Date of activity: July 15th and 16th
Host Family Day was about exploring some interesting places in Osaka. We visited shitenno-ji, which is a large Shinto sanctuary in Osaka, the famous castle (Osaka-jô) and a Japanese style festival (matsuri).
Even if I didn’t get to see most of the big conglomerate called Osaka, I did see the things that are well-known there. I went there with my host mother and her cousin. It was a hot day, the sun was shining brightly with almost no clouds, and it could have easily been at least 35 degrees Celsius. First we went to Shitenno-ji, and then we went to a big shopping mall in Osaka, where we went to the Ninja Store to buy some ninja tabi (special shoes). After that we went to eat ramen for lunch; I had Kimchi Ramen, which was very good, recommended! Then we headed for Osaka Castle, but we were kind of late for the last round to actually go into the castle, so we could only observe the castle from the outside. After that, we went home, because everyone was already exhausted due to the hot weather. I went to a matsuri nearby. It ended with a spectacular firework show. It was nice, and I was very, very tired when I got home. Fast asleep!
On Personal Day, I went to Kyoto with Louise (Rui-chan from now on) and Belinda from Denmark. First I met up with Belinda at Kita-Senri station, and we took the train to Tomotsû, where Rui-chan would join us. From there it was 45 minutes to Kyoto Karasuma station. From here we took the metro to Karasuma Oike station, where we got off. We went to the Manga Museum, but to our regret, it wasn’t what we had in mind what it would be. So, we went out and headed towards Nijô Castle which was a 15-minute walk in the blazing hot sun.
It was at least 36 degrees Celsius, with the same kind of weather as the day before. Hot, hot, hot. The Danish girls couldn’t take it so much, and even for me it was something I had to get used to since we don’t get this kind of weather in Holland. It took our toll, and after a few hours of strolling through the lush gardens of the castle, we went back to Osaka and to Yamada Station, where we would have dinner. After that, calling it a day, we parted and went back to our host families.
Anlong – The Netherlands
