Day 9 – And then there were four

Today started very quickly as we had to be up and out by 8am to get Andy on his way. We enjoyed some of the toast and fruit we had purchased the night before, and Steve made pour over coffee, which I had never seen before. So cool!

Andy got all packed up and then we were off! We took a bus to the subway, and then the subway to a monorail that would take him straight to the airport. There were hugs and tears (mine) before we said goodbye. I watched him walk through the turnstyle until he was gone. We waited to see his monorail come, and then we headed off to see Osaka Castle!

A way to help protect women from getting "touched" at rush hour

While on the subway, Steve looked at his watch and said “Oh no. Andy went to the wrong airport!” As we traveled to Osaka castle, we were able to keep tabs on him and his journey. First I will share what he went through.

Apparently when Andy got there and was told he was at the wrong airport, he had to take a bus to the other airport. It got him there 10 minutes after his flight had left for Incheon (he was going to switch planes at Incheon and catch a 6:30pm flight for Seattle.) Once at the correct airport, he discovered that Asiana’s desk was closed until 2:30. He went over to Korean Air. They couldn’t help him. He waited for Delta’s desk to open at 1. He was told there was a flight on Delta through Honolulu in the evening from Osaka, but he’d have to pay full fare. He waited until 2:30 when Asiana opened, only to be told there was nothing they could do to get him home today. He could take an evening flight to Incheon, but then he’d have to stay overnight in Incheon and there were no guarantees after that. When you travel a budget airline, you get budget service. We decided he should take the Delta flight. He found showers at the airport and food and was happy. So he ended up at the Osaka airport all day, but he didn’t have to tour the Osaka Castle in the extreme heat! So there’s that bonus.

 

108 ton rock which is part of the castle
wall...biggest rock in Japan!

Speaking of the Osaka Castle, we made it there mid-day, in the worst of the heat and visitors. We had to walk around the castle grounds as the subway lets you off on the back side. We finally made it in, and took the 8 flights of stairs to the top (that was a ‘would you rather’…would you rather wait in the heat and sun for the elevator for 15 minutes, or climb 8 flights of stairs inside.)

 It’s a fascinating castle. The temples we’ve seen all have to do with spirituality, but this castle has to do with military. Toyotoma, who lived in the castle in the 1500’s made it his goal to unify Japan…which he sort of did. The samurai were born out of this time as well. There was so much history to take in, as I just have never really had any education in Japanese history.

The view from the top

Samurai headdress

After the tour of the castle, we dragged ourselves to a café for a late lunch. They were known for their soufflé pancakes, and Emily really wanted one, but apparently they only make 20 at 10am, 2pm and 5pm. So odd. She did end up getting a different pancake concoction that looked amazing. The bottom pancake had egg inside. The middle pancake had chocolate inside and the top pancake had fruit on top. It was amazing! Steve and I were boring and got BLT’s and Pete got normal pancakes.

After we were full and recovered from the heat, we headed back out again to a different luggage store where Emily finally found the luggage she wanted. We headed back to the subway and back to the apartment. (by this time we had decided Andy was taking the Delta flight and he was now going to shower.)

Once home and clean again, we headed out to a sushi place for dinner. This was a small place Emily had found when she lived around the corner five years ago. They spoke no English, but Emily was able to order pretty successfully.

They got salmon, shrimp, tuna, yellowtail and toro (Steve can almost never find toro!) I ate some of the sushi, but I also got a meal (based on a photo on the menu) that I knew Peter would also enjoy. At one point, Steve really wanted to ask for their recommendation, so he got out his phone and tried to use Google translate.

The waitress and Emily both turning to Google to communicate

The waitress (who we think was the wife of the cook) got out her phone, and Emily got out her phone. It was amazing to watch how they were all trying so hard to communicate using Google. They were successful too! They ended up getting some really different things that we can’t remember now. :-P

Their dinner!

My dinner!

After that, we caught a bus for the Yasaka Shrine to see the night lanterns. It’s one of Emily’s favorite places.

One of the streets in Gion where the
Geisha live

We walked around the grounds and enjoyed the night solitude of the shrine. We then headed down the street (the same street where all the shopping is) and turned off onto a small street to the area where the Geishas train and live. The streets are small and dark, and it looks like there are very high-end restaurants along the streets where the Geishas entertain. As it was getting late and it was still hot (yes, we were sweating again), we found a bus and headed back to the apartment. A later night tonight but tomorrow morning can be leisurely.

 

Names of geishas and their calendar outside their residence.