Day 12-13: Osaka and Nara

There were several reasons I decided to go to Osaka:
1. I have never been before
2. I wanted to ensure I got my money's worth on my JR pass
3. S had to go back to work so I would have nothing to do anyway

So I set off on the Shinkansen to Osaka,, the bilingual and accurate timetables making this process quite easy. My companion today was a Tonkotsu Sando and "Straight Tea".

3 hours later, the train pulls into Shin-Osaka, on schedule. I'm headed to a Capsule hotel in Amemura, the "American" district in Osaka. I've written down the instructions to get there on a notepad (no printer) and whilst the directions get me into Amemura, I am unable to find the exact hotel. 30 minutes of wandering later, and after some helpful instructions from a Jigga shop owner, I walk into the hotel, only to be told that checkin is not till 3pm. It was 2pm.

I want to mention now that it was about 36C outside and pretty humid so it wasn't really pleasant walking around in general, never mind walking witha 7kg pack. But off I set to explore (again) Amemura. It's like a Harajuku of Tokyo, with lots of 'American' items. The Japanese, in their fashion have adopted a bastardised version of American culture, with baggy jeans, timberlands and baseball caps, whilst adding their own twist.


I have takoyaki for lunch, sitting in an open area under a tree (Osaka is famous for its Takoyaki)... it is pretty much the same as the Takoyaki in Tokyo to be honest, I don't really taste the difference.

I check out some shoe stores, but unfortunately due to exchange rate, the prices are pretty comparable to Sydney so I don't pick anything up (they do have a better selection).

By this time my shirt is drenched and my hand towel (best purchase of the trip so far) is wet so I head back to the hotel to drop off my pack and check in. This helps a little but once I walk out, I start sweating once more.

I decide to go to Osaka castle whilst the sun is still up and take a subway to Osaka Business Park, which seems to bea bit of a white elephant, there is NOONE at the station. Osaka Castle is very pretty, and probably in better condition than Himeji, but it is green where Himeji is Blue and white.



Inside, I am suprised to see it has been completely modernised with lifts and is a full 7 story museum with audio guides (which i use) inside. Himeji by contrast was just the original interiors. I prefer Himeji I think. It's cool to see how it would have looked all those years ago.

One of the cool things about Osaka Castle is they have figurines which replicate one of the screen paintings. The have reproduced each of the 150+ characters in the painting right down to facial features and pose.

I head back downtown and this time walk around Dotonburi and the associated shopping arcades. Instead of having shopping centres, they have covered streets which house long lines of shops ranging from high end fashion to one-offs and pachinko. It's busy, its hot and i'm sweating hard, having to take breaks in stores just to get a blast of ice cold air con.

I've been on my feet since 1pm, and its now 7pm - time for dinner and I find a likely okonomiyaki place in a side alley. It's monday night and its packed so it must be a good sign. The food is good, and the waitress was nice, drawing me mickey mouse in mayo...


After more wandering I head back to the Capsule hotel where I once again get naked in front of other men and soak in the bath. This time, the also have a cold pool which i hope into every few minutes after soaking in the hot bath. I like this.

After I am clean, I chill a bit reading and head to the capsule. It's not as as small as i thought, when you sit up, my head doesnt even come close to hitting the roof. There is a small TV, its well lit so you can read if you want and it looks pretty clean. The only problem is that you can hear the tv from the other capsules and you can also hear loud snorers, because you only have a thin read screen between you and the outside. Despite this, I like capsule hotels and wouldnt hesitate to do it again and at $35 AUD per night, its cheap.

The next day I get up late (10am) and walk out of the hotel.. to an empty street. Nothing is open, except... Freshness Burger! I decided it is now time to try this famous franchise and order the cheeseburger with onion rings. Now here is the thing. It's good. Not Mind blowing, but good.


The burger is better than the mosburger I had, but its more expensive. The sasebo burger TASTED better, but was more messy. I think i Have to rejig the scores.

Mosburger - 7/10, Freshness 7.5/10, Sasebo 7.5/10 (I may have been too harsh on the messiness department, but it still counts - this could have been an 8), Beat Diner 8/10.
Full of burger, I walk down to Nipponbashi, Osaka's anwser to Akihabara. It is HOT. Once again I am ducking into stores to cool down. At 12pm I call it quits and decide to head for Nara, which is kinda on the way back - not really, but only 50 mins away.

Nara is famous for its temples and wild deer roaming around the city. And so it was true. There are deer roaming around, and u can easily get close enough to touch them... in fact if u have food they come up to you..
They Also have a big park full of temples and a five story pagoda - like in Final Fantasy..


All deered out - I had back to the station and on the way I come across a barber and I hope to have more success with this one. I do and end up with a crew cut - (hey the guy didnt speak English at all give me a break) which S hates. But at least I have one less thing to worry about in Africa..

I've had some complaints that this blog has too much food, so here are some non food shots..
and..


and finally..


Im off to climb Fuji tonight - wish me luck..