#Osaka2012

Day Eight – Game Over

Posted: June 27, 2012 · Comments: 0

You’ll have to excuse me for the lateness of this one; I got home this afternoon and slept until not long ago.

Yesterday was my last day in Osaka. There wasn’t much to do other than kill time as I’d already done what I set out to do. The sky was blue with no clouds, the sun blazing on me with my hoodie because my suitcase was packed so much it wouldn’t fit in. I visited the Umeda Sky Building again for some more photos, also Osaka Station City and Yodobashi Camera.

With just enough money left to get me to the airport, I decided to buy a few last minute souvenirs instead, knowing I could use the ATM to get more cash. What I forgot was that there was a 10,000 yen minimum withdrawal. All I wanted was 2000. So I had to get it all out, buy more, and by now my carry on luggage was also overlfowing.

Walking around Kansai Airport to kill time before departing I blew 4700 yen on a massage. It was sooo good. The girl who did it was so rough and I was in sooo much pain, but afterward I was in heaven.

So I’m home now. Home to freezing cold winds and rain. It feels like I’m in Melbourne.

Anyway, I had a truly awesome time over there and I suggest you go before thinking of Bali or somewhere Australians hang out and make fools of themselves. Osaka wasn’t futuristic like Japan is always portrayed, just a regular city about the size of Sydney/Melbourne with neon lights, vending machines, convenience stores and people wanting you to go into their shop/restaurant everywhere. I really enjoyed the mix of modern downtown areas and ancient temples and shrines. I loved the super-delicious food from the bakeries. And most of all, I love the people. I still can’t understand how everybody is so nice, patient, courteous, helpful and respectful.

Osaka is also a fantastic place for a perv. Everywhere you look there is gorgeous girls. You can’t escape them. And I am definitely not complaining about that.

I think that’s all I have to say for now. I hope you enjoyed reading about my holiday as much as I enjoyed going. Thanks.

Days Six and Seven

Posted: June 25, 2012 · Comments: 1

Okay, my time in Osaka is coming to an end. I fly out at 9pm and want to be at the airport by around 5, just to be sure everything is all good. So, these are my adventures for the past two days.

Day Six – Shonen Knife at Tower Records, Nu-Chayamachi.

As the June 18 post said, Shonen Knife were to do an in-store at Tower Records around the corner from my hotel. I had a look around the shop about 11am and bought me the Shonen Knife Pop Tune CD which got me a pass to the autograph session, and the Scandal Temptation Box CD which I’d only had a dodgy copy of. After checking into the new hotel and updating everyone on Facebook and Twitter, I headed back to Tower Records. I was expecting to see a table for them to sign CDs on, as that’s what my previous in-store experiences have been like. Instead, the stage is set up and after waiting ten minutes to the tune of Joannie King, they come out to do a few songs from the new CD.

After that, they did an interview with two guys who I can only think would be Japan’s version of Hamish and Andy. Once the interview finished, they come out again to sign some CDs. I got my CD cover and a poster signed and it was sooo exciting.

I won’t bother posting all the photos as they’re already on Flickr and Facebook, so you don’t need to see them all over again.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful until I found a Formula 1 stream that was watchable. I tried out THE HUB British Pub, but there were no Westerners running the show, every seat was taken, beer was 690 yen for a pint and all the TVs had cycling on. That’s when I went back to the hotel, detouring to the convenience store to spend 700 yen on 2 cans of grog, 1 Coke and 2 packs of chips.

Day Seven – Kyoto Morning Tour.

This morning I went to Kyoto. I got to see the Nijo Castle, Golden Pavillion and Imperial Palace and learn a bit about their history. It wasn’t overly exciting as it seemed a bit rushed, and there wasn’t much happening, but again, if I had not done it just to save a few dollars, I would have regretted it.

Feel free to look at more photos from my Flickr stream.

Not too long ago I had a look around Yodobashi Camera, searching for Toyota 86 goodies, but come out empty handed. Except for a new iPhone case and another Scandal CD. I found their live DVD but it was another 4000 yen. I don’t want to be short tomorrow.

