Osaka is nightlife, party, and excitement. Kyoto is more subdued, quiet, and reminscent of old Edo period Japan. Today, we saw both. We started the day walking all around Osaka. For a super modern city, you still see small pockets of nature, Shinto temples, and traditional Japan living harmoniously side by side integrated with modern fast-paced culture.

Our destination? The Pokemon Center! Pokemon Go is absolutely massive in Japan. By the Pokemon Center, raids would routinely fill to 20 players instantly and everyone around is playing it. The Pokemon Center was inside a really huge 16 story train station building filled with stores, restaurants, and cool places like the One Piece store, CAPCOM store, Nintendo Osaka, and the Pokemon Center.

After a full day exploring Osaka (we only really scratched the surface of what’s in this incredible city), we took the Shinkansen bullet train to Kyoto. In ten minutes we sped between the cities and landed in Kyoto.

Kyoto is beautiful and charming in its own way, but certainly less crazy than Osaka and more subdued and quiet. There are still tons of shopping areas, stores and great restaurants though!

Living in Japan, we have cheap flights to Tokyo and Osaka! Flying on a Japanese airline was wonderful. The plane boarded exactly 15 prior to boarding and doors closed exactly on time. The plane was quiet throughout the trip!

Osaka is so much fun. Being the second largest city in Japan, there is so much to do. This city is like NYC, it’s HUGE and never sleeps!

The best way to see the city isn’t to walk it or even to bike it.. it’s to Mario Kart it! We took a 2 hour Mario Kart tour around the city, took in all the neighborhoods and sights, and even saw Osaka castle lit up at night! Afterwards we walked along Dotonbori district where all the street vendors, shops, and lights are. Then finally back to our hotel to soak in the wonderful Osaka views! It’s city as far as the eye can see!

Misawa Air Base tries to do a lot of events for the people stationed here. Last night was Oktoberfest to celebrate German.. beer, I guess?

Every year the military base opens up to the general public for the Air Festival. Since this is a joint base with both US and Japan military working side by side, the Air Festival includes an airshow with both US and Japanese military fighter jets! Also, the Japan version of the Blue Angels, Blue Impact, came to do a show too!

Every year around Labor Day, the base does a firework show over Lake Ogawara, the big lake here on base. What’s really cool is they explode a lot of fireworks right on the water.

It was a great way to spend the evening!

Misawa Air Base does a med student exchange program every year where med students from other areas of Japan can come to the base, stay with the American doctors, and learn how American medicine is practiced for a week.

We signed up to have a med student stay with us! He was from Hirosaki and was a 5th year med student. Med school for Japanese starts right after high school and is six years.

He introduced himself to us as Takeaki. Later, I wanted to make sure I got it right so I said. Remind me, your name is Taiyaki right?

Takeaki: uh, no. That is food.

Me: Oh sumimasen (sorry), it’s Takoyaki right? 😅

Takeaki: um.. no. That is also food.

Me: 😨

He was actually thought it was funny. He shadowed different doctors in the hospital and shed light on differences between Japanese and American medicine. He even shadowed Leanne!

Kabuki (歌舞伎) is a traditional Japanese form of theater with roots tracing back to the Edo Period (1603-1868). It is recognized as one of Japan’s three major classical theaters along with noh and bunraku, and has been named as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Kabuki is an art form rich in showmanship. It involves elaborately designed costumes, eye-catching make-up, outlandish wigs, and arguably most importantly, the exaggerated actions performed by the actors. The highly-stylized movements serve to convey meaning to the audience; this is especially important since an old-fashioned form of Japanese is typically used, which is difficult even for Japanese people to fully understand.

Dynamic stage sets such as revolving platforms and trapdoors allow for the prompt changing of a scene or the appearance/disappearance of actors. Another specialty of the kabuki stage is a footbridge (hanamichi) that leads through the audience, allowing for a dramatic entrance or exit. Ambiance is aided with live music performed using traditional instruments. These elements combine to produce a visually stunning and captivating performance.

(https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2090.html)

So we went to see Kabuki in a rural town about 2 hours from us with a tour from base. The Kabuki Theater we went to is the oldest in Japan!

We got a backstage tour. Under the stage is a large wheel which turns the stage 180 degrees for set changes.

After the play there was a brief intermission so we could get udon and ice cream, then came the second act of dances with music.

After the play we went to the nearby seven step waterfall.

With the day off we headed out for a new adventure, to the farmlands of rural Japan to pick fresh pears, apples, and grapes! When you get in, you get to pick and eat unlimited fruit for 40 minutes, then you get charged by the kilo for whatever you take home. The pears were so sweet and the grapes were delicious!

After fruit picking we went to a local “Jinja” or Shinto temple because they are really neat to see.

Right next to the main temple building was another cool looking building with the door open. Naturally we went inside to check it out. There was so much nice decorative art, an empty room with tatami mats that looked beautiful, and… a kitchen? Uh oh. And a lady who just stepped out of the kitchen. And she looks confused and concerned. Uh oh, and she’s shooing us out of.. omg we are in her house! Whoops! Sumimasen!!

Apparently in Japan, people live on the temple grounds and take care of the temple full time. Yikes. Well now we know for next time! 😀

This weekend is the Misawa Summer Festival. This happens at the end of August every year and this is the 99th year of this festival. Cities from all around make floats which are pulled through the streets. It’s hard to describe so I’ll post pictures and videos!