The last leg of our trip went by really fast! Our students are on their way back to you, but here are some closing thoughts on our time in Osaka.

July 5th

We left Ako and took a shinkansen to Himeji. Himeji is located in between Ako and Osaka, and has a very famous castle called Himeji Castle. We had a very knowledgeable guide named Hideyo who led us inside and around the castle. The view of the castle and the view from the castle was very beautiful.

After the Himeji Castle, we traveled to our hotel in Osaka. For dinner, we went to a conveyor belt sushi where some of our kids competed to see which group can get the most plates. Jack said he did not feel fantastic afterwards, but it was worth the victory!

July 6th

We went to the Osaka History Museum! The museum had great exhibits that showed where Osaka started. The view of the Osaka Castle from the museum was great as well.  Some of the students were seen solving jigsaw puzzles in the museum and exploring the many exhibits. 

For dinner, we went to the Dotonbori neighborhood, which is one of the busiest neighborhood in Osaka. Everyone was eager for more time to explore and excited about the live music and the lights of the city. 

July 7th

We went to Nara for a day trip. Nara is known for their large Buddha statue and the abundant domesticated deer. We walked to the shrine with the large Buddha statue first, and the students were able to take great pictures. The picture of the shrine below was taken by Ethan! The students were fascinated with the deer. Carson and Mara must have brought the most biscuits in order to feed the deer. I saw Nevan looking by the river, and other students such as Veronica feeding deer as well. While Ethan and I tried to find the “chillest” deer to feed, we ran into Jack, who had been working on luring a deer to the koi pond.

After walking around the Nara park in the heat, we grabbed some well-deserved ice cream.

After dinner, we went to Shitennoji temple. The temple was celebrating Tanabata and had a bonfire. We watched in awe as they burned the papers that had people’s wishes on it and saw the ashes float up into the stars. The students seemed to enjoy seeing the bonfire and walking around the festival, but everyone was basically worn out by the end. The picture below was taken by Carson!

July 8th

This was a packed day! We had a sushi cooking class in the morning. In the class, the students were able to make all kinds of sushi, from rolls to nigiri. It was great to see their creativity in organizing their plate with the food and them enjoy their food. 

After lunch, we had a little down time at the hotel. Then, we went over to the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan! The students broke up into groups on their own and walked around. The aquarium was great ,and they seemed excited to see cool marine species. After the aquarium, we boarded a large ferris wheel next door and saw an amazing view of Osaka. 

After dinner, some of the students went to the arcade. On our way to the arcade, Ethan, Carson, and Aaron wanted to explore around a large rooftop park as well. The park was vast, with many steps and stores. The enjoyed enjoyed running around and rolling on fake grass. Afterwards, we met up with Marcus, Mara, Chloe, Coraline, and Patrick at the arcade. They enjoyed playing arcade games such as Taiko no Tatsujin and trying to win prizes at the claw machine. Afterwards, we got snacks at the train station and chatted before returning to the hotel. 

July 9th

The group had basically all afternoon to explore Osaka. Jack, Will, Mason, and Nyzayah went go-karting, and Chloe, Coraline, and Veronica went to a themed cafe to name a few. The group went to a nice shabu shabu dinner place and spent the rest of the night being with their friends.

July 10th 

For our last meal, we went to a soba/udon restaurant. We then hurried over to the airport. Our students have taught us so much during our time with them, and we hope they’ve learned a lot from us as well! We wish everyone a comfortable reentry and a wonderful rest of the summer.

– Kaimana & Marcus