For info about Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Street see day 100 below.

Travel Log: Day 96 (10/1), Osaka Japan

We’re all starting to feel a lot better, although we’re still stuck around the house. I’m at the final stage of a cold which for me is uncontrollable coughing out of the blue a couple times per day. I don’t want to be on a train or in a tourist attraction when that strikes. We are very tired of living this same lame day over and over though. As soon as we possibly can we’ll get out and start taking in Osaka.

The school day started late again as we all slept in again. Tomorrow we’ll get back on track even if I have to set an alarm, which I probably will. I felt needed and productive today in school. Both AC and BC needed some hands on help between astrophysics and physics.

Travel Log: Day 97 (10/2), Osaka Japan

With another coughing fit in the middle of the night, we didn’t do any excursion-like things today. Once I make it through the night without that happening, and once BC sounds better, we’ll start venturing out.

Normal school day. Woke up at 7am via an alarm, or I otherwise would have slept until 8am again.

Walked to the library with JC and BC. I only stayed in there for a few minutes before leaving. They stayed longer to look at the small section of English books. It was a library like any other really, only comparatively small for the size of Osaka. It was pretty busy too with someone at all of the seating sections, although not all seats taken.

Began the search for flights and Airbnbs in the Philippines. I’m looking outside of Manila because Manila sounds boring for some reason.

Travel Log: Day 98 (10/3), Osaka Japan

We resumed field trip Friday today and went to the Osaka castle. It was a decent walk, about 2 miles each way. The castle grounds were pretty nice and pretty expansive. There is a tree area that we walked through, and there were raised areas that we went to and looked around. As we walked around we decided we weren’t going into the castle, but then after watching the line and seeing that pre-purchased QR code tickets were going through a separate line, we decided to go in. I was disappointed to see that the inside was modernized into a museum. For some reason I thought I’d see a medieval castle with stone walls and fire burning in torches.

FAC activities like normal.

Travel Log: Day 99 (10/4), Osaka Japan

It was raining all day today so we didn’t do much. I didn’t run, but realized as the day went on that I wasn’t even ready from a sickness perspective. I’m feeling pretty good but my chest still hurts and I’m still coughing quite a bit.

We ate Lawson for our meals today. JC and I went for a long walk, had drinks, and watched a movie in the evening.

Travel Log: Day 100 (10/5), Osaka Japan

Today we went to Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Street which turned out to be right off of the Dotonbori area. It’s a very long shopping street but not like others we have gone to. These were not small shops, but rather name brand stores. We made a mistake going here on a weekend around noon. The place was jam-packed with people and the restaurants were so busy we couldn’t find anywhere the four of us could sit together. We ultimately just walked the street, AC bought something, I spent the entire time hunting for a bathroom, and then we left. That still took about two hours.

We watched “Corpse Bride” for our 31 days of Halloween that we are celebrating.