As I begin writing today’s blog, I want to note that I am currently watching a Japanese game show in Japanese with no English and I am trying my best to figure out what is happening. I am actually happy I don’t know for sure what is happening, it’s even more insane this way. To give you a hint of what’s happening, there are two teams of two and they are eating Japanese curry and then dancing and answering a questions and one player gets an electric shock if they answer the question wrong. Now they are doing impersonations of what I can only imaging are famous Japanese celebrities. Now they are eating pizza and Italian people are giving them scores. I’m not sure what the scoring is based on but I don’t think that really matters. Oh, also they are taking shots making bets on whether it’s water or alcohol. Yes, it makes as much sense reading what I wrote as it is for me watching this. Ok, now to today's blog.
It was weird starting today after having the best overall day of the trip yesterday, I just knew that no matter what happened today, that it wouldn’t be as good as yesterday. Combine this with the fact that I know nothing about Osaka other than the fact that it is supposed to have the best food in Japan, and today was starting off rather auspiciously.
I packed up the night before and finished packing this morning before I had to check out of my hotel. Here is what it looks like when I'm ready to leave…
Oh, remember that drink I bought the other day from the vending machine and didn’t realize it was carbonated until after I bought it? Remember how I was going to let it sit out for several days and let it get flat so I can finally drink it?
I tried letting it go flat but not enough time passed, it was still fizzy so I threw it out. What a shame, it smelled delicious!
I leave my hotel and navigate the streets and subway to connect to the JR station in Kyoto. I need to figure out how to get on the train that goes to Osaka. This is the train you don’t want to miss because it’s not like a subway around town, these are trains that go far. Although, Osaka is only about a 30 minute train ride from Kyoto so this wouldn’t have been horrible but still, no fun missing a train or getting on the wrong one.
I finally get on the train and unlike the one from Tokyo to Kyoto, this one is basically a subway so I end up standing the entire ride. Not the fancy long distance train I took the other day, that’s for sure!
After a bit of confusion in the Osaka station trying to figure out what I need to do to get to the part of town where my hostel was, I get to my station. The first thing I see is this…
I get to my hotel and this is my first hostel of the trip. Now before you think to yourself that I'm in a room with 4 other people, that’s not the case. I decided to make my hostel like a hotel and I got a single with a bathroom in the room. I know, it’s barely a hostel at that point but the price is definitely a hostel price! It was also voted best hostel in Osaka so I knew I was in good hands. Here is the room, very dorm like…
Before I start talking about my day in Osaka, I should have you know that I know nothing about Osaka. I’m not even really sure why I booked this part of the trip. Everyone says the food is amazing, there is even a famous proverb “Dress (in kimonos) till you drop in Kyoto, eat till you drop in Osaka”. I honestly thought Osaka would be some historical smaller town similar to Kyoto.
I put my stuff down on the floor and bed and don’t spend too much time here, just enough to figure out if I have Internet which clearly I do. I am very hungry at this point and considering Osaka is the major food part of my trip, I can’t waste any time. I go to the lobby and ask where the best food is and they say Dōtonbori, the same place Rob said so I knew that I was immediately going to this part of town, once I find it that is.
My hostel is in a part of town that while it’s not horrible, it’s near some iffy areas and unfortunately, to get to the places I want to go, I need to walk through some sketchy parts of Osaka. I can’t wait to get to Dōtonbori so I get a quick snack at a 7/11. This won’t fill me, it’s just to sustain the walk I have ahead of me.
After I eat this, I am stopped in my tracks after seeing this…
I start walking up towards Dōtonbori instead of taking the train even though the train is free since it’s all part of the JR system. I like seeing the sites along the way, I just hope it works out that the areas are actually nice to look at.
Next thing I see is this, a videogame store. This is actually very rare, I never see any videogame stores. Yes I know that’s shocking considering I'm in Japan but I'm blown away by how difficult it is all over Japan to find a store selling videogames. I’m not sure how they are so big if no one can walk into a store easily and find one. Anyways, I spend about 2 hours in this store since I think Osaka has nothing to offer me. I even managed to almost beat a game on one of those display units (Battlefield: Bad Company 2 was really good on super easy mode).
