Christmas Adventures with Mom and Brett

So, there hasn't been much time recently for writing, but there have been plenty of adventures since Mom and Brett arrived on the 22nd. I'm not going to go into detail right now, but I wanted to list some of the things we've done and seen so far.

In Osaka:

- The Osaka Aquarium (Kaiyukan)
Highlights: Whale sharks, sea otters wrestling, finless porpoise, petting little sharks and rays, Santa Claus scuba diving with the fishes. Seriously. Santa Claus underwater in the aquarium.

- Dotonbori
Highlights: Giant mechanized crab sign on a restaurant.

- Umeda
Highlights: Ordering a meal entirely by pointing at plastic models of food, discovering a department store with a section for ballroom dancing outfits and shoes, escaping the crowded Hankyu department store with our sanity intact.

- Namba
Highlights: Navigating our way through the underground mall, hip hop dancers outside the OCAT Building, the hotel with the lobby and check-in on the 22nd floor.

- Shinkansen (bullet train) ride to Okayama

In Kochi:

- Obiyamachi
Highlights: Being accosted by teenage delinquents who knew how to say "Hello" in English.

- Harimayabashi

- Densha Dori (tram road)
Highlights: Learning how to ride the tram.

- Kamimachi 1-chome (birthplace of Ryoma Sakamoto)

- Katsurahama
Highlights: Figuring out which bus would get us there (and back), Ryoma statue, film crew on the beach.

- Aeon Mall


And more to come! Potential upcoming adventures: Kochi Castle, katsuo no tataki (a famous local dish), return to Osaka, and Kyoto and its many temples.