Now I have been in Osaka for half a week, making daily trips on foot, by light rail and subway to different interesting areas of the city. Instead of making daily posts with just a few photos in each, I decided to compose a slightly longer post, rich in content and illustrated with multiple photos and videos. Please let me know if you think this is a better format for my ongoing “Travel with me” series.
Tuesday
Tuesday was dedicated to exploring Osaka on foot. I first headed to the Umeda Sky Building to get a 360° panorama view of the city. On the way there I bought a take-out lunch box of takoyaki – pieces of octopus fried in balls of dough with spices:
These tasty and chewy snacks helped to keep my energy up during that entire day
Umeda Sky Building
The Umeda Sky Building was very impressive:
The building itself…
…and its model made of Legos.On top of the building there is an open observatory with an amazing 360° view over the city. Of course I had to get to the very top and enjoy the sights! Sharing them here with you in a short video:
One of the photos I took from above:
Shinsaibashisuji Shopping Street
After that I still had a couple of hours of daylight left, so I decided to head to another famous area of Osaka, Dotonbori District. On my way there I got to walk through the longest commercial area of Osaka, spanning over many blocks, Shinsaibashisuji Shopping Street. You probably have already seen a short video of it from my previous post. And if you haven’t, I’m pasting it here:
Dotonbori District
It was a long walk, but finally I made it to Dotonbori, just as the sun was setting. From the following video you can easily see why this area is so famous for its over-the-top decorations, illuminations, and its many restaurants catering to all tastes:
I decided to grab a bite in that area, before walking back to the guest house. Strangely, I was craving both traditional Japanese sashimi and a more Western-style fried food. So that’s what I got:
I guess I must have been hungry after all that walking! :D
Wednesday
I began my day with a brunch enjoyed in a company of a new friend who stays in the same guest house as I. Derrick is originally from Canada and is a self-employed software developer. He writes code for Blockchain applications and develops his own interesting project. Derrick proved to be very knowledgeable about crypto, although he’s not on Steem yet. :)
Derrick and Oleg, the two Blockchain BrosOsaka Business District
We went to the Osaka Business District and got on the 21st floor of one of the office towers, where Derrick knew a good lunch cafeteria. It was surprisingly cheap, given its prime location. The food was good and the view over the Osaka Castle grounds superb!
I enjoyed a tasty bowl of ramen noodles on that day and returned the next day to sample tempura-fried fish with a serving of rice, salad and miso soup. Cost me about USD $5, can you believe that?
Wednesday lunch
Thursday lunchTennoji
After Derrick and I had said our goodbyes I hopped on the Osaka Loop Line and rode to Tennoji Station. The area around the station includes the highest skyscraper in Japan Abeno Harukas (300 m / 984 ft tall), Tennoji Zoo, Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts, Keitakuen Garden, a few memorial sites and shrines, as well as a few large multi-stories malls. I was still feeling tired after all the walking the day before, so I limited my exploration by café visits and a walk in the park:
An unexpected piece of Finland in Japan
Moomin Café and merchandise store
Abeno Harukas, black and white
Abeno Harukas, view from Keitakuen Garden
The cutest public bathroom sign ever!Public Bath
Last night I went to a typical neighborhood public bath that are very common throughout Japanese cities and towns. Obviously, no photos or videos were allowed to be shot inside, although I do wish I could share my experience with you with more than just words. :)
The bathing house had a sauna and a few pools of varying depth and temperature: from cold to scalding hot and even one with relaxing herbal solution. My favourite was a small stone-clad pool under the open night sky. The contrast between the hot pool water and the cool fresh air on my exposed skin felt amazing!
I was a little worried about a small tattoo I have on my upper left arm. In the past people with tattoos were forbidden from entering public bathes in Japan, for fear of belonging to Yakuza. Still, I thought I would be alright, since I am a foreigner and my tattoo was rather innocent. No dragons or tigers or daggers or guns…
And what do you know! Bathing among other guests was a guy tattooed so densely from the chin down to his toes that his natural skin colour was not visible under the layers of ink. Not only dragons and tigers, but all sorts of Yakuza symbolism. I was very careful not to make eye contact with the guy. Or any other contact for that matter. :))
All in all, I had a great time and felt like a newborn baby, fresh and happy, after the bathing house visit. While strolling leisurely back to the guest house, this interesting scene caught my eye: a small Buddhist shrine next to a Christian church, in peaceful neighbouring coexistence:
My plans for the days ahead
Tonight I’m meeting up with a friend from Argentina whom I first need in Seoul last week and who happens to be visiting Osaka today. We are going to hit conveyor belt sushi restaurant for dinner. On Saturday I and a few other people from my guest house are going out for dinner and to see a fireworks festival (‘hanabi’ or literally ‘fire flowers’ in Japanese). On Sunday some local esperantists are giving me a tour of the region.
