In Shin-Osaka station I took my first Ofuro (Japanese style bath). The first time was very difficult mentally, especially coming from America where communal bathing among men only really happens with sports teams. What made it even more uncomfortable at first was the fact that since I was a foreigner staying in a hotel in which apparently foreigners never stayed, many of the other guests would discreetly stare at me, especially when I was naked. However, everything went well, and my first ofuro went off without a hitch.

After a night of wretched sleep on a pillow that was actually the hardness of a bike tire, I decided that I had to visit Ryukoku University and see if I could store one of my bags somewhere. I hopped on a train to Kyoto, then took a train to Seta, then took a bus to the campus. I then wandered until I found an information desk and asked if there was anyplace where I could store my bag for a week. The people at the information desk were really nice and called everyone who they knew who stored luggage, however, since it was Sunday, there was no luck. Finally they said I should go back to Kyoto and put my bag in a coin locker and just leave it, which I did. I then wandered around Shin-Osaka station for several hours, eating udon, buying train tickets and using the free internet. Then I got on the train for Hakata port, in Fukuoka. By the way, the picture is of the Seta campus of Ryukoku Daigaku.