Around the world, people were celebrating the beginning of Spring (春). There are no bun and cheese like they have in Jamaica (ジャマイカ), nor are there any Easter egg hunts like in the US (アメリカ). In Japan, we do things a little differently. We have a week of holidays, Golden Week, which usually begins on the 29th of April. This day is used to reflect on Emperor Shōwa (昭和天皇), Japan‘s (日本) past emperor. If you ask many Japanese (日本人) people about this day, they’ll tell you they have no idea what it’s for but they just know it’S a holiday. I wouldn’t blame them cuz they work like ants. Last year I went to Chiba (千葉) and stayed with my friend, Amanda because I wanted to paint Tokyo (東京) red and with her being so close to and as crazy as I am, we were bound to have a good time. I love Disney (ディズニー) so much that I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to pay good ol’ pal, Mickey (ミッキー), a visit. My friend, Yoichiro, joined us at Tokyo Disney (東京ディズニー) and let me tell you, I wasn’t the only one geeked out about where we were. We go there at 9am and didn’t leave until about 21:00. Had to get my money’s worth. LOL. Amanda had this brilliant idea to do a scavenger hunt and around Tokyo (東京) which was hella fun. There, many more familiar faces popped up. It was like a gaijin convention. I had one of the best weeks I’ve had in Japan (東京) and was already planning for the next.

2017. Initially, I had planned on staying home in Nagoya (名古屋), even though I was waiting for this week to return for a year. I couldn’t get anywhere to stay and because I’m a budget traveller, I was not looking forward to booking a hotel. Luckily, another friend of mine (thank God for friends) offered up a bed and so, Osaka (大坂) was decided upon. It was indeed time for a new city, with new adventures.

Living My Life Like It’s Golden

April 30. I boarded a bus from Nagoya (名古屋) bound for Osaka (大坂). It didn’t dawn on me that it would take such a short time to get there, 3 hrs. I didn’t even get a chance to catch some proper sleep, partially due to Dear White People (shiiiiit, that series is so good. Fucking hell!) Awestruck! Osaka (大坂) was huge. I didn’t recall it being that big. 18:00. Sanjay finally showed up. I arrived in Osaka (大坂) at 16:00. <insert eye-roll emoji> We walked around Namba (難波), which is like downtown Osaka (大坂) before getting food. When I tell you that Namba (難波) is lit, it’s lit. Another gaijin convention, I thought. Only this time, there were more Asian foreigners (アジア人), specifically, Vietnamese (ベトナム語) and Chinese (中国語). I loved the vibe. It was so different from Nagoya (名古屋). I remember saying “I’m coming here every night before I leave” and I did.

May 1. Just like my other travels, I didn’t need any company to tour the place, so I went to Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan (大坂水族館快癒間) and left Sanjay behind. Besides, he had other plans. Getting there was quite easy. I purchased one of those all day passes that allowed me to enter the aquarium as well as ride the subway and buses. Winning! This place was superb. Being an island boi (boy) (always wanted to call myself that LOL LOL) I had a liking for sea creatures and water or maybe it’s because I’m an aquarian (水族館). I spent the whole day with them. I wanted to stay longer but it closed at 20:00.

May 2. Osaka (大坂) doesn’t have a Disney (ディズニー), but they have the next best thing, motherfucking Universal Studios (USJ). Could this be anymore perfect?! Remember when I mentioned I was a budget traveller? So I went to USJ just in time for the ticket prices to decrease. I was not about to use my credit card to buy a $80 ticket. I’ve been to Universal Studios, Orlando so I was excited to see what this would be like. I wasn’t disappointed. The park was filled with so many people. I felt good. The only thing missing was my family. They’d love this. You can’t go to a park like this and not try to get pictures with the characters that roam about. Then it happened. Shrek reached for my throat and put me in an almost headlock. I was terrified. I wanted to die. Thankfully, Fiona was nearby and she rescued me from the smelly, green ogre. LOL. After almost scaring me to my demise, they were kind enough to take a picture with me. Yay! Mission accomplished.

If this was how the rest of the day would turn out, I was ready for it. I took a tour of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter which was epic as fuck! Rode the flying dinosaur, went to Jurassic Park and got soaked (not cool), partied with the Minions, saved the day with Spiderman and bought myself a pair of Snoopy ears. USJ rocks!

May 3. Last day in Osaka (大坂). I needed my personal cameraman to document my every move today. I urged my friend to accompany me to the Floating Garden Observatory close to Osaka Station (大坂駅). This was the las thing I wanted to do. There, we took the elevator to the 35th floor, which is over 150 meters above ground. I saw a view of Osaka (大坂) that I never thought possible. It was simply breathtaking. 15:30, I bid my friend farewell till next time and went shopping. 19:20. I boarded a bus from Osaka Station (大坂駅), bound for Nagoya (名古屋). Golden Week 2017 was good. Don’t believe me, look at the video below.

reallyGOBBY: Keirn