It's been a little while...

I am having a lot of fun. I have made some Japanese friends and this has been really gratifying for me. Partly because they are awesome people and I am proud to be their friends and also because my Japanese is surviving in this Japanese only environment. This is my first prolonged experience talking to people in Japanese, where I don't have the option of switching to English.

The benefit from this is slightly lessoned by the fact that we are drinking quite a lot. I have been to this standing bar with them twice which is really friendly. You buy these big beer bottles and everyone has small glasses. We just keep topping up each others glasses and talking. Lots of fun.

It has been slightly alarming as well. We have these kind of pay battles. The first night out with them I didn't pay anything. I did have something of a pushing battle with this girl to get to the bar and pay.. but I could only go so far. This is all nice enough, but I know they don't have a heap of money and would like to pay my share. Hopefully they aren't so forward with this in the future.

I have been to a bunch of stuff in Osaka such as the imperial castle, which is amazing. The word impenetrable springs to mind. Check out the photos so see how wide the moat is.