Sophie`s Visit!

So after a crazy month long-cram for the JLPT test (This Sunday, i.e. 2 days!) off I went again to Kansai Airport to pick up Sophie! (Friend from Edinbugh)...

*I have to admit to having realises THE MORNING SHE ARRIVED that her follow on ticket to Shanghai hadn`t been payed for on time and had thus been cancelled... all was well in the end but I more or less flew to the airport on a cloud of panic... "Shit! I`ve stranded my friend in Japan!!!!"... all was well in the end...

**Incidentally, while on the phone with the sales assistant to re-book the flights she asked me how to spell Sophie`s name... When she got to "E as in England" literally all I could think of was "I`m sure イングランド (Ingurando) begins with an I..."

So, been having a great time showing her around Osaka, Kobe etc. We also hopped on the Shinkansen to Okayama, and Hiroshima/Miyajima for the weekend, which I`d always wanted to go to... For the record, I agree with Yume`s assessment of Miyajima. Although we could have done without the rain.

Hiroshima is an interesting place. As a tourist it`s sort of limited, but it looked like a pretty cool place to live. Felt a bit more like Tokyo than Osaka really...

The 原爆ドーム(Genbaku Doumu- the A-Bomb dome) is pretty horrific but the Peace Park is sad but at the same time kinda hopeful.

Sophie`s been laughing at my occasionally messed up English as well... :-( lol. "Lets go to Shinsaibashi, there`s various food...stuffs there..."

Speaking of Sophie herself, she`s bravely off to Tokyo on her own for a few days while I prepare for the exam... think I`ll be ok... as long as I stop writing this and get back to work...