Last Day in Japan

On our last day in Japan we visited the Hikone Castle and the museum. The architecture and the planning of the castle was absolutely amazing and extremely smart. From the top floor of the castle you could see all of Hikone. The steps leading up to the castle were uneven and of different heights to help stop intruders from making it all the way up to the castle. And if intruders actually made it there they were surrounded by walls, the castle and a bridge where they were attacked.

After the castle tour we had our farewell lunch and each person went around and told their "the moment" of the trip. It was nice to reminisce about all of the moments we shared over the past two weeks. After lunch we made our way back to JCMU to pack our belongings so we could take the train to Osaka to stay at a hotel the night before our flight. It was very fitting that Fatima and I got lost the last day of our trip just like we did the very first day in the Shilin Night Market. We could not find our way back to JCMU because we had been so many places in Hikone and a lot of stores looked familar and what should have been a 15 minute bike ride back took about an hour. Three very nice Japanese women, who spoke no english, were able to point us in the right direction and somehow we made it back. I was really nervous the whole time that we were lost! I didn't think we would ever make it back and that everyone would be waiting for us so we could leave.

We spent our last night in Osaka at a hotel right across from the airport. The rooms were so small that I could stretch out and put my hand and foot on both sides of the room. I stole Leslie's idea and took a picture of myself stretched out. I went to bed early that night in order to prepare for the 5:00 wake up call and our long trip home the next day.

-Lauren