We visited Osaka, one of our favorite cities in Japan so far, for the third time in March 2018.
As it just so happened, during that time, we saw a job posted for a school in Osaka... so I applied, and the rest is history!
So, here are pictures of our new city, before we knew it would be our home!
Yes, we finally made it to Japan during cherry blossom season! We went to a local park to check out all the trees and the many different groups of families, companies, and friends there to enjoy the hanami viewing.
Okay, so neither of these last two were sakura blossoms, but you get the idea. It was spring and lovely everywhere.
One must, of course, see Osaka Castle with all the blooming trees surrounding it.
And then there was a trained monkey at the castle... because, monkey?
Ben not pictured, because... monkey.
Ah, sakura at sunset...
Obligatory sakura selfie
Now for a walk along the O River at Kema Sakuranomiya Park. If it seems like the sakura trees just keep going on forever... it's because they do. For miles and miles.
Crew, what are you doing here?
Ben contemplating the soon-to-be obligatory Craig visit now that there are boats involved.
Ah, the cat donut... we found this adorable thing at a shop in Umeda
...and fell in love...
...and took cute pictures...
...only to discover that the donut shop had closed by the time we moved here.
We'll let you imagine the pictures of us sobbing.
But back to memories of happier times...
this was our first visit to Tennoji Park in the spring.
...and our first time trying okonomiyaki with pineapple in it at this tiny, 8-person seat restaurant south of Tennoji. There were more people waiting outside than there were eating.
Us exploring a small nearby shrine, with cat in the foreground.
Little did we know, we would soon have our first sighting of what we affectionately call "the street ferret." What looked like a ferret bounded across the road in front of us, so of course, Ben was immediately in hot pursuit. We've since seen three others and have found out that they are technically Japanese weasels...
but they will always be street ferrets in our hearts.
Fan service for otaku. This is the Animate building south of Tennoji Park:
manga as far as the eye can see.
R.I.P. Cat Donut 3/18/18.
We will never forget you...
as long as bringing you up can justify the purchase of a less-cute pity dessert.
Tennoji Park lights up beautifully at night,
as does the surrounding area.
The weird thing here is, it doesn't specify whose hand...
Shinsekai gets a bad rep as kitschy and outdated.
We think it's perfect.
Maybe because of this guy.
Or because of this restaurant, where you get in a boat floating in a moat,
then fish from said moat for your own dinner.
It was then that we stumbled upon the anime section of Osaka, which we had somehow managed to miss on both of our previous trips. There was much weeping and gnashing of teeth by Ben, while I stared at Totoro and Cat Bus models made entirely of tiny pieces of paper that you buy and assemble...
aaaaaaaand a 3-foot tall reconstruction of the whole set of Spirited Away.
Our first visit to Utsubo Park - now our neighborhood park!
Gotta love the Tat building in the distance as a shout-out to a fantastic co-teacher. ^_~
Park comes complete with rose garden, fountain, free rosemary for the picking (shhhh), and apparently, camping grounds? There's also a man-made, babbling brook running through the center.
Dirt path lined with sakura in the park, with clay tennis courts to the other side.
What could be a more perfect set-up than tennis and sakura?
It's official; it's gorgeous here.
More endless rows of cherry blossoms on the water.
Our pictures do a decent job of hiding it, but everyone and their brother (because this is a family kinda thing) was down by the river picnicking under the sakura trees.
So of course, there's also this cat, who a fisherman brought here in the basket of his bike and then tied up to this fence while he went fishing. Because, you know. Cat fish.
Here is a pretty picture as an apology for the pun.
Then we visited Rokko Island in Kobe to check out Canadian Academy, tulips,
an interesting mix of multicultural restaurants and murals,
and bathrooms built in the shape of birds?
Sakura in Kobe looking out over the city from the remnants of an old castle/fort's walls.
The next day, it was off to do our own hanami picnic in Nara.
The deer kindly held off on rushing up to us until we were mostly done eating.
Strange way to get your kicks, bathroom sign.
The only creatures in Nara who were doing more aimless milling about than the deer were the humans. Ben is only smiling here by sheer force of will.
Spring countryside view
Cute countryside view ^^
Just your average, run-of-the-mill, gorgeous Nara views
with obligatory visit to the free Japanese garden Yoshiki-en
because it's free and beautiful.
When life inexplicably gives you a bear latte, make a cat latte.
Our last night in town, hanging out in Dotonbori by the river, wishing we could come back to Osaka!
And here we are a year later, at the start of sakura season, as residents of the city.
So, you come visit us in Osaka now?