I finally pull myself out of this store and muster up the energy to continue on my way to Dōtonbori. I keep wondering how good can this place be, I have 2 full days in Osaka after all. I finally get there and the area around it is definitely alive and well. Not sketchy at all, all of a sudden it’s like someone turned the lights on in Osaka. There are people, a great energy, and lots and lots of places to get food.
Ok, after having my thoughts on Osaka change 100% for the positive, I decide to head back to the hotel and take a bit of a break. Thanks to the free and unlimited JR pass and pretty much everything in Osaka being on the JR system, it’s so easy to get around whenever you want. So going back to my hotel is easy peasy. My JR pass expires on Thursday so I gotta enjoy it while I can.
Anyways, on the way back to my hotel, I change my mind about heading back there. Instead, I switch trains in Nishikujō and head to Universal City. Yup, that’s right, Universal Studios Japan is only about 5 minutes outside of Osaka and a stop on the JR line. This is also where I prove that Osaka is the takoyaki capitol of the world, you’ll see…
Before I get to the Universal Studios pictures, this guy is doing a no-no. This car on this train is for ladies only. He is asleep with nothing but women surrounding him wondering why he doesn’t realizes he’s on a ladies only car. The reason there are ladies only cars in Japan is that train groping is actually a big issue over there, this was their way of fixing that situation. I hope it worked!
Ok, now that I see Universal Studios, I move on to the City Walk portion and one thing grabs my attention more than anything else. It’s called proof to something I hypothesized on earlier…
That’s it for the takoyaki museum. I think it’s safe to say that no one I know has done this and probably won’t so yay me! Oh and one more thing before I leave Universal Studios…
After Universal Studios, I take the train back home and go to my hostel. It’s getting dark out but I want to explore the area south of my hotel. BIG mistake! The area south of my hotel is as close to the slums as I've seen in all of Japan. I keep walking into it not sure why I haven’t turned around and I keep saying to myself “I shouldn’t be here”. Eventually I turn around but not until I walked about a mile into this area and now having to turn around and head back. I try putting on a mean face so no one messes with me and since no one did mess with me, I'm going to pretend it was all because of my mean face.
The best part about walking back was finding a vending machine that sold the large size Pocari Sweats for only 100 Yen…
So I get home and I realize it’s only 9pm and Osaka is a nightlife town. I would’ve kicked myself if I stayed in early after only having 2 days in Osaka to enjoy it. It’s funny saying all of this considering how early in the day I wanted to leave Osaka as fast as I got here. Here are a bunch of pictures from my night out going to Dōtonbori which by the way, is as crazy a place as anywhere I saw in Tokyo and that’s saying a lot!
It was weird starting today after having the best overall day of the trip yesterday, I just knew that no matter what happened today, that it wouldn’t be as good as yesterday. Combine this with the fact that I know nothing about Osaka other than the fact that it is supposed to have the best food in Japan, and today was starting off rather auspiciously.
I packed up the night before and finished packing this morning before I had to check out of my hotel. Here is what it looks like when I'm ready to leave…
Oh, remember that drink I bought the other day from the vending machine and didn’t realize it was carbonated until after I bought it? Remember how I was going to let it sit out for several days and let it get flat so I can finally drink it?
I tried letting it go flat but not enough time passed, it was still fizzy so I threw it out. What a shame, it smelled delicious!
I leave my hotel and navigate the streets and subway to connect to the JR station in Kyoto. I need to figure out how to get on the train that goes to Osaka. This is the train you don’t want to miss because it’s not like a subway around town, these are trains that go far. Although, Osaka is only about a 30 minute train ride from Kyoto so this wouldn’t have been horrible but still, no fun missing a train or getting on the wrong one.
