vince in osaka: 2012

Hey everyone who still visits this barren land called "vince in osaka". Most people I know just follow my posts on Facebook and Path nowadays. Therefore, this blog has become almost obsolete. That being said, I'm going to post and update it now. :)

Osaka Downtown

So what on earth is going on here in Osaka? I can't believe I've been here for over four years. The new school year just started 2 weeks ago and I've been busy getting to know about 280 students. It's a lot of students to get to know, and honestly I won't eve learn half their names. I'll try my best to do it.

This is a view from my desk as work.

The past couple of weeks have been greeted with the arrival of the Cherry Blossoms. The bloom every year at the beginning of April. Unfortunately the beauty only lasts for a few days. People in Japan use this opportunity to hang out outside under the cherry blossom trees. They have picnics and barbecues. It's fun and the weather is usually pleasant. I took this opportunity to practice my outdoor photography, which to be honest, is not that difficult.

A Cherry Blossom in bloom. Photo taken near my apartment.

At the park near my apartment. People hanging out under the tree.

I've been doing a lot of hiking recently. It's really nice to go outdoors and get on those mountains. There's a great feeling after a hike is finished that I can't explain. I just feel so refreshed!

Mt. Shiraga in Hyogo. It was a fun and difficult hike.

Hiking

Last month I went to a lovely little town about 3 hours north of Osaka. The town is Kinosaki Onsen. An onsen is a Japanese public bath. The waters of Kinosaki are supposedly of such a high quality that they give you health benefits. Thousands of Japanese venture to this town every month to try the baths. In the town there are 7 major bath houses. You can pay one fee and have free access to all the baths. The good thing is that they ate within walking distance with each other. To be honest, the entire town is probably no more than 2 or 3 kilometers across. At night all the people who stay there wear a traditional Japanese Yukata and walk around the town visiting the baths. When I was there, I took a bath 5 times! Unfortunately it was raining the entire trip, but that didn't deter me from having fun. I did some night photography there. That alone was worth it to me. If anyone ever visits me, I'll definitely take them there.