I always had a sense that I would fall in love with Tokyo. In retrospect I guess it’s not that surprising. I was of the generation that had grown up in the ’80s when Japan was ascendant (born aloft by a bubble whose burst crippled its economy for decades), and I’d fed on a steady diet of anime and samurai films.
Junot Diaz
Well after all the closures and running around yesterday, it was a relatively early start to the 30-odd minute trip to Osaka. Today wasn’t about doing 1,000 things but more about visiting a few new places and throwing in a couple of old ones.
First cab off the rank was Shinsekai and the Osaka tower. We didn’t get here last year so it was all new to us. The train left us with a nice walk through Tennojoi Park, past the Zoo and eventually we ended up at the top of the Shinsekai district. The walk down the main street led us towards the Osaka Tower. Tracy, who normally is scared stiff of heights, wanted to go up and see Osaka from 100m in the air. The view was a little restricted due to the air quality on the day but it was still worth it. It’s always interesting when you get to see a big city from up high as it truly gives you a sense of what the place is about. Whether it be old or new though, the street level gives you an understanding of the people.
From Shinsekai it was off to Osaka Castle. I had been here a few years ago on my first trip but Trace didn’t get to see it last time. Even though it was rebuilt, the sheer size and the historical significance of the site makes it a must see (at least once). The outer walls and foundations are absolutely huge and its striking colour makes it stand out above everything that is remotely close. While I was there, what seemed to be a 19th century period film or TV show was being shot (unfortunately no extras were required). On our way to and from the castle, there was a concert in the Osaka-Jo Hall by One Ok Rock. I had never heard of them before but they are really big in Japan (I watched a video from their Japan tour which reinforced that). There was such a varied age group (teenagers through 50’s-60’s), female as well as male, and the merchandising guys must have made a fortune as everyone had something of the band on.
The last stop was Dotonbori to drop in on a few of the places we visited last year (and Glico Man). We spent a far bit of time spending the evenings down here last April when we were here with Luke and Imogen. The place really comes alive at night, be it a Saturday or Monday night. Tonight was no exception and it was kind of fun to return. Osaka treated us well before and it was doing its trick again. Food in this area is good and it was nice to get a taste of the food that Osaka does so well. One of the quirky highlights was eating takoyaki at the same place the guy from Gourmet Samurai ate at (won’t venture a name but he knows who he is). The canal was visited, okonomiyaki (IMO not quite as good as Hiroshima) and takoyaki devoured and it was off back to Kyoto after a huge but great day.
Images – Day 9 Osaka
2019 December Japan 