KONNICHIWHAT!?: Osaka, you'll be missed

Osaka was "home" for two hectic weeks and for the most part it was a semi-enjoyable experience. The days were long, the nights were way too short, but when we had time off, we certainly tried to make the most of it. The Takatsuki Sun Hotel was a decent enough place to rest our head at the end of the day and even though it was only two weeks, it stated feeling like ours. I'm a long way from Osaka now, but I'll always be able to reflect on it as the place that really got this ball rolling...this ball being this whole excursion in Japan. It's where we learned to do the job we're doing and where we (my fellow trainees and I) were able to form bonds with each other. Our last night together, we decided to have a very low-key meal at McDonald's (mostly because everywhere else was closed), and "the Tank Engine" shocked, and possibly disgusted, by ordering 14 hamburgers. Much to our delight, he sat and consumed each and every one of them. A group of kids and teenagers were super excited to see foreigners in their local McDonalds...especially one that was consuming enough to feed an entire extended family. They asked for photos and we happily obliged. The food coma hit Tommy hard and after we had made it back to my hotel room for a final hangout session, he was out in no time. Thankfully we're all still in touch via email and text, so the story isn't entirely sad. Anyway, enough of this sappy business, let's look at some pics.