Sakai and Osaka, our last night

We spent our last day in Sakai and Osaka with friends. Sakai is Wellington's sister city and my son James and I went there last year as part of a sister City official visit with the Wellington - Sakai friendship group. We stayed with a host family last year and stayed our last night on this trip with them again. My mother will stay with them for a week as well, she is currently in japan with the wellington Potter's Association.

This is not a painting, it is a photo I took in the Sakai gardens.

 It was getting close to Children's day (Boys day) and there were lots of carp kites flying.

In the evening we went to Osaka's Dotonburi area which is real sensory overload. There are lights flashing and pachinko chinking and recorded voices telling you stuff. Chris found it exciting and I find it a bit overwhelming.

We also managed to arrange to meet James there with the host family he had been staying with all week while attending Hannan High School in Osaka. James is easy to see in a crowd. It was a also a chance for our friends to catch up with James before we all flew back to NZ the next day.

If you get a chance to go to Japan, make sure you go for at least 3 weeks. Last year I went for 2 weeks and it just wasn't long enough. I felt like I had unfinished business there. A couple of unexpected commissions for quilts meant that I had enough money to go back this time which was only 6 months later,  and I feel a bit better now. I still want to go back but it doesn't feel as urgent :-)

James was also in Japan at the same time with his High School Japanese class. Chris, and I travelled to and from Japan with the school group then we went off on our own and me them at the end of the trip.

I hope I haven't bored everyone too much. Now back to normal life
Clare