Last Night in Osaka - June 1 2007

After spending the day with the host family taking care of packing everything, in my case preparing my luggage for Tokyo, Hong Kong and Thailand, we also sent packages home by boat because we had too much stuff. Maybe it would have been less expensive to bring extra on the plane and pay extra... It would also be faster because it will take two months to arrive at my door in Montreal.

After the last dinner with Cody and the family, we made our way with Charles, our French friend, to the bus terminal near Namba. I wish I had pictures of this evening, but I think I mistakenly deleted them. This evening was quite surreal in many ways. We first got there the three of us, 2 hours ahead of time not knowing what to do. So we did what we do best when we are together and there is time to kill: grabbed some beer in the nearest convenience store and chugged down a couple of Asahi for good memories in the crowded streets of Namba. We were expecting a Japanese friend, Keisuke to join us so we didn't wander off too far, but just out of nowhere we bumped into my Canadian friend Charles (another Charles) with his girlfriend from Nagoya and his mother visiting from Quebec. It was a great coincidence and we had a good chat about Japan in general and about Tokyo because that is where they were coming from and that is where Cody and I were heading. In the midst of the conversation, Keisuke called to say he had arrived in Namba and he arrived with a gift: Japanese cakes... good! we have a snack for the 8 hour bus ride.

Then we slowly made our way back to the bus terminal and now we were expecting more Japanese friends to come and tell us goodbye... Some where just coming back from their part-time job and others from dinners but they all hurried to make sure they could come and tell us goodbye before we leave. Ayumi arrived and shortly after, Misaki and Makiko. Our best Japanese friends from school. They all brought small gifts for us, and they accompanied us to the loading point at the bus terminal and told us goodbye. It was great though to spend a few minutes all together again before we leave for Tokyo.

When the bus left, Cody told me he still didn't realize that he might never see these great people again, and that we will never be all together ever again. He was right, but I tried not to get sentimental and thought ahead, thinking that at 6:30 am tomorrow we would be in one of the biggest cities ever in the most busy train station on Earth. Shinjuku, Tokyo.