７月１６日（木: my mom's last day）

There was a typhoon warning today! Fortunately the weather seemed fine as mom and I rode the shinkansen from Shinagawa back to Shin-Osaka. I made a mistake and got on a slower shinkansen that only brought us part of the way, but we just got off at the last stop and rode the next shinkansen the rest of the way. The signs at the stations can be a little confusing at times, so try to check the signs carefully so as to save time.

typhoon train!

typhooooooon traiiiiiiin

let's all ride the typhoon train

Many stations, especially hubs, have lockers of various sizes. Payment has to be made in 100-yen coins, but usually there is a change machine nearby. So we dropped our suitcases in lockers and shopped around the station before heading to the airport.

station lockers

 change machine

両替 (ryougai, change)

In the station we had おにぎり (onigiri, rice balls) from the convenience store, which my mom had been eager to try, and どら焼き (dorayaki, azuki bean paste cooked inside pancake batter).

There are many kinds of snacks containing あんこ (anko, azuki bean paste) in Japan. A famous variety is called たい焼き (taiyaki) and is like dorayaki but shaped like a fish. Another that usually contains red bean paste is 大福 (daifuku), azuki bean paste in mochi dough. There's also アンパン (anpan, azuki bean paste bread), which is just anko inside a bun. There's a children's cartoon called アンパンマン (anpanman, anko bread man). He's a superhero who fights with his friends against バイキンマン (baikinman, germ man) and saves the day from his evil plots.

My mom's flight was actually pushed forward because of the 台風 (taifuu, typhoon), but since free wifi is so hard to come by in Japan, we were caught unawares upon our arrival to the airport. My mom made it to her flight regardless, and I headed back to Hirakata City.

The way home became very rainy because of the typhoon, so I asked my 3 friends who had just arrived in Hirakata the day before to let me crash at their hotel by the station. My share house is a 45-minute walk from the station and the buses had stopped running because it was late, so with my suitcase the walk was looking impossible. Despite the small size of the hotel room we made the sleepover work and had a lot of fun exchanging Japan stories (my friends had gone to Hiroshima and Nagasaki before meeting me in Osaka) before bed.

Just for fun, I want to introduce you to my favorite canned coffee in Japan.

Wonda's Morning Shot

It's sweet and delicious!

Travel tips:

15. Check signs carefully so as to save time. Maybe even ask questions to station attendants to make sure you are going where you need to be going.