This weekend Matt, Ian, Kaiden and I took a trip to Osaka! We traveled by Shinkansen, the fastest kind of train in Japan, which moves at 200 mph. After an hour to Tokyo Station by normal train, the Shinkansen trip was about 2 and half hours to make the 250 mile trip. Right as I stepped out of the station into Osaka, I saw a group of skateboarders on the street. In Tokyo, I have yet to see skateboarders outside of a skatepark. Ian, who has been to Japan several times before, said that people in Osaka are generally nicer than those in Tokyo, so perhaps they are more accepting to skateboarders as well. Also though, there is simply more space in Osaka, so there's less of a chance of getting in the way of others. The roads felt almost barren compared to Tokyo, and they are much larger, with more cars; everything is less dense. While I couldn't tell the difference, all my friends noted how confusing everyone sounded, because they have a different dialect in Osaka.
Above: The first thing we did was visit Osaka Castle, which was inside a complex and expansive moat system. The outside looks amazing, but we also paid to go inside, where there was a museum with lots of history about the era the castle was built as well as a 360 degree lookout from the eighth/top floor.
Next, we went to an Okonomiyaki restaurant, an egg/cabbage pancake especially popular in Osaka. There is a grill in the middle of each table so that you can keep your food warm. We then went to the museum of housing and living, which recreated a small Edo period town inside, with several traditional types of housing and storefronts. They also play atmospheric noises and change the lights to make you feel like you're there. At this point we were feeling pretty tired, so we headed to our hotel for check-in. The fourth picture shows our room, which was quite small. We had a communal floor bathroom, and several showers which the whole building shared. But for $25, it wasn't bad. The last picture is the view from the room.
At night, we headed to Dotonbori. a famous Osaka street. It has a nice pathway next to a canal, and lots of bright advertisements. The "Glico" running man is very famous (for some reason) and everyone was taking pictures with him. We ate Yakiniku for dinner, and strolled around some more before going back to the hotel for bed.
On Sunday, we had to check out Osaka Kaiyukan Aquarium, famous for its real whale sharks. This is probably the best aquarium I've been to. While the animals are incredible to see, I also always feel bad for them. My favorites were the dolphins and seals, which can be seen in the videos at the bottom. To finish the trip, we went to Nipponbashi, another famous area near Dotonbori with lots of anime/manga hobby shops. We took the Shinkansen back late Sunday and prepared for another week.
Left: I've been looking for a tote bag, and found this one in Osaka. For one, it's stylish, cute, and good quality. I also couldn't resist because I love ironic fashion items, and the interesting translation is funny. But perhaps there's something philosophical about being present in the now ;)
Right: Nasu-Chan, the resident robot greeter in my dorm. They roll around giving puppy eyes, and will respond to being pet, picked up, or even looked at. They actually have a lot of functionality and it's hard to remember they're not a dog sometimes.
Some other meals from the week. Left: Tonkatsu in Shinjuku. Right: The fabled ramen near my dorm- yum!
Below: More videos from the aquarium, if you're interested.