Getting to my Apartment

So after waking up early yesterday to make sure that I had enough time to exchange my money to yen.  It being Saturday meant that my options were very limited.  I went down to check out a little before 10:00AM fully expecting to walk but they had a van waiting to take me to the airport.  Lucky for me because the rest of the day was going to be a sort of struggle.  I went to the first location to try and exchange yen.  I could only exchange up to $100 and I couldn't use $100 bills or $50 bills.  Luckily I had just enough in $10s, $20s, and $5s.  I decided to go to the other location but it was run by the same people and had the same policy.  I went up to the monorail to get a ticket.  I don't know Japanese, but it was straightforward.  You insert money then simply look at the map where your stop is (which had both English and Japanese names), and it will show a price, then on the screen you press said price.  I go wait for the monorail and when one comes it is coming from the opposite way I'm used to.  I had seen that the line closer to the airport would take me to the station I needed to go to.  I asked a man and said I needed to get to Umeda Station.  I didn't completely understand him so I didn't get on but instead went to ask the woman manning the ticket desk.  After a little back and forth of which side rail I should take I was told to go to the side further away.  Another monorail came from the same side a few minutes later and I saw the woman who worked at the station run up and tell me that I should take that train!  I thanked her and got on.  Then the train started moving, and it went back the way it came from.  I did not expect that.  I thought it was going to loop around because I had never been on  train that did this.  After I got off I asked two ladies where to get on for the Hankyu line.  They were very nice and talked with me and showed me the way.  They said that they had just come from Okinawa and that it was much nicer there (I forgot to mention that everything I had heard about the humidity is sadly true).  I got on the train to Umeda Station.  It was easy this time because I needed to go all the way to the last stop.  I did get confused on which one that was because a lot of people got out at a station that looked like Umeda Station from the pictures I had seen (color-wise).  It was an awkward ride because of my luggage and backpack combined with my immense sweating (92 and humid isn't fun).  I got off and went to a man who worked at the station and asked him if he know where a currency exchange was.  He told me a direction, but it wasn't enough for me.  Luckily and woman was standing right by and stopped and offered to help.  For the next ten or so minutes she took me all over Keihan Mall to get me to a bank that was open.  I couldn't believe how lucky I was, she pretty much saved me hours of looking.  I thanked her and she left.  I exchanged my money to yen and was given a fan because the teller saw how sweaty I was.  After that I went up an escalator to get a ticket.  I was looking around when a woman who works helping people find their way got me an English map and gave me directions on how to get to my next line.  She showed me where to start going downstairs and gave me the maps that she had drawn directions on.  I got to the station and got to walk my bags down the stairs.  The whole day so far I didn't want to get in people's way more than I already had with my giant bag and smaller one so I just dragged them if they turned and weren't on their wheels.  This became painful and tedious.  I got off the train, went outside to the street corner and, just my luck, there was a white guy sitting at the cafe.  I asked him if he knew where Osaka Castle was (since I needed to go south of there) and he pointed in a direction and said he thought it was over there but wasn't sure.  Good enough for me.  I thanked him and went on my way.  I reached my destination that was my rental company and was shown the way after some paperwork and talking.  Even though I am here by myself I definitely could not have done all of this without the people that helped me get here.  Now I get to furnish my apartment with a few small things and go buy some food to last me!