Osaka First TB meet up

Well July 25th finally came the day of the very first Osaka meet up. Eiko and I had been thinking of having a meet up for about 3 or 4 months but at the time there were very few Japanese using this site, but once Eiko got back from the New York meetup,the decision was made that we were going to have one. From that day on the recruiting began and in the end we managed to get a small group of 15 to attend.

We were to meet up at the shopping mall, Hep 5 at 7:45 but I was going to be a few minutes late due to work committments so I called Eiko to tell her that I'm on my way. I had never spoken to Eiko only chatted through TB so I wasn't sure weather to speak English or Japanese on the phone but her English is so good, even though she speaks with a Canadian accent.

....　I get to HEP 5, can't see anyone, not even a foreigner around so I enter the mall and stand under the big whale that they have in the middle of the entrance, then someone walks up to me and I notice its Clemens and his friend Chris, quick introductions smiles and shake hands, so we are a group of 3 at least. We walk out the front and Jiangjing comes up to us and asks if we are here for the meet up, now we are a group of 4. I get on the phone to call Eiko cause I know she's here. She answers but we couldn't see each other for a few seconds, where are you, where, I can't see you, then I spot her I shout in the phone I see you, so I run over and give her a hug. She's with Sky an Australian who I've never chatted with on TBand Ayaka a Japanese girl who has been to Unniversal Studios Japan more than 100 times. ... Sky has been in Japan for more than a month seeing the sites, she's easy to talk to as well as everyone else, so the conversation is flowing. We waited for  Agi, a Polish girl but she's a no show.

We walk to the Izakaya(Japanese restraunt/bar) with everybody chatting away, we get off the elevator and waiting for us at the entrance was Yasuyo, dressed in her Yukata(traditional Japanese clothes) She's a real happy person and has such a beautiful smile that its contagious, whenever she smiles everyone smiles. Agi was there too, so she did make it, give them both a hug and we enter the place, It looks more like a club than a bar but then I remember the place used to be a club that had closed down. Everyone is here now there was also Hisako, Yasuyo's sister and Yasuyo's daughter Ayano, she's 10 years old I think, they too were dressed in Yukata.

They looked great and there was Eriko and her 2 friends Rie and another girl ( sorry forgot her name) We all sat down, waited for our drinks to come then everyone let out a big Kampai(cheers). The meet up had officially started.

Before the meet up I was a bit worried that the Japanese might be too shy to talk but we were amongst a great group of people and that was not a problem at all, Eiko is Japanese by nationality only ,she is so Westernized she might even speak English better than me.. haha.everybody moved around talking so I got to meet everyone properly. I really enjoyed talking to Yasuyo's daughter even though i was teasing her quite a bit. I just wanted to see her smile. 

The food came and there was quite a lot, can't really remember what they served but I know there was fried chicken, yakisoba(japanese noodles) and tofu salad plus lots more.

I didn't eat much I was too busy talking and having a good time.  Agi really liked the yakisoba and her rum cokes.  Just as we finished eating Johan finally came, his plane had been delayed I think.  I was the first to see him so I walked up to him and greeted him with a firm handshake, Johan was one of the first people I ever chatted with on TB so it was so good to see him and he flew all the way from Amsterdam just for the meet up.

Well we had the party plan 2 hours all you can eat and drink so our time was up. It was a good deal 3000 yen (30$) all you can eat and drink. We took a big group photo and said farewell to the people who had to catch the last train home, but there was still Clemens, Chris, Eiko, Agi, Johan and I left so we went to a British pub called the HUB, a new pub that's only been opened about a week, not that many people were there, just opened so I guess not that many people know about it yet, here we just talked, laughed and shared many stories.

We stayed until last orders around 2 o'clock. The hard part was saying good bye to a new group of people who I can honestly call my friends.

Thanks everyone for attending it was a blast and a special big thanks to Eiko for help organise the meet up in Osaka even though she's from Nagoya or is that Canada.