Anyway, I guess that’s all for now. If I don’t post tomorrow, I’ll be back in Queensland on Wednesday morning and will finish this blog off then. Seeya!

Day Five – All Star Walk

Posted: June 23, 2012 · Comments: 0

Today was All Star Walk Osaka day. I met the tour guide, Minako, at Osaka Station for a three hour tour of the station, Namba, Shinsekai and Dotonbori. Here are some photos of the tour.

This is the garden on the rooftop of Osaka Station City. They had everything growing there.

Daruma Daijin… he stands for NO DOUBLE DIPPING! as the sauce in the restaurants are used by everyone, and nobody wants sauce that’s had your mouth all over it.

Lamps at Hozenji Temple, Namba.

Cat sleeping at Hozenji Temple.

Shinsekai again, with Tsutenkaku Tower in the background.

Toy boobs (?) at the Tsutenkaku gift shop.

I forget if this is Namba or Shinsekai.

It was an excellent way to see the sights and learn about the history of the area. Minako ( in the last photo on the left ) was the guide and super-funny. If you ever make it to Osaka, do the All Star Walk.

Oops, forgot the hero shot of Dotonbori – The Glico Man!

Days Three and Four

Posted: June 22, 2012 · Comments: 0

Day Three – Thursday

View from Hotel Kinki

Whoa. I’m exhausted. Yesterday was a super-wet day and finding this hotel was a disaster. I was following the map from Google to Hotel Kinki, at least I thought I was, and ended walking up 600m too far. After eventually getting to the hotel and settling in, I had a nap. The drinks from the previous night and the lack of food made me feel kinda ill, but some KFC fixed that.

Way cute!

About 7:30pm I went for a walk to get some photos. While nearing the hotel I heard are “Hello! Where are you from?” and looked behind. A Japanese man wanted to start a conversation. Then he showed me photos of his Aussie/British/American friends and asked if I wanted to be shown around. So we went walkabout to the Ohatsu Tenjin Shrine where I got a stack of photos, and then onto The Blarney Stone, an Irish pub where foreigners like me hang out. Funnily enough, I’d already had maps to these places printed out and in my suitcase.

After a VB it was time to go. I was amazed that a man walking home from work took an hour of his time to show me around. You never get that kindness from strangers in Australia.

Day Four – Friday

After settling into my hotel again I found new Futurama and went to sleep with that on. I had five hours of sleep last night – biggest sleep for the past week – and this morning went to Hiroshima. After the rain yesterday, and the forecast of more rain today, I took the umbrella along. It wasn’t needed as when I got to Hiroshima, it was hot and sunny. The perfect day. To get from Osaka to Shin-Osaka and then to Hiroshima, I surprisingly didn’t need any assistance in buying the train tickets. Win!

The Atomic Bomb Dome was a very special place. It’s the only reason I went to Hiroshima. It’s so hard to believe that it was one of the few things left standing after being blasted by the atomic bomb. It’s surrounded by a fence so you can’t actually go in, but some parts are almost within reach.

Here’s a bunch of photos from today.

While nearing Hiroshima Station, I saw a lady I’d passed a minute earlier sprinting towards me. She asked if I need help and I replied with “Just looking for Hiroshima Station”. She then pointed and gave directions, before saying “I’ll take you there”. Again, total awesome-ness and kindness from the Japanese. They are such great people. Everyone is courteous, everyone bows. I love it!

And that’s it from me. I’ve nothing planned for the rest of the night as my feet are so sore and I’ve spent way too much money so far. If I can get by on 5000 yen a day I’ll be happy. Tomorrow I go on the Osaka All Star walk, so I really need to rest my feet for it. Seeya!

