1/2-1/4 Osaka

1/2/25

I had to wake up really early because we were going to leave at around 7:30 to go to Osaka. Ritsu-tei, Yoogon, and I decided to take a trip to Osaka during New Year's break. We got on the long-distance bus and finally arrived after five and a half hours. It was brutal but possible. When we arrived, we went straight to our hotel to check-in. It was funny, actually, because when we checked in we were given packs of instant rice with the CEO's face on it. We relaxed for a bit, and then decided to walk down to Shinsekai (a neighborhood that was designed after France and New York City). Shinsekai has a lot of touristy things and is kind of stylized after the Coney Island of old.

We took the subway down, walked around amongst a bajillion tourists, and tried Osaka's specialty food: katsu. Because it wasn't a lot of food, we went and tried other things. I had a mix-seafood soup. 

Then we headed to Dotonbori, the most touristy neighborhood in Osaka. Then we went back to the hotel because it was ridiculously crowded.

1/3/25

This day we did more touristy things. We got up and went to eat at Matsuya (a type of Japanese diner), and at around 9:30 we arrived at Osaka Castle. It was very nice, definitely one of the better castles I had visited in Japan. It was very big and at the top you had a decent view of the city. There was a lot of history inside but because we weren't allowed to take pictures I don't really remember anything they tried to teach us. At around 11:30 we split up, Yoogon wanted to go see some Detective Conan things, and so Ritsu-tei and I started walking around. We walked to Osaka Tenmangu Shrine, but because it was still the New Year's Hatsumoude festival, there was a billion people and we decided to go somewhere else. We decided to take the subway to a large Buddhist temple, Shittenoji. It turned out that there was a huge festival (probably because of Hatsumoude) and we decided to check it out. Ritsu-tei had never tried the amazake drink, so we sat down so he could try it. We also got some other snacks.

The Buddhist temple was very clean and historic, with a large 5-story pagoda. We went into the large building which housed the Buddha statue and other offerings, which Ritsu-tei taught me about. There were a lot less people in the temple, probably because you had to "donate" a little bit to get in. The large pagoda housed tens of thousands, maybe even a hundred thousand monuments or something. I'm not sure if they had some purpose or were for those who passed away. It was a very nice temple. Online you can find good pictures.

We planned to meet back up with Yoogon in Shinsekai to visit the Tsutenkaku tower, which soars above the rest of the buildings in the neighborhood. Long story short it's an overblown, over-the-top, tourist attraction with not much of value and very corny "treasures" inside. It felt like everything was designed to take your money from gacha machines everywhere to mandatory pictures by the staff. The observation deck was very cool though because you got an excellent view of the city. That was pretty much it though. Yoogon actually went and did the bungee jumping thing they had there.

So, the whole Shinsekai area was originally built in the 1910s. I don't know how, but at that time there was a famous American good-luck charm called a "Billiken" which usually is paired with the phrase "God of things as they ought to be." This thing is absolutely everywhere in the Shinsekai neighborhood.

For dinner we were walking around and we actually found a Wendy's. I convinced my friends to try it with me, and I ordered a spicy chicken sandwich and drink combo with a cup of chili. I was disappointed with the sandwich, but the chili was really good. It turned out that we sat next to some other Americans and they gave us a whole box of Krispy Kreme donuts!

1/4/25

I was recommended by a member in the Ehime University band to check out a restaurant in Osaka called "Jiyuu-ken." So, just before they opened, I arrived at the restaurant. I was led to sit at a very large table that sat about a dozen random people, and they gave me a menu. They were famous for "dry curry" so I ordered that. Since I was also in Osaka, I decided to try one of the area's specialty food, kushikatsu. The food was really good. 

At around 1PM  I met up with Kim Yoogon so we could visit the "Osaka Museum of Housing and Living." It was on the 11th floor or so of this building, but it was all done to resemble an old, Edo-period neighborhood in the city. Kim wanted to rent a yukata and walk around the exhibit. It was very cool, but if I wanted to write about it, it would become an essay. The exhibit cycled between day and night, so we got to experience different "moods" in the neighborhood. A docent came up to talk to us and seeing that we were foreigners  asked us "where are you from?" To which I responded "we are from Matsuyama, in Ehime prefecture." My joke attempt worked and he started laughing. He told us that his grandparents were buried there, and that was the only reason he knows of it. We had some sort of conversation where he taught us more about the exhibit, but I don't quite remember. There was some old-fashioned game they were demonstrating there, and I don't know how but I won.

For dinner I went back to Matsuya, and ordered a kimchi beef bowl with pork soup. It was very good, and very cheap.

1/2/25

1/3/25

1/4/25