I finally get on the train and unlike the one from Tokyo to Kyoto, this one is basically a subway so I end up standing the entire ride. Not the fancy long distance train I took the other day, that’s for sure!
After a bit of confusion in the Osaka station trying to figure out what I need to do to get to the part of town where my hostel was, I get to my station. The first thing I see is this…
I should’ve known right away that Osaka wasn’t going to be the normal town.
I get to my hotel and this is my first hostel of the trip. Now before you think to yourself that I'm in a room with 4 other people, that’s not the case. I decided to make my hostel like a hotel and I got a single with a bathroom in the room. I know, it’s barely a hostel at that point but the price is definitely a hostel price! It was also voted best hostel in Osaka so I knew I was in good hands. Here is the room, very dorm like…
This toilet has the heated seats, I missed those very much while in Kyoto. This one is almost too warm, I want my buns toasted not burnt!
The front of the Hotel Chuo Oasis, my home for the next two nights.
Before I start talking about my day in Osaka, I should have you know that I know nothing about Osaka. I’m not even really sure why I booked this part of the trip. Everyone says the food is amazing, there is even a famous proverb “Dress (in kimonos) till you drop in Kyoto, eat till you drop in Osaka”. I honestly thought Osaka would be some historical smaller town similar to Kyoto.
I put my stuff down on the floor and bed and don’t spend too much time here, just enough to figure out if I have Internet which clearly I do. I am very hungry at this point and considering Osaka is the major food part of my trip, I can’t waste any time. I go to the lobby and ask where the best food is and they say Dōtonbori, the same place Rob said so I knew that I was immediately going to this part of town, once I find it that is.
My hostel is in a part of town that while it’s not horrible, it’s near some iffy areas and unfortunately, to get to the places I want to go, I need to walk through some sketchy parts of Osaka. I can’t wait to get to Dōtonbori so I get a quick snack at a 7/11. This won’t fill me, it’s just to sustain the walk I have ahead of me.
Ok so this was rice with chicken and carrots with some noodles and vegetables and fried chicken with pickled ginger. Pretty good and cheap and light so it didn’t fill me for the day. Just gave me energy to keep on walking.
After I eat this, I am stopped in my tracks after seeing this…
This combination of two Japanese traditions begs the question, what do the Japanese love more, Cup of Noodle or vending machines? I guess when both are combined into one, you don’t really need to answer that question.
I start walking up towards Dōtonbori instead of taking the train even though the train is free since it’s all part of the JR system. I like seeing the sites along the way, I just hope it works out that the areas are actually nice to look at.
More of the outdoor covered malls I'm seeing all over Japan.
The difference with this outdoor mall and the other ones is that this one is ghetto with a capital G. At this point, I am instantly regretting leaving Kyoto or not booking Tokyo for now instead of waiting till Thursday for that.
It doesn’t get any better when this tower is a landmark, the Tsutenkaku Tower, in all it’s glory.
I’m feeling a little sad by Osaka so far, so I eat, and I get this snack. Basically a Milano cookie. Very good and it soothes me for a bit.
Next thing I see is this, a videogame store. This is actually very rare, I never see any videogame stores. Yes I know that’s shocking considering I'm in Japan but I'm blown away by how difficult it is all over Japan to find a store selling videogames. I’m not sure how they are so big if no one can walk into a store easily and find one. Anyways, I spend about 2 hours in this store since I think Osaka has nothing to offer me. I even managed to almost beat a game on one of those display units (Battlefield: Bad Company 2 was really good on super easy mode).
This isn’t even out in the US yet, I want it very very very badly. I would’ve bought it but it won’t work with US games. Very smart Nintendo. As soon as it’s released, I'm buying it. I don’t care if I have 2 Wii’s, I need to get the black one!
I finally pull myself out of this store and muster up the energy to continue on my way to Dōtonbori. I keep wondering how good can this place be, I have 2 full days in Osaka after all. I finally get there and the area around it is definitely alive and well. Not sketchy at all, all of a sudden it’s like someone turned the lights on in Osaka. There are people, a great energy, and lots and lots of places to get food.
