Saying Goodbye

On my last day in Japan, I went to the city again to buy some last souvenirs. Before I went, it occurred to me that I had neglected to take pictures of everyday things - such as my apartment, the campus, trains, shopping streets, etc. So I took my camera and took a picture almost every other step.

Somewhere along the way it occurred to me that taking pictures of everyday things and places made it a lot easier for me to say goodbye to Osaka. Maybe it's the same reason why we take pictures of sights (and people, for that matter): to make sure we have some way to remember them because we know we might not see them again?

So, with this thought, here is my visual goodbye to Osaka:

The last of the three doors was "my" door.

Just down the hill from my apartment was Shibahara monorail station. The monorail sure looks futuristic, doesn't it?

Hotarugaike station on the Hankyu railway. Hotarugaike and Ishibashi were the two closest train stations for trains to the city.

Ticket gates in Umeda station. Umeda is pretty much the center of northern Osaka, and I went there often.

Doguyasuji, the street with shops for everything needed to run a restaurant. Including knife shops. Luckily, everyone can shop there :-)

Shopping arcade in Namba, pretty much the center of southern Osaka

The display of plastic food models in restaurant windows is extremely popular in Japan - and convenient for the visitor :)

Recreational artists in Tennoji park

Shopping street in Ishibashi, very close to my apartment. My gym was on the other end of this street - so I was here quite often.

Entrance to the university campus. Notice the sign that says no bicycles allowed from 7am to 8pm. There was a way around, of course, but much longer than this one...

On campus. (no, I have no idea who the statues represent ;-))

Waste separation... I always wondered (and never really figured out) whether I was supposed to put plastic wraps in with the combustibles or not...

Bus stop for the shuttle busses connecting the three campuses of Osaka University. To the left is the Cybermedia center (where I could work when there were no shuttle busses), and to the right you can see the library.