After taking the ferry back to Tokyo, we caught the shinkansen (bullet train) to Osaka. It was a central city to base ourselves out of to get to the ancient city of Nara. Reiko was kind to connect us to fellow U2 friends Hiro and ShunMi who live close to Osaka. They took us to some amazing restaurants where we enjoyed yakiniku for lunch and okinomiyaki for dinner. In between, we went to the 6th-century shogunate Osaka Castle, which was a splendid royal site. Later in the evening, we went to the neon-light filled Shinsaibashi district.