I only saw one picture of Godzilla, but that should be expected when outside of Tokyo. I never had imagined really going to Osaka, but it seems like most Yonsei students go there instead of Tokyo, due to how cheap the flights to Osaka are. In fact, due to the expensive tickets for the Shinkansen (bullet train) in Japan, it’s cheaper to fly from Seoul to Osaka then to take a train from Osaka to Tokyo.

Yea, that’s how expensive Japan is. The train is more expensive than an international flight…

Meeting Sandra!

Pretty much, a lot of my trip was about riding trains (and realizing I can never complain again about Metro Card hikes or the fares on the Metro North…), seeing another Macaulay student who is studying abroad in Osaka (yay MHC meet ups outside of NYC!), and seeing temples and shrines.

And fed deer! (I really liked that…)

Pretty much, Osaka is in the Kansai region. I imagine it like New York City, where Osaka is Manhattan and Kobe, Kyoto, and Nara are the equivalents of the Outer Boroughs. I stayed in Osaka, but went to Kyoto on Friday before Sabbath, then walked around Osaka on Sabbath, then Sunday went to Nara.

Osaka is just like most other cities that I’ve traveled to, except for the fact that nobody really knows English and that children pointed at me. Yup, one day we went to the Osaka Zoo (not really worth it at all…) and because Tokyo is much more tourist-y, the kids weren’t really used to caucasian foreigners so many of them were just staring at me with eyes wide. This is actually expected in Asia, but usually outside of cities, in the countryside, so I wasn’t really expecting it in Osaka. A very interesting experience, to say the least… So yea, as good as Seoul is for foreigners to travel to, that’s how poor Osaka was dealing with foreigners. Even at the Kansai Airport the check-in attendant didn’t really speak English.

But, going to Kyoto and Nara were very different, because they’re huge tourist attractions. In Kyoto, most of the shop stall owners spoke a bit of English, but when my friend spoke Japanese they let out a sigh of relief. But the touring itself went fine, because most places had English pamphlets. In Nara, there was actually a visitors center where there were guides who spoke English very well.

And as for Jews? Yea, nobody really even knew about us. Some of the students I met from the university there had taken a religion class, but I most probably was the only Jew in the city. I had to bring all of my own food, because there was hardly any foreign food to be found in Japan (much different than Seoul.) But, there was one store specializing in foreign food and I was actually able to buy Sakura (cherry blossom) flavored Jelly Belly’s with an OU (most popular kosher symbol)!

I should have bought more… But mostly I just brought Kosher ramen and tuna that I had from Seoul. There is a Chabad in Tokyo, but again, I didn’t go. But it’s not as if I starved — traveling as a Kosher-keeping Jew is difficult because you miss out on part of the culture (Osaka is most famous for its food,) which is a bit annoying, but I would much rather be able to say I traveled the world than staying at home in NY just for the comfort of Kosher food and restaurants.