The entrance to Dōtonbori. There is so much on the other side of that gate, it’s amazing.
Yea, it’s definitely an eccentric part of town.
Ok, so this is more takoyaki. Apparently Osaka is the takoyaki capitol of the world. As you read the rest of the blog, you will see this is most definitely true. The above picture is two takoyaki balls with the mayonnaise and rice krispie type rice all inside what tasted like a shrimp toast taco. It was fantastic.
I have no idea what’s going on with this hotel, but it’s definitely worthy of a picture.
If I was to count all of the love hotels I've seen so far on this trip, I'd guess it’s somewhere around 200 or so. There is about 5 on this street alone.
I really really really wanted to say something bad about this Apple store, like I did the other day when I saw one in Akihabara but I can’t, thanks to this Apple store and it’s free Wi-Fi, I was able to sit outside of it and get online on my phone for the first time since I left Seattle.
Just a big mall, nothing to see here, moving on.
Hopefully you can see what’s on top of that building, it’s lady liberty herself. I don’t know why but when it comes to Japan, I try not to ask why.
See those six balls on that building, yep, that’s takoyaki. Like I said, Osaka loves it’s takoyaki.
They call this “the Hatch”. I don’t know why, hold on, let me Google it…ah ok, it’s a concert hall. I guess the concerts happen about 100 feet up in the air inside of that thing, very cool!
These guys were fishing in the Dōtonbori canal, yea I'm not eating anything they are catching.
Ok, after having my thoughts on Osaka change 100% for the positive, I decide to head back to the hotel and take a bit of a break. Thanks to the free and unlimited JR pass and pretty much everything in Osaka being on the JR system, it’s so easy to get around whenever you want. So going back to my hotel is easy peasy. My JR pass expires on Thursday so I gotta enjoy it while I can.
Anyways, on the way back to my hotel, I change my mind about heading back there. Instead, I switch trains in Nishikujō and head to Universal City. Yup, that’s right, Universal Studios Japan is only about 5 minutes outside of Osaka and a stop on the JR line. This is also where I prove that Osaka is the takoyaki capitol of the world, you’ll see…
Before I get to the Universal Studios pictures, this guy is doing a no-no. This car on this train is for ladies only. He is asleep with nothing but women surrounding him wondering why he doesn’t realizes he’s on a ladies only car. The reason there are ladies only cars in Japan is that train groping is actually a big issue over there, this was their way of fixing that situation. I hope it worked!
The train I took to get to Universal Studios. I love being a big kid, even in a foreign country!
I really wanted to go on this rollercoaster but…
…admission was 5,000 Yen! After 3pm the price went down but only to 4,200 Yen. Basically it costs $45-$55 to get into this place, that’s absurd. Six Flags Great Adventure which has a ton more to do costs much less! So, I took this picture through the front gates.
This is a zoomed in version of the picture I took from the entrance gates. I don’t know what that backdrop is, I think I see the Flatiron Building.
Ok, now that I see Universal Studios, I move on to the City Walk portion and one thing grabs my attention more than anything else. It’s called proof to something I hypothesized on earlier…
See! Osaka loves takoyaki!
There are about 8 takoyaki food stands in this place.
Yes, there is a takoyaki themed gift shop…
…and takoyaki themed arcade games.
Did you think I'd come here and not get takoyaki even though I already had some earlier today? The prices are so cheap for takoyaki all over Japan, but in America it’s expensive. Oh, the drink is Calpis water, yummmmmy!
I don’t know if this is a gross picture of me about to eat a takoyaki ball but I don’t care, I'm posting it anyways. Note, I'm not actually listening to music, just didn’t take the ear buds out.
That’s it for the takoyaki museum. I think it’s safe to say that no one I know has done this and probably won’t so yay me! Oh and one more thing before I leave Universal Studios…
That is a picture of Shakira in the window of the Hard Rock Cafe. Does anyone else see anything wrong with this? Why even bother having the words “Hard Rock” in the title anymore?
