We left Koya san with only two nights left. Back to Osaka and the hotel that I started in.


Teruko got an invite to see a musician performing, so we went along to that. This guy was from Okinawa with a strange and uncanny resemblance to my late friend Greg D in younger days. He played Okinawan folk music with a heavy metal twist and told hilarious jokes. Well everyone in the room except me (because I couldn't understand) thought they were hilarious. I just enjoyed seeing everyone laughing. He was quite the entertainer- a great night.


 The next day we went over to Teruko's house in another part of the city.

man holes just get better

and better

Then onto her friend's place where a dinner had been organised in my honor. I think they wanted to check out this old Aussie dude that was hanging out with Teruko.

Teruko's and her four friends, not really

Teruko's four best friends from school and our host's parents and kids were there.

 We had a lovely meal and somehow spent about four hours talking.

translating Japanese to English on their phones

We got a lift from one of these ladies (second from the left- I'm hopeless with names- sumimasen) to a station then onto Umeda where my bag was in a locker and then out to a hotel next to the airport.

Dawn of my departure

And so that was the end of an amazing journey in Japan. Thanks to Teruko, I got to see so much that I would otherwise have not.

Domo arigato gazaimasu, Teruko-san.