time before departure. I decide to use the little time I have for myself. 30 minutes to recharge my intro battery, just walk around for myself.
I leave the hotel, put on my headphones, start my favorites in random mode. Within 5 seconds, I'm in my charging station, Coyote Kiss - Six Shooter is playing. I turn to the left, start walking happily and meet Adam. I take out one headphone, we greet each other. I put the headphone back in.
As I stroll happily, someone from the left overtakes me 30 seconds later, speaks to me, pulls me out of my world. It's Ava. I ask her what she wanted from me. 'Nevermind,' is the answer. I pick up my headphone that fell off when she spoke to me, dive back into my world.
It takes less than another 30 seconds for me to be brought back to reality again; Rob speaks to me from the right. I give up, plug in my headphones and close the case with a snap. I go to the 7/11 with him. We also meet Ava there. When asked what she wanted from me earlier, she answers if I would also go to the 7/11. With this, the question is probably settled.🤷‍♂️

After buying some national curiosities like chips with steak-onion flavor, I leave the store alone. I look at the time, I still have some time for myself, just to wander around. My legs are sore from yesterday, but my system wants the relative intro charging station. I take out my headphones, put them in my ears, and close the headphone case with a familiar snap. I rewind the music. Finally, I can go out again for myself, in a familiar and cheerful mood.

I see a security guard or something similar guarding the entrance to a garage. I keep going, hear a voice, look for it. When my gaze wanders down to the right, I discover the homeless person from the last few days. He says something to me with an exaggerated smile. I realize that he is still sitting in the same place as the last few days. I am embarrassed, don't know what to do, just keep walking. Even if 'simply' is relative in this case. 

After an uneventful ride, we arrive at the hostel later. It looks nice and well-maintained. We are assigned four-bed rooms, just like in Tokyo.
When the rooms are assigned, I think to myself, 'Why share a room with an unsympathetic person when I can have both?' It's probably time to take out the earplugs again. Luckily, it's only two nights.

People! People everywhere!

After checking in, it's time to explore the city with Miho again. It's Sunday, the weather couldn't be better, and the cherry blossoms are coming to an end. It's a perfect time. For EVERYONE in Japan. Accordingly, Osaka Castle and the surrounding area are completely crowded. People are piling up. 

We decide against visiting the temple. Rike goes to the bathroom, I stay in place and get something from the food stand. I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to get there. It's noodles and meat. I'm thankful that I can eat this food without knowing what's in it. And without having a toilet nearby. I eat. It's okayish.

I watch the passing crowds of people, having fun with it.
The 'advantage' of being an HSP, so much to see.

It's really different from back home. I like the style of women's clothing here. In our place, it often has a copy-and-paste character. The image of a group of young blondes comes to mind, all wearing the same jeans and white shirt with a red LEWIS logo. The image of quick Primark fashion victims. Here, finding a woman in jeans is more of an exception. Especially on days like this, skirts, dresses, or sporty attire dominate. Sporty and Elegant! The (young) men wear jeans more often, but also a lot of fabric. Surprisingly, many men wear fancy ear jewelry. But it doesn't look gay at all, they can pull it off.
The second notable thing is the dogs. The little furballs. Of course, they are small, there are no big apartments here. I have only seen a Golden Retriever once, that was the largest. But what stands out even more is the use of strollers for dogs. Or are they even special dog strollers? Probably. It looks like a substitute for children. That fits with the image of Japan's declining population.

After 15 minutes, I look at my phone, Rike has been gone for a while. She writes to me that it may take longer and sends me a picture of the line. Slowly, I find the crowds overwhelming.
The 'disadvantage' of being an HSP, so much to see.
I move on, find Rike's bathroom. I still see her standing in line, after about 30 minutes. She's almost there, hands me her clothes, and goes back to the line.
I think to myself, 'Hey, who knows when it's your turn again.', and join the men's line. After 3 minutes, I am back in the same spot, waiting for Rike's return. Thank you, nature, an advantage as a man that all people should have.

We decide to leave the royal park and explore the area. After a while, we end up in another shopping district. It seems that there are no shopping-free days here. We browse, I'm still looking for a hat. I hate shopping for clothes, that probably won't change anytime soon. It's really hard for me to find something. I grab the first hat. Bought. I get the feeling that it somehow looks familiar. At some point during the day, I figure it out.

We continue on. Past crowds of people. Each city had its own character so far.

Tokyo is the world metropolis.
Katayama is the slightly touristy sleepy old town in the mountains.
Kyoto is the dignified, venerable city.
Hiroshima is the peaceful and peaceful big city.
Osaka is the party mile.

With a good lead, Kyoto is my current favorite. But on this trip, I haven't seen anything yet, there is still a lot to come.

Evening activity

We meet later for dinner. Miho has found something for us again. We had the pleasure of sitting at the stove last time. Now we are presented with a stove at the table.

After dinner, we go to a park, to teamLab. There are light and music installations. It's nice to look at, and we have fun. A good end to another day in Japan.