Our Osaka host-family and navigation experiences
Hailey: Transportation—It was extremely terrifying to navigate between trains. Amy and I got a little lost but eventually got everything figured out.
Osaka Host Family—they were super energetic and fun! They fed Amy and I so much food (cow tongue, heart, etc). They also took us to an onsen which was super relaxing.
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Cole: The train ride I took by myself to Tennoji station was a very quick ride, only about 10 minutes total from my host families house in Osaka. The hardest part was finding what platform you were on and getting to the transferring train on time. Although it was a little hectic, it was overall a fun experience.
The favorite thing I did with my Osaka host family is trying okonomiyaki, there were about 6 different kinds all of which I've never tried before. By the way, Japanese mayo is delicious.
Hannah (Jaimy): My train ride turned out fine. I missed my first train, so I was a little late getting home, but all was good otherwise.
My favorite thing from my host family was doing karaoke together!!
Korr: I had a lot of fun with my host family. We went to an open bath house and I finally got to try soba for the first time while in Japan! It was delicious.
Transportation wise, it was pretty scary at first, but I managed to get the hang of it.
Dante: Riding the train by myself was sort of scary. The station I transferred trains at was really big, and I had to ask for help on where to go.
My favorite thing with my host family was going out to eat at a yakitori restaurant! It was really delicious!
Annalee: Trains are cool, but a little tough to juggle when you dont know the lines well. You can get lost easily.
Osaka was very relaxing and chill loved it, Kang and I had a great time! We got lovely family dinners and lots of long nice chats with our host mom who was spoke English! It was a very good time.
Kang: Riding trains on our own was a very fun experience for me. It was really interesting to move from different trains and stations to get to our destinations. Riding to Osaka-jou Kouen went very smoothly but the ride back to our third host family did not go as well. We got on the right line but the train was going in the wrong direction so we got off after we realized and asked people around the stations about where to go.
They were all very friendly and while we did get back an hour late, it was a fun adventure. The father of my Yokohama host family also really liked trains and I can definitely see why he does. It's all like a big game to reach your destination.
Riding trains were extremely fun and I loved talking to strangers, but I think it would be very tiring to ride trains everyday.
Amy: My train ride was fun and thrilling. However, the direction we (Hailey and I) received was pretty confusing. Although we were late, it was pretty fun asking around for directions and getting onto many trains.
There are many great things about my Osaka host family, but one best thing is that they are very open. They have a bubbly and energetic personality. They are very outgoing and active people. They feed us a lot and give us a lot of supplies. They are a fun family.
Tanner: Riding the trains by myself ended up working out very well, and the trains I was required to take were very straightforward.
My Osaka host family was very nice and gave me a couple nice gifts, I ended up talking to the older sons a lot and we quickly became friends
Megan: My train ride to Osaka Castle was an interesting feat. The first half went well with no confusion, but the second half is a different story.
I had transferred onto a different train that was headed to Osaka castle. Two stops in, there was an announcement in Japanese the I didn't understand. Everyone on the train then got off! My being the foreigner I am, sat down thinking that everything was alright. The station workers went through the train cars to make sure everyone was off the train. And when they got to me, I was told that this train had broken down.
I got off the train in a hurry frantically thinking of what to do. I saw a different station worker standing off to the side, and asked her how to get to Osaka Castle. I had to transfer trains all the way across the station. I ended up getting there in plenty off time with an interesting story to tell.
My host family was very understanding and helped me any way they could. But one of the funniest things was the first night. We played some Uno and then we moved to playing on the Nintendo Switch. We played Mario Cart 8 and I won every race. I always feel like all my host families think I'm really good at video games, but I'm really not.
Today’s activities:
Amy: Today is the day we go to Kyoto. However, everyone has to find a way to get to Kyoto Station alone without Nagai Sensei or Zurn Sensei. We all received a paper with directions from our host family #3 to get to Kyoto and try to meet at Kyoto station central exit by 9:00 AM.
However, Hailey and Amy were late. They went to the wrong train line and soon received help from a couple of kind strangers. Without Amy and Hailey, we went to the inn to drop off our luggage. Cole and Sebastian’s host parents were waiting for Amy and Hailey back at the station. And by the time we dropped off our luggage’s, Amy and Hailey were already in Kyoto Station with Cole and Sebastian’s host parents.
We soon went back to get Amy and Hailey, and we all took the Kyoto City Bus & 1-Day Bus pass. The bus was packed! We arrived at the Kiyomizu temple area and walked up a long slope in order to get to the Temple. Halfway through the slope, Sensei bought us Kyoto sweets called Yatsuhashi. It was yummy.
After eating the Yatsuhashi, we went up the stairs in order to reach Kiyomizu Temple. We then took a quick photo on the stairs to one of the shrine and then went inside the Love temple small area, and went to the Love Stone rocks.
To see if we could find love, we start at the first stone, close our eyes, and tried to walk in a straight line to the other stone. If you reached the rock, you will find love, but if you didn’t, you won’t find love. Six of us (Hailey, Megan, Annalee, Dante, Jaimy, and Sebastian) found the other stone!
Then we went to the deck area for another group photo. Soon we arrived to a fountain where if you drink the mountain water, you will live a long life.
Then we had free time. During our free time, we explored the temple and petted cats. Kang and Amy tried to lift up the staff (what the priests used to carry around) but couldn’t. The staff was pretty heavy.
After the Kiyomizu temple, we went back to Kyoto station to eat lunch. Sensei took us around to some areas where she recommended where to eat and soon dismissed us for lunch.
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| Kyoto Station |
Dante:
After lunch, we traveled to the Mt. Inari shrine by train. The pathway up to the shrine was covered in red-orange gates that were donated by other people, and the pathway goes through the gates. It was a really cool experience!
Some of us went to the top of the mountain, and saw a great view!
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(Ignore the photographer's finger in upper left corner!
Beggars can't be choosers.) |
When we returned to the station, we went to another temple for meditation.
All of us were required to sit in the correct pose and not move. If we did move, or if you requested, the monk would correct you by hitting your back somewhat gently with a stick.
He demonstrated on Tanner before the meditation started. The only other ones that got hit were Jaimy, Cole, Zurn Sensei, and Sebastian.
We returned to Kyoto station and had free time until the 10 PM curfew at the hotel.