I am very excited about all these upcoming adventures and promise to share them with you on this blog. Welcome back for more impressions later!
The more I see this the more I want to visit Japan! That takoyaki dish looks so much different and tastier than here in SK. I need to visit there, fear I might gain quite a few kilograms since I will only be eating all the time! The food looks amazing!
I like all your pictures but that black and white one really stands out. It's really cool! Did you use a filter or app to get it to be black and white?
Awesome post! Thanks for making me hungry again!
Wow!!!! That was a fabulous tour of an incredible country! Thank you! You did so well! I await for more!!!!
Upped and steemed
Thank you, dear! For the positive feedback, the upvote, and the resteem! I hope to follow up tomorrow with the #MarketFriday challenge contribution. ;)
Damn! Osaka is heaven on earth!
I hope you're enjoying your visit there
you went to a "jimjilbang " is what they call it in Korean I forgot the word in Japanese - I can't imagine .. they gave you a towel right? I hope you didn't get stared at inside - its normalcy in Asian public bath so I never go .. and creeps me out to think of going to sauna here, too
The bathing house I went to was kind of cheap and low-key, so one had to bring their own towel and soap/shampoo with them (luckily I read the reviews beforehand, so I was prepared). People do give one quick looks, because one stands out as a foreigner, obviously, but Japanese are too polite to stare openly. So I didn't really feel exposed (in that way, at least :)).
hahahaha... okay the hahahas are for being stared at
I can't imagine ... you got lucky :)
it's better to use your own towel, too
have fun out there :)
Wonderful post and photos,i wish i could visit Osaka too!!
Thank you! You should. ;)
Beautiful pictures, feels like I'm traveling with you. DDo you plan your trips and stops ahead of time?
I only planned which cities I would visit. I didn’t plan what I would do in each of them: that just happens spontaneously, on a day-by-day basis.
How do you do it, when you plan your travels?
I know people who plan every single moment they intend to be awake from arrival to departure in so many activities they never complete them all. They end up more tired than before they took the vacation. I think vacations for them is the months and months of thinking about it and planning every detail even went it never happens like that.
I much prefer to have a grand picture of where I want to be but not what I’m going do that day unless I have signed up for something.
bonita experiencia ami me gustaria ir a esos lugares un dia
It’s good to know they have toilets for cats (kidding). What a deep and fascinating culture they have. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Did you come across any strange eating restaurants? If I’m not mistaken they have some very strange eating experiences over there.
No, nothing too strange yet. Octopus doesn't count, right? I tried horse stomach once, two years ago in Tokyo, at the insistence of a Japanese friend I was with. It was okay, but I didn't like it much. I'm really into fish and seafood, so I'm quite content with sushi and not really looking into more exotic gastronomic experiences. :)
(We have some weird foods in Sweden too! ;))
Great blog mate! Love the Lego model of the sky scraper 😉
Thank you! I loved that model too. In fact, I have loved Lego since I was a kid. Also, my name is an anagram of Lego. xD
Love the story and glad we can follow your travels.
Now I'm hungry and must go eat :)
Much ❤
@Tayken
Glad you're enjoying this series, @tayken! Hmm, I wonder if some of the pictures I posted had anything to do with the sudden spike of appetite you felt. :))) What did you get? Sushi? ;)
Holy shit...he's a sorcerer! I literally just got back from eating sushi. No joke!
The magic of Steem, my friend! It's a good kind of magic, though. ;)
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I am not fond of cities, did enjoy reading about your visit in Osaka since I had business dealings with folk in that city many years ago and thoroughly enjoyed your tour detail @oleg326756
Thank you, @joanstewart! Osaka does feel more laid back than Tokyo. Many locations are within walking or cycling distance, or just a short ride by subway or light rail. No hour-long commute like in Tokyo. And, this being Japan, everything feels very safe and calm. I notice how much more relaxed I am here, compared to how I feel in similarly big cities in other parts of the world.
It would be fun to visit a very small Japanese town or a village, however! Maybe one day I will. :)
Oleg i am sorry but i have to stay away from your blog. ....i have to watch my weight you see! And your posts make e very very hungry! 😂😂😂 lol
I hear you! Once I'm back in Sweden I'll have to go on a salads diet and hit the running track! I'm definitely feeling the consequences of this 3-weeks long vacation in terms of extra kilos / pounds I've gained! I'll have to work hard and eat healthy in order to burn it all off. :'-D
Thanks for the tour. Great presentation. I was floored by the giant screen with the two robots fighting. Very cool.
Yeah, I thought it was awesome too! Like a scene from a sci-fi movie depicting how our cities will look in the future: large (holographic) screens everywhere!
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