Day Two

Posted: June 20, 2012 · Comments: 0

Whoa. Where to begin? I continued on with the 3-hours-of-sleep thing like I’d suffered the past week. Got up about 6:30am, too early to do anything, too tired to do anything. But I ended up moving myself and went for a walk. As I hadn’t eaten in a day, I looked everywhere for something that looked edible, ie not seafood, vegetable or egg. I came across a bakery near Yodobashi Camera and scored myself this German sausage in a soft bun and a little bun with spicy chicken. Really filled the spot. From there I walked over to the Umeda Sky Building, but the observation deck was closed.

After a few photos, I tried finding my hotel again minus maps. It was pretty easy, and I found a few nice things plus, like some dogs hanging from a window, a funky radio/transmission tower of some sort, and a 7-Eleven on the way. 1400 Yen for 3 HUGE beers plus some chocolate bars and a Coke. Can’t complain.

From there I went back to the hotel, put the beer in the fridge and went out for another walk. I went for about 45 minutes through every single alley and laneway and at the end was about 200 metres from my starting point. Grrr. The HEP Five building also caught my eye. It’s been on my itinerary since day one, and I just had to go on the ferris wheel.

Biggggg mistake. I’m not usually scared of heights, nor am I claustrophobic, but after I’d been in the gondola for the first of 15 minutes I was ready to bail. It’s 106m high! I was up maybe 20 metres before I’d had enough. First and last time on a ferris wheel. I had to do it because if I didn’t, I’d regret it. The whole time I was all “PLEASE NO EARTHQUAKE! PLEASE NO EARTHQUAKE!”. I got my photo taken in front of a green screen which they superimposed the inside of the gondola as a souvenir. With that done, It was time to search for Osaka Castle.

I’d gotten about 600m before I gave up and caught a cab. The good thing is the taxis here don’t charge you while you’re stuck at a traffic light, unlike Australia, but I think this dude took me the scenic route, as my map said 3.5km. The first 2km was 660yen and every additional kilometre was about 320 yen. I paid 2000 yen. But who cares, I’m on holidays and enjoying myself.

So I’m at Osaka Castle for another 1-2 hours. It was fantastic.

Ok, I know what you’re thinking. Why does the pic on the right have “me” with hair and no glasses? I shaved my head last week. And put on my glasses for this photo. I don’t wear them that often, and being not too sunny, I could get away with it. After seeing Osaka Castle I went back to the hotel for a nap. I didn’t get a nap, but I did get to see some TV show with cute girls.

After a bit of time on Facebook/Twitter/Tumblr, I went to the Umeda Sky Building again for some more photos. The observation deck was open and the views spectacular.

I got there right on dusk and hung about for around 45 minutes, when it was dark outside. Have soooo many photos, in all directions, the above one is just a random one I picked. Below is the exit.

And with that done I headed back to my hotel, detouring by the hotel I’ll be staying at on Sunday/Monday night – Hotel New Hankyu.

I’ve kinda got my bearings all sorted, but this hotel I go to tomorrow is meant to be impossible to find. Might need to get another taxi. While I’m sooo loving this place, I couldn’t live here. To me it’s not as busy as Sydney or Melbourne, but the language barrier is the hardest. I buy a Coke at 7-Eleven [ Plus 3 beers and some chocolate ] and the cashier girl says something, I give a confused look, then she taps a screen in front of me, which I was probably meant to tap myself. In Australia everyone’s all “There ya go Champ. Seeya!”, but in Osaka they’re more formal and all say arigato gozaimasu [ Thank You Very Much ] amongst other things. I’m not sure what, but I do smile and nod/bow and say arigato!, but yeah, I’m sooo enjoying myself. I’ll definitely be coming back here in the future.

And that’s my day, this 20th of June. How was yours?

I’ve Landed

Posted: June 20, 2012 · Comments: 0

Well, I’ve made it! Landed five hours ago, and Customs/Immigration was so quick! Onto the Airport Limousine Bus to Herbis Plaza which dropped me off around the corner from my hotel.

I didn’t eat anything on the plane, nor did I drink much – just a bottle of water – and I had Mum’s book on Schapelle Corby to keep me going. Thank God I did, ’cause it was a helluva boring flight. With tight seats. Remind me next time to dump my stuff in the overhead compartment.