After Universal Studios, I take the train back home and go to my hostel. It’s getting dark out but I want to explore the area south of my hotel. BIG mistake! The area south of my hotel is as close to the slums as I've seen in all of Japan. I keep walking into it not sure why I haven’t turned around and I keep saying to myself “I shouldn’t be here”. Eventually I turn around but not until I walked about a mile into this area and now having to turn around and head back. I try putting on a mean face so no one messes with me and since no one did mess with me, I'm going to pretend it was all because of my mean face.
The best part about walking back was finding a vending machine that sold the large size Pocari Sweats for only 100 Yen…
Score!
So I get home and I realize it’s only 9pm and Osaka is a nightlife town. I would’ve kicked myself if I stayed in early after only having 2 days in Osaka to enjoy it. It’s funny saying all of this considering how early in the day I wanted to leave Osaka as fast as I got here. Here are a bunch of pictures from my night out going to Dōtonbori which by the way, is as crazy a place as anywhere I saw in Tokyo and that’s saying a lot!
See, this really does exist and that guy shouldn’t have been there considering what time it was during.
This is the Shinsabashisuji outdoor mall. This is the most popular place for kids at night and it also goes on for blocks, like the Nishiki Food Market/Teramichi Street in Kyoto. These malls are so popular in Japan, I guess the weather allows it. This place is really busy also because it crosses over the Dōtonbori.
So now I decide that even though my trip isn’t over yet, I have done over a weeks worth of damage to my body from walking and bike riding and lugging around my luggage from city to city, it’s time to fix this. I know that Osaka is a major onsen city (onsen’s are hot springs in Japan) and also they have some great deals on massages. I go online and find one with great reviews and I go to it. It’s in the Shinsabashisuji mall and it’s 60 mins for 3,980 Yen (about $43). I know that’s a great deal because I know how much an hour massage costs in the US. Also, in Japan you don’t tip or pay tax, it’s all in the prices already so that $43 was the total paid. Here is the place…
This massage was brutal, the guy absolutely destroyed me. I know that the pain is good but I wanted to tell him to stop but I fought through and realized that in my life, I've never paid money to be hurt this bad. As I walked away down the street, I almost fell because my body was so relaxed so even though it killed during, afterwards I felt like a new person. The guy was good and it’s making me consider an onsen tomorrow, we’ll see.
After this massage, I casually walk through the Shinsabashisuji mall and the surrounding area and take some pictures of the nightlife…
The weather is perfection!
This is a store in Dōtonbori, good luck pronouncing it correctly.
One of my favorite parts of my days out here, the late night meal. This place is called “Pepper Lunch”.
This is basically shabu shabu but instead of cooking the food in water, you cook it on your plate. It was delicious, peppery but delicious with the rice and the corn and the juices it’s sitting in and cooking in at the same time.
Ok, I took a few wrong turns trying to get to the last train of the night but I'm happy I got a little lost, I got to see the Hotel Mickey Cookies with the teddy bear over the entrance!
One final note, I love going into the fast food type restaurants and convenience stores in Japan. In America, the people who work at these places tend to hate their jobs and it shows. Here in Japan, a lot of young people do these jobs that in America they would hate to do but here, they do it and always have a smile on. When they have to wear uniforms, they don’t wear the hat tilted to the side or their shirts un-tucked in, they are always dedicated to their jobs regardless of what it is. Very admirable and hopefully will be some lesson I take home with me.
This was a late night, I didn’t see it coming. When I go to Osaka I wanted to leave and once I was here for a bit, I end up getting on the 12:32am last subway back to my hotel. This was one of those days where you realize you can’t judge a book by it’s cover. Osaka is great. Tomorrow will be interesting though, cause I ended up doing so much of Osaka tonight. I think it’s going to be an onsen day, if it is, I won't have pictures for you all but I'll have some awkward stories of naked men. Hmm, on second thought, maybe this isn’t a great idea.
Oyasuminasai.
- DAK
