I started to pack my bags just as the snow began to fall upon Fukui. My New Years break had finally arrived. The hat and i were super pumped for our upcoming vacation. The morning of the 31st arrived quickly. Before i left, my thoughts went as so.....this mini trip across Japan is supposed to revive my spirit in this rainy town....i needed to get my travel legs back, it had been forever since I've packed a backpack. I have been accustomed to daily life in Japan. Now it is my turn to be a tourist again....only trouble was the ridicules snow falling from the sky. As i left my house the morning of the 31st, i passed a beautiful cab, which i know for the small fee of $15 would take me to the station dry and happy, HOWEVER this was not going to be the start i wanted for my journey. So sadly i passed it and walked 20 minutes in the pouring rain/snow to the closest known bus stop and made it just in time to catch the bus to the station. Good old #12. As the train chugged on south through the mountains i slowly watched the snow melt, and the sun come out.
I met my friend Jill at the station. We met before leaving Canada, and have stayed in touch while being in Japan. But this was the first time we were going to be seeing each other for more than a couple hours. It was New Years Eve!!!! So no time was to be wasted in formulating a brilliant plan for the night. We went to her apartment in Kita Shinsaibashi. Surrounded by nightlife and trendy spots, definitely one of the coolest places in the city to live. We hit a burger joint for dinner. I must say, i am still getting used to people being able to smoke any place they like. Basically if you leave the home to eat you end up smelling like an ashtray. After buying ample supplies of food for the next day and alcohol for that night we headed home to get ready for the night.
The place we went for New Years was called Cosmo Tower (World Trade Centre), the highest tower in Osaka, and second highest in Japan. So we basically danced the night away at the very top where there was a 360 degree view of the city. Jill and i decided that we had in fact found each other for the countdown....but details will never be known...hahahah. So many random pictures of people we will never know the identity of.
Jill and i at the top!!!
This picture pretty much sums up the night, hahahaha
After the New Years party at WTC, we made our way down to the subway, and went to Dotombori area where we found the dirtiest after hours club called 'Heaven' in the basement of some building. Marvelous!!! We danced to the wee hours of the morning with our new friends Yui, blondie, and beautiful hair...and not to forget their friend who tried to make us believe he was a Japanese language student/ artist from Vancouver/ gay prostitute in Japan. First two of course the only believable information.
Beautiful hair and myself at 'Heaven'
After the club we said goodbye to our new friends, and made our way home through Namba. We stopped in at Namba shrine on the way home at around 6 am. Jill was thirsty, and proceeded to drink the holy water at the entrance, hahaha. Then we went up the shrine steps, threw in some money and then rang the bell, and clapped twice, and then preyed....ahahah, i preyed for Jill, hahaha. There were tons of other drunk people there, so we weren't the only ones. We went home and polished off some noodle bowls, and didn't get out of bed the next day till 5pm. Good New Years i'd say.
The next night we were invited to her friend Yukiko's house for traditional Japanese New Years food. It was great to experience true Japanese life and food. We ate something called Osechi. It is pre-prepared my her mother. Each different food had a meaning, and the way you ate it was important too. It is basically all the freaky things one sees in the grocery store and avoids. And it was all mecha mecha oishi (really really delicious). Even the tiny little silver fish were yummy.
After that we went and walked around Dotombori. And we went to the hotel where i stayed my first night in Japan. All a very different feeling going back the spot where this journey first started. 
The next day, Jan 2nd, i went with Sandy (another girl from Canada) to the Osaka Aquarium. We saw lots of fish etc....We also went to a 18century Russian exhibition at the Suntroy Museum. That night we went to a 280 bar, and then to a couple other places. We also met up with Yui, and new friend Benjamin (both Japanese with British accents) A 280 bar is a bar/restaurant where everything costs 280...pretty ike teru if you ask me. In Osaka i also saw Triangle park in Amerika-mura....however no time for Osaka castle.
Next up...Kobe and Hiroshima....
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