As of yesterday, I've been in Japan for three months! The time has certainly gone by quick, and it's pretty nuts how quickly so much of this experience has begun to feel normal at this point. While my grasp of the Japanese language is gradually improving, it's still extremely poor, but I'm actually completely used to the feeling of living in a country without knowing the language. Honestly, there's a surprising amount of English on signs, menus, etc., and a lot of people can speak at least a bit of it, so that helps, but I very quickly got over the confusion and frustration of not being able to read signs or communicate certain things to people.
Last weekend some of the performers and the Japanese stage assistants met up at a rock concert near the Osaka castle, put on by one of our stage assistant's school. It was a fun afternoon, and I really enjoyed witnessing the Japanese rock concert audience. They were enthusiastic but very polite and obedient, much less rowdy than an audience would behave in the states.
It was a beautiful day in Osaka Castle Park
The band playing as we arrived was dressed in school uniforms, of course
A dozen or so stagehands ran around setting up for the next band while three emcees talked to the audience
"YAOON!! 2014" was the name of the concert I guess? All the staff has shirts that said "YAOOOOOOOON"
The crowd had been sitting the whole time, but these guys told everyone to stand up right away, and they all politely obliged
This guy was running all over the place at the start
Their songs were the most fun, high-energy piano-based rock songs
A few of us were ready to head home at that point, so we left and hopped on the train. I didn't get to my camera in time, but this mom and daughter (as well as the father and son across from them) were playing Rock Paper Scissors with an extra component of the game: the first winner grabbed the other person's cheek, and if they won again, they grabbed both cheeks, and the next round verbally chose what to play, and if they won that too, they shook the loser's face by the cheeks. Hard to explain without demonstrating, but it was super cute.
After the concert we stopped by this little quick-serve restaurant not too far from home
You basically choose a kind of rice and meat bowl, and they bring it to you about 30 seconds after you order it
It was pretty good, but the appeal here is the speed and the cheap price
Salad dressings and other condiments in Japan come in these little plastic things
Step 1: Turn it upside down, put a finger in the middle, and then bend it in half
Step 2: Clean off all the dressing you just spilled on yourself because you thought there was a step 2 but there wasn't
The other day I decided to explore a neighborhood called Ame-Mura (short for America-Mura), which is one of the funkier, more colorful areas of Osaka
First pic I took when I got off the train. Yep, this neighborhood is fun.
Some artist(s) had been commissioned to design these sick street lamps all over the neighborhood
The streetlamps weren't the only funky, colorful people in the streets
Yeahhhhhhhhhh! This place was huuuuuge. And cheap!
A whole rack of used overalls
First Caroline, now Ned? I'm finding my friends from home all over Osaka!
The Japanese really love Bart Simpson. This is Michael Jordan, but also as Bart.
Definitely one of my favorite areas of Osaka so far. I left as the sun was just starting to go down, but I could tell the neighborhood was just starting to come to life, and I bet the nightlife there is a ton of fun. I'll be back many times, I'm sure.
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