keep in mind...

I did not intend to spend so much time sitting on my hands (running and walking around in circles) in Osaka for a whole month.  You know, when you make plans to spend weeks in a place you've never been to, you can try to anticipate what it's going to be like, to a point, but you're bound to be wrong about some things and just way off-base on others. And then, if you're an idiot like me, you're just going to miss things that are easily Googled because you're a lazy arse.
I was supposed to be spending more time over the past month STUDYING.  That was what I intended to do while I was here - of course the research I did in Boston before coming here was pretty half-assed, and I failed to realize that the subway system in Osaka is expensive - more expensive than Tokyo and much more expensive than Boston.  I also thought I could walk 5 miles each way to go to a class if I had to - what the HELL was I thinking?  There's no way.  Not even for me. It's funny, sometimes, when I think about how I almost randomly ended up in this particular neighborhood out of all the affordable neighborhoods in the country. But, this particular neighborhood has been likened to a third world country's capital city by several different people of several different backgrounds by this point, and so in accordance with that I could easily buy a very, very cheap bicycle and just hurtle myself northward, flying in the face of all traffic laws like everyone else and their infant children along for the ride, and hope I survived the commute for 4 weeks.  But having had too much experience in Boston as a messenger and never wanting to be hit by a car again if I can help it, I decided not to go that route either.  Funny coincidence... there have just this past week been a couple of random violent incidents in this general area, in neighborhoods I have been through several times - supposedly caused, to some extent, by issues having to do with the rising rates of unemployment and homelessness here just like in the states.   Japan is really still a very safe place to visit, despite everything, but I've unwittingly stressed out a couple of acquaintances of mine simply by choosing to stay in an area that is seeing so much turbulence at the moment.  I haven't been knifed yet, though, so it's cool.