I landed about 7pm local time, got to my hotel just on 9 and walking to my room I discover the beer vending maching in the corridor. One please. That went down without touching the sides, and so I went shopping for more. I couldnt find the 7-Eleven though. I’m sure they’re somewhere, and I’m really keen to try their fried chicken. I did buy two more mega-sized beers from a convenience store across from my hotel.

So while roaming the streets in search for fried chicken, I ended up taking a stack of photos instead. And here I am, back at the hotel, updating this blog and keeping everyone on Facebook happy.

Now lets see what tomorrow brings.

Oh wow, I don’t think I’m drunk because I’ve only had one beer, but the room feels like it’s swaying ever so slightly. I wonder if that earthquake in Melbourne has worked it’s way up here.

Anyway, that’s me for the night. Seeya!

Tomorrow

Posted: June 18, 2012 · Comments: 0

It’s just hit 12:14am and I can’t sleep. I had two naps earlier today, but now that I’m needing a decent sleep before driving off to the Gold Coast around lunchtime, it ain’t gonna happen.

Some exciting news – Mum and Dad gave me $200 to go towards the Shinkansen to Hiroshima. And just as exciting was this tweet from Shonen Knife -

I’m checking into a hotel about 300 metres away that day. It’s probably best I drop the bags off early and head off to Tower Records and get me some goodies signed. And a photo or three.

I’m pretty much all packed now, and with me being such a worrier, I’m taking all my chargers on the plane. If they lose my luggage, I can live a day without a change of clothes. I can’t live with a dead laptop/phone/camera. And for the trip over, I’ve stocked up on jelly beans.

Anyway, that’s it! See you in Osaka!

A Week To Go

Posted: June 10, 2012 · Comments: Comments Off

This is the first post and will give an idea of the story of what this blog will be. To start, I’ve liked the idea of visit Japan for ages now, but never done anything about it. It has always been at the back of my mind, and with me being terrible with finances, has always stayed there. About a year ago I found some really awesome photos of Tokyo which made me want to go even more, but still, the money thing.

On March 14 this year, about three months ago, the boss from work showed me this email he’d got from Jetstar with cheap fares to Tokyo and Osaka and within ten minutes I had impulse bought my ticket to Osaka. I kinda wanted to go to Tokyo, but it was about $50 dearer, and the spur of the moment purchase meant I didn’t plan it too well. I even booked the wrong dates, and only one week when two would have been better. And perhaps I shouldn’t have booked for the Summer/Wet Season. Again, spur of the moment, impulse shopping…

I’ll be leaving Australia in just over a week to spend a week of non-stop fun in Osaka. The past three months of research have me with an 80 page folder of the ins and outs of Osaka. Bars, shopping, temples, shrines, maps, schedules… pretty much everything I’ll need. I have a day tour to Kyoto booked as well as accommodation and I’ve planned a few other non-bookable (is that a word?) tours.

So the plan is to visit the Umeda Sky Building Floating Garden Observatory, Dotonbori, Yodobashi Camera, Bic Camera, Osaka Castle, Namba Parks, The Rilakkuma Store, Universal Studios, Hep Five, Hep Navio, namBa HIPS and if time/money plays to my advantage, Hiroshima. To see the Atomic Bomb Dome building and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial has been a dream of mine for ages, and to go all that way and miss out would be a total letdown. Just hope Mum and Dad don’t mind me paying rent a little late that week!

What really has me excited is how I finally have been able to save money. If you’d told me three months ago that I’d have spent $500 on plane tickets, $240 on a passport, $100 on a tour, $700 being exchanged for yen and bought a new Olympus Micro 4/3 camera I would have laughed at you.

Anyway, stay tuned for June 19 onward when I’ll be in Osaka. I’ll be taking a million photos and post the best ones on here and Flickr. With two cameras and my phone, I’m sure I can get something good. Wish me luck!