Japan Part 2 (Awa Odri Tokushima, Himeji, and Osaka)

Oh my gosh, the last three days have been so amazing! I'm so glad that we have splurged a little here and there and I am really grateful for the research that has made this vacation EPIC! Our trip has really just started and I can't believe how fast time is flying.

On Monday we slept in, then made our way to Tokushima, where a famous dance festival is held. We met a lot of people. Some who planned the trip a year in advance just to get a hotel room. When we originally started our planning we wanted to stay near the festival because our JR-Rail passes took us the long way around, and we didn't want to leave the night life at 7 or 8 just to get back. The hotels were filled up so we decided to figure it out when we got here... Well we tried and everything was full. There ferry couldn't take us nor could any of the buses. We were stuck with the train. We decided to stay as long as we wanted and take the last train back. Well..... haha little did we know that it was just the last time for that train not the other two we needed to transfer to. We had to run and catch a train at the second station and when we got to the third, our last transfer, we found this.

(If you can't tell, that is a very blank train Departures/Arrivals board)

The trains stopped running! Lucky we kinda knew something was going to happen and decided not to care. We had to look for a place to stay the night; and after some deliberations we decided we would spring for a full up hotel.  The next morning we decided to make the best of our predicament and visit Himeji Castle on our way back to Osaka.

Now about the dance festival Awa Odori, I would recommend planning a trip during the time it is going because it is amazing. We bought tickets for reserved bleacher seats and watched people dressed in costume come through parade style doing the same dance for two hours. It was repetitive, monotonous, beautiful, busy, entrancing, and enchanting; We LOVED it and could have watched them dance all night!  As they danced, they would also sing words which translate loosely into, The dancers are fools, the watchers are fools, since we all are fools we might as well dance. You can watch a really cool video about it here.  By the time we had to leave if we were to catch a train out of the town, we were both trying to do the dance moves ourselves.

Here are some of our pictures from the festival:

Before the dances began

During the Dances... Nick called her the match maker! (she looks like the match maker from Mulan)

Nick had to have an outfit!

I wish I got a close up of their shoes!

After we spent the night in Okayama (our stranded stay) we decided to make our way to Himeji Castle. It was a quick, awesome, visit. It started by picking up free bikes. I guess many people didn't know about this or there wouldn't have been bikes left for us. I have to give Brian and Stephanie credit here because they found out about the bike thing. We rode them to the castle and then walked around for a bit before we ate lunch at a small cafe.  The castle is undergoing some major renovations (which are slated to last till 2015) which have encased the main keep in a huge shroud as they replaster walls and retile the roof but it was still worth the visit.  

Bikes

(part of) The Castle

Nick surfing up the bike escalator

When we got back to Osaka we went back to our hotel, took showers, and rested before we went out on the town. When we did go out we knew right where we wanted to go.

Sorry the picture is blurry (Nick sucks at taking photo's) Anyways it is a really cool building that is intended to be a modern rehash of the Arc de Triomphe (in building form) kinda weird but Japan isn't what you would call the most normal place. Underneath it is an Edo-era marketplace recreation and at the top a beautiful wide open view of the city.
  

We got hungry so we also ate dinner at the top! Good, fancy food!

When we got home we walked to a nearby grocery store and picked up some things we have never eaten before. ALL OF THEM WERE FANTASTIC!

Left to right in the picture above we have Schweppes Blood Orange Soda,  The Japanese Marble sealed soda (no idea what the name is), Pino chocolate covered ice cream bites, Lady Borden's Chocolate Ice Cream, Vanilla Ice Cream Wafer Sandwich, Some other Ice cream sandwich thing, Spiral Grape soda (it says it's new here), Milk, and Mochi encased chocolate bites.

The next day (Wednesday) We slept in and then went to find the Pokemon store and on our way we discovered this awesome shrine.

 It is a giant Japanese lion's head whose mouth is a stage.  We aren't sure what the stage is used for but it looks cool nonetheless.

The Pokemon Store
(fellow video game nerds, I have been to the promised land and it is good!)

 Also while walking around Osaka we found this can. A postcard will be sent to the person who can correctly guess what is in this can.

Today ended with this, a huge Kirby, given to my by this boy (the one that is not Nick). We were all in line to spin this free wheel after enjoying one of Japan's many massive arcades, and if a pink ball came out you would win a giant Kirby! Well the boy in front of me got that pink ball. When he did, he grabbed Kirby, spun around, and gave it to me while saying "present!" I was so excited! I'm glad I got a picture with him. If you are wondering how we are going to get it home, well he is actually a beach ball covered with Kirby skin; you just unzip him, deflate the ball, and he is easy packing!

Well that is it until part three comes along!