2018年3月30日金曜日

2018年3月30日金曜日 -

Stephen G: Osaka


It's been over a year now since I made the move from the Gold Coast, Australia to Osaka, Japan. It's been a challenge getting set up in a foreign country not speaking the language, but it's been exciting too.

I'm really excited to be living in Japan, everything about this country is great. I find the history to be very interesting, especially the Sengoku and Meiji periods.

There are a couple things in Japan that I have found to be surprising and which I didn't expect. The first was how cold it can get in winter. On the Gold Coast the temperature in winter ranges from 8°C at night and gets to 20°C during the day, so in Osaka where the day time maximum was only 6°C was a huge shock for me. Having seen snow only three times in my life, every night I wish that I could wake up to see snow covering the ground, however it has not happened yet, maybe next year though.

The second thing that surprised me was how many people there are in Osaka. Before I left Australia I knew Japan had a large population, but just how many people there can be in one place at one time was really surprising. The Gold Coast's population is just over half a million, so stepping into a city with over two million residences was a big change. It's amazing to see how everything can run so smoothly. I have never seen lines outside restaurants during lunch before and rarely during the evening, which I found interesting.

The people also are extremely polite in Osaka. Whenever I'm traveling and get lost (which is often), someone will always stop what they are doing and help, and most of the time they will walk me to my destination.
Cherry Blossoms!

I was very excited to experience my first sakura season in 2017. Having only seen pictures of the blossoms online, I was looking forward to seeing them up close and taking lots of pictures (which I did). I decided to visit Osaka Castle and the Expo '70 Commemoration Park and I was not disappointed. I was completely unaware that there were so many types of blossoms, ranging from white to bright pink flowers. Seeing so many people outside having picnics together under the blossoms made the day feel so festive. The only disappointing part of the sakura season is its short duration.
Osaka Summer
Arriving in Japan during the start of winter I experienced the chilling Osaka temperature which was great as I love the cold. It's easier for me to warm up than it is to cool down. However, when summer came around I was shocked at the temperature difference. Osaka has actual seasons which is a very different experience. In Queensland it is always warm and hot with winter still being around  20°C during the day.

Ranges：範囲
Maximum：最高
Residences：住居
get lost：道に迷う
destination：目的地
Expo '70 Commemoration Park：万博記念公園
Unaware：気がつかないで
Festive：お祭り気分で
duration：持続期間

2018年3月23日金曜日

2018年3月23日金曜日 -

Kyle

I haven't done many of the things in Japan that I thought would be priorities for me once I got here. I haven't gone to Osaka Castle, I haven't been to the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, and I certainly haven't been to Umeda Sky Building. I'm not disinterested in any of these things, or in other, similar places and activities; I plan on doing my share of sightseeing at some point. I've just been much more interested in meeting so many new people. The people of Osaka are, for the most part, very outgoing. I only speak a little Japanese, but I've still been able to function well here, be it in social situations, in restaurants, or while setting up things like a bank account.

The food in this city is absolutely incredible. Things like takoyaki and okonomiyaki, which can be difficult to find in the United States, might as well grow on trees here. I've always liked Japanese food, and I knew b

efore I came that Osaka has a good culinary reputation, but I was still astonished when I got here. The quantity and quality of food here is staggering. I had a piece of fatty tuna recently that I barely had to chew; it nearly melted in my mouth. Generally when I travel, I don't take food into consideration when thinking about destinations. I decide where to go based on what I want to do or see. What I'll be eating is usually an afterthought. I'll be thinking a bit differently in the future, I suspect.

I've been doing some research recently on places to go hiking near Osaka. I haven't left the city since I landed at Kansai International Airport, and, as exciting as it is, I'm starting to miss trees. Fortunately, it looks like there are lots of different places to go, like Minoh Valley or Mt. Kongo. The next time there's nice weather on one of my days off, I'll make my way out there. I've heard excellent things about Minoh Valley. Apparently, the trail has amenities (toilets and vending machines) that I'd never imagine finding on a hike in the US. And of course, the valley itself is said to be quite beautiful, especially in spring.

priorities：優先するべきもの
disinterested：興味がなくなった
outgoing：外交的
culinary：料理の
astonished：驚いた
staggering：驚異的
fatty：脂ののった
barely：かろうじて
take ～into consideration：～を考慮する
afterthought：付け足し
Minoh Valley or Mt. Kongo：箕面と金剛山（関西のハイキングスポット）
amenities：文化的な設備

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