Kansai, Part 2

So after Kyoto, we headed down to Osaka to meet Shige0- my Japanese friend who worked with me for a summer in Yellowstone almost 6 years ago. He met us at the train station and took us to Osaka port where his friend let us borrow a motorboat for the day. Shigeo showed us the city from the rivers that ran through it.
Yes, that is blue sky in the picture. It may have been the only sunny day of our trip. It was a little strange at first to see what seemed like road construction crews- only they had divers and flagboats. I guess I'm not used to seeing a whole industry centered on the marine side of things, growing up in the deserts of Utah. Anyway, thanks to Shigeo, we got to see Osaka from a point of view we never would have otherwise.
Later, we went to an Okonomiyaki restaurant, walked to his house, and watched videos of his trip to North Korea until we fell asleep. The next morning, he took us to his Aikido class where he is a black belt. Some of the other students were taking "exams" to move up in levels and it was really interesting to watch. I decided if I ever try a martial art, this one looks pretty interesting.
After Aikido, we left Shigeo and found a coffeeshop where we sat until we decided what to do next. We had several options, since we hadn't really made any plans past that point, but ended up going somewhere we never really considered before that morning- Wakayama.
And I will write more on that tomorrow, after I dress up in a kimono (at the request of one of my English students) for the Sakura Matsuri (cherry-blossom festival) in our city.