We arrived in Osaka to the nurturing arms of our friends at U-en Guesthouse.
Being a little sick still we decided to take it slow - buy train tickets and hang around the castle eating and shivering. This was 3pm on the 11th - the time the earthquake struck. I remember sitting on the walls of the castle and feeling a little wobbley, and assuming being sick was making me faint - but it must have been the earthquake. On the way home, a sweet O-baa-chan (grandma) held me up at the supermarket and recited to me what happened. I struggled to follow until she made a wave movement with her arm, and said that everything was washed away.
We left Osaka to start our journey to Kyushu, happy to be leaving the 8C weather in Kansai. We stopped at Himeji Castle - one of the best still standing - but it was under repair. So the most exciting thing there was a) my friend prawn sandwich, and b) the purple ninja in the park.
That night we stayed in Hiroshima, and spent the night walking around the Hiroshima Peace Park.
On the way out of Hiroshima we stopped at Miyajima, a large temple complex on an island just out of Hiroshima. A beautiful spot - and the first sunny day. The ocean was so clear, and the sun so bright and warming, it was a a beautiful morning.
And the Sakura are already blooming - we see more and more as we head West.
Last night we couchsurfed with Yuko and her flatmates - it was an amazing glimpse of Japanese student life. They made us an amazing Japanese breakfast that set us on our way today on our way to Fukuoka.
So tonight we stay in Fukuoka before we head to Nagasaki, where we will couchsurf again and hand around for a few days sightseeing and visiting Unzen National Park (one of the first National Parks in Japan).
So now we have some beers, our bellys are full of Ramen, and we are ready for bed. But we thought we would fill you in a bit first.
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