An Adventuremail Companion: Osaka & Bali

Well hey! Happy New Year! It's been a while since our last Adventure Post, but rest assured the adventures have been continuing steadily.
Let's see...in November, one of Daniel's friends from Reno, Hans, came out for a rather unconventional Thanksgiving with the Kennestons. We made our overdue first trip to Osaka with him, visiting the stunning Osaka Castle, along with a handful of other sightseeing and shopping hotspots. We also stopped off at Nara one day for a glimpse of the Daibutsu ("Big Buddha") and Nara Deer Park. Oh, and what would our trip have been if we hadn't made it to Costco?! (I'll tell you, it would have been a lot quieter, less crowded, and about 20 pounds lighter. But anyway.) Let's see some pictures!

The weather was impeccable for our tour of Osaka Castle!

Making friends at Nara Deer Park

No language barrier here!

Todaiji Temple, home to the world's largest bronze Buddha.

We saw some really amazing foliage in Osaka.

I mean, fall colors like you wouldn't believe!

From what I could tell, Osaka is basically the comfort food capital of Japan. We're talking lots and lots of battered and deep-fried comfort. For Thanksgiving dinner, we ended up at a takoyaki and okonomiyaki restaurant. Nothing says "holidays" like battered octopus!

D&H. We were hoping to see a few Geisha, but alas, they eluded us. Fun fact time! There were two very important misunderstandings re: Geisha that were corrected during our Kyoto trip earlier in the year. #1: Geisha, contrary to popular belief, are not, how shall I say it, ladies of the evening. They are actually highly-established, well-trained, and incredibly talented entertainers, respected for their ridiculous adeptness at all things Japanese. Calligraphy, origami, kimono, tea ceremonies, traditional dance, and song are all a part of their nightly routine. Oh, and let's not forget the witty banter. Unfortunately, dinner with a Geisha performance will set you back a couple hundred dollars, easy, which leads me to my next point...#2: Geisha are elusive as all get-out. I know, I know, Japan's supposed to be teeming with them, right? Sadly, it's kind of a dying lifestyle, so the ones who remain in the truly authentic geisha practice are in high demand. Due to being constantly gawked at by both foreigners and Japanese alike, and also to maintaining a demanding schedule, geisha are usually in a hurry and not keen on stopping for pictures with tourists in Pikachu t-shirts, go figure. So, we were happy enough just to see a few Geisha, darting through the narrow back-alleys of Kyoto like the soot sprites in Totoro.

Oh, and this cat latte!

As for Christmas, my copilot and I had a hankerin' for warm weather, so we made a 5-day trip to Bali, Indonesia. We drank cocktails from coconut shells and lay on the beach all day like bums. It was fantastic! We didn't venture too far from our hotel, but from what we saw, Bali is gorgeous, culturally fascinating, and the people are professionals of hospitality.

Oh yeah. I could make a home of this.

Our slice of beach.

The fresh fruit was abundant and so delicious!

And the drinks weren't bad, either.

Our jungle paradise!

In the hotel.

The banquet hall all fancied up for Christmas Eve dinner!

And look who made a surprise appearance!

Daniel studying crab behavior.

...And my personal favorite.

This was the furthest we ventured from our hotel. Jin, our superb taxi man, took us to Ungasan Beach on Bali's southern tip. As it's just near a big cliff, the only access is down a $15 ski lift-type ride owned by a beach club. Or so we thought! Jin showed us the locals' route, a scenic stairway down the cliff, right to the water's crystal clear edge--for free! This beach was by far the dreamiest I've ever seen. Thanks, Jin!

We hope to return to you someday, Bali!

After Bali, we came back to our frigid apartment and celebrated a very chilly New Years in Kanazawa. Thankfully, our good friends Carson and Laura, a missionary couple from North Carolina, spent the evening with us. We made breakfast for dinner, watched Despicable Me 2 (highly recommend), and walked to the big local shrine around midnight, where hundreds--if not a few thousand--people gathered to ring in the new year and make a wish. Pretty spectacular sight.
It was back to work for us the following week, and it didn't take long to settle back into our routine. Because the Japanese school year operates on a different schedule, we actually only have about a month and a half until graduation. Crazy! It'll be a little harder saying goodbye to the students this year, since we have been with them the full year now. But hey, welcoming new students is also a lot of fun. Looking forward to that in April.
All right, that's all for now! Thanks for reading everyone! We miss you all and are already drawing up some preliminary plans for another summer visit to the States. Stay tuned!
I'll leave you with a few last pics:

The beautiful Matsumoto Castle just outside Nagano. Went here one weekend for a debate competition with my English club. We managed to squeeze in a little sightseeing!