Danielle- Osaka!

Osaka Family Reunion

Guess who came back from a week-long family reunion in Osaka?! :D

Time for some background information! Five years ago, me and my family hosted a 12-year-old boy from Osaka. He would come to our house for one month in the summertime to experience homestay in America. It was absolutely wonderful to host him, as he was a very respectful, smart, sweet little guy. Five years later, I got to meet him and also his parents for the first time, and oh my goodness, HAS HE GROWN! I feel like such a proud, older host sister! He's in his third year of high school now, which is a notorious year for Japanese students to be exceptionally busy as they get ready for testing into college. But I think he's doing very well for himself, and I'm glad to have met up with him again after so long.

So while my little bro was busy with school, me and my super cute, super energetic host mom (my host mother, as it were) went out and did some traveling!

We visited Uji (their green tea is AMAZING)...

Osaka (met lots of people, saw lots of pretty scenery)...

Kyoto (saw lots of temples)...

Nara (saw lots of deer)...

Something cool I should mention about Osaka is that the people are a lot different than the city-slickers back in Tokyo. I found them to be easier to approach (as they have a lot of gusto!) and it's not uncommon for strangers to say "hello" to each other or give each other a nod when passing by. I felt very comfortable in Osaka and had a blast meeting all my friends out there.

Oh, and did I mention they have an "Osaka-ben" dialect that I had to adjust to? Being a lover of language, it was super fun for me to try out, and in general, I just think it has a country-charm to it - rather than the strictness of formal Japanese. :)

...And by the way, I would totally take another 10-hour bus ride again. It wasn't all that bad :D

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