Day 2 - Osaka - Around Town with Azumi

Today Dylan and I were lucky enough to be shown around Osaka by a local - our friend Azumi. Azumi was one of Bri's host sisters in Japan when she studied here in 2012, and she also came to see us in Australia in March last year. Azumi had arranged a day of sight seeing for us around Osaka, to hit some of the highlights and eat some Japanese food!

Since we had such a long, exhausting day of travel yesterday, we were very pleased that our meeting time with Azumi was not until 11am. Waking up at 8.30, we had plenty of time until we had to get going. We weren't sure how cold it was actually going to be during the day, and nothing could prepare us for the blast of cold wind that hit our faces as we walked out the doors into the Osaka sun. Today was a cool 6 degrees out, with constant winds (and later on, a little rain!).

We left with plenty of time to mosey around Shin-Osaka to find breakfast. I have introduced Dylan to the wonders of konbini dining, and he has fully embraced it. Today we sampled pizza-man (a type of dumpling not a human being), niku-man (beef), vending machine hot chocolate and melon bread (sweet bread) for breakfast. Since this morning Dylan has consumed all of these items a second time. Dylan also decided to purchase some gloves at the Konbini, a wise decision.  

When we arrived at the train station, we were guided to the right platform for Osaka station by a helpful station guard and my basic knowledge of Japanese numbers. Some hungover Americans assured us we were heading onto the right train ('Where are y'all trying to get to?'). Another station guard at Osaka station directed us to the gate where we were to meet Azumi. We met her there successfully, and there was much rejoicing.

After a quick discussion about our schedule, we decided to go to Osaka Castle first up, a place neither Dylan nor I had been. We caught a train to Osakajokoen and walked across to the castle grounds, where we met with the huge stone walls bordering the river - a moat to keep out the Samurai!
The castle itself was beautiful, with gold filigree and animal carvings. We paid 600 yen each to enter the palace and climbed straight to the top floor to see the amazing views of Osaka city. The inside of the castle has been turned into a museum documenting the life of Hideyoshi Toyotomi, a famous old Japanese emperor. Successor to Oda Nobunaga, his death signaled the end of the Sengoku period. He was a very powerful man, taking part in many wars in his attempts to unite the country. The samurai uniforms from the period were especially interesting, unfortunately you were not allowed to take photos of them.

Azumi and Adelaide heading towards Osaka Castle

As we were leaving we realised that water was falling from the sky in a very cold and inconvenient manner. Azumi had an umbrella but we unfortunate tourists were not that well prepared. Luckily it did not last long and we were able to buy some snacks on the castle grounds. Dylan had crepe #1, I had some yakisoba (delicious delicious noodle) and Azumi got some takoyaki. We ate on our way to the train station to travel to Shinsaibashi, a famous shopping district. The street was amazing, with a mixture of Japanese and international brands. We found a huge Sega arcade to take some purikura, customisable photo-booths. The Japanese-ness of the booths makes them hilarious, as they work hard to make you extra kawaii, increasing the size of your eyes and illuminating your skin. On the arcade level of the Sega, we decided to play arcade Mario Kart, battling it out against each other with overpowered steering. I was victorious for the first game, and Dylan won the second. All the other games, which included some level of skill and Japanese comprehension, seemed too complicated, so we left to move on to our next destination.

Shinsaibashi connects to Dotonbori, another famous area of Osaka, featuring the Glico man, massive digital advertisements and huge discount stores. We found a nice restaurant around the corner for some okonomiyaki. Azumi explained to me that okonomiyaki is different in Osaka and Hiroshima, where I had eaten it before, and though people in Osaka claim that theirs is the best, in actual fact the okonomiyaki of Hiroshima is superior. Either way, we decided to make our own minds up and found it to be delicious. Once we have eaten more in Hiroshima, we will be sure to give you our final judgement.

 

The iconic Glico Man

Mario Cart with awesome avatars!

From there we walked to Nipponbashi, a street fall of awesome anime stores, where I rationally contemplated spending large amounts of money on totally amazing clothes, but only walked away with two key rings. By this point our legs were getting pretty tired and the absence of the sun was causing the temperature to drop even further. So we walked back to the train station to go to the last stop of the day - Yodobashi Camera. On the way Dylan had crepe #2 and I had crepe #1, which had cake in it. Yes, cake. Japan is amazing. At Yodobashi, Dylan discovered camera heaven, with a full floor of camera...stuff. He refrained from buying anything though, and we went down a floor to look briefly at the iPhone cases and the weird face cleaning brushes that are apparently popular over here. At this point I was just thinking about collapsing into a doona nest, so we decided to head home. Azumi led us to the right platform where we sadly waved goodbye and got on the train back to Shin-Osaka. We stopped briefly on the way to the hotel for some more niku-man and some onigiri as dinner.

Tomorrow we will have a slower day, visiting the Osaka Aquarium and the Sky Building. Until then, enjoy the heat, while we try to layer up as much as possible.

Good night!