Osaka, Japan

Trip date: August 2012

Day 1:

This is not a long visit, just a two day stop-over on our way from Paris to New Caledonia. My first trip to Japan so, even though Osaka is not exactly known for being a tourist gem, I am very excited about seeing at least a little bit of the country.

Osaka is a modern city, Lonely Planet refers to it as a "showcase of the Japanese urban phenomenon". Almost entirely destroyed during World War II, it is not known for being particularly attractive. Sure enough, the ride from the airport reminds me mostly of the "scenery" by the New Jersey Turnpike around Newark, NJ. Huge chemical factory-looking things spreading for miles next to the highway. We are stuck in traffic, so we get to admire these for a while.

Industrial sites, on the way from the airport to Osaka

I don't mind the lack of scenery. I am here to enjoy the different culture and I am already seeing interesting things. I have heard of the lace covers in Japanese taxis and yes, here they are. And all the ladies carrying umbrellas, protecting themselves from the scorching sun. They have even figured out a way to attach these umbrellas to their bikes, to free up their hands (which, according to my Japanese friend, is an Osaka-only thing).

Lace covering on the seats of an Osaka taxi

Female bicyclist in Osaka, in full "sun-protection" mode

Osaka street

Finally at the hotel, we are too exhausted to think about sightseeing yet. But a nice surprise awaits us, as our hotel room has a direct view of the Umeda Sky Building, one of Osaka's most recognizable landmarks. It consists of two 40-story buildings, connected at the top, and the view from up there is supposed to be amazing.

Umeda Sky Building, Osaka

After a much needed nap it's down to the hotel lobby to meet our Japanese friends, my university roommate and her husband. They live a couple of hours from Osaka and have decided to join us here for our entire stay. How wonderful news! Of course it's great to catch up, but also, as I will soon find out, being able to understand Japanese and being able to navigate the public transit system easily will save us an enormous amount of time and stress.

Of course that doesn't mean that I came unprepared. I have done my research like usual, so for example I know that the large mall behind our hotel, the Hilton Osaka, has a good food court, and that's where we are heading for a quick lunch.

As soon as we exit the hotel two things hit me: the terribly humid heat and the incredibly large crowds. We will be surrounded by both during our entire stay in Japan. We make our way down multiple escalators until we reach the food court. There are so many people everywhere! Yet there is almost no pushing or shoving. My friend explains that by Japanese standards people in Osaka are not considered to be very polite, less polite than people in Tokyo for example. That might be, but they are still light-years more polite than let's say in Paris. Such a huge city with so many cars, and not one single honking during our entire stay!

At the food court we opt for a noodle shop. No other tourists anywhere in sight, which is great. There are two types of noodles to choose from, the thicker Udon noodles, made from wheat flour and the thinner Soba noodles, made from buckwheat flour. The next choice is cold vs. hot and then the choice of toppings. I choose the hot Soba with scrambled eggs. It's delicious! While we wait for the food my Japanese friend teaches us how to make a chopstick stand out of the chopstick cover (very simple actually).

Hot Soba noodles with scrambled eggs, Osaka

This is also the first time we get to use a Japanese public toilet. While normally I don't consider that a newsworthy event, I can't help but post here a picture of the toilet's control panel. In addition to various washing functions, it also has a sound function, if someone wishes to muffle the sound of the actual "event". I find this hilarious, but in Japan this sort of functionality seems quite common.

Control panel of a public toilet, Osaka

After lunch we simply cross the street to Osaka Station. It is so big, busy and confusing! People and signs everywhere. Typical for Japan, there are some cool gadgets around every corner. My favorite is the artificial waterfall, which doubles as a clock. Yes, the streams of water can, in addition to pretty pictures, show the correct time.

Osaka  Station entrance

Streams of water forming pictures at an artificial waterfall at Osaka Station

Inside Osaka Station

I notice a "Women Only" sign on some of the rail cars. While Japan is not the only country with woman-only public transportation options, this is the first time I have seen it. It is designed to protect female passengers from groping and other forms of sexual harassment on crowded rush-hour trains.

A women-only rail-car in Osaka

We take the loop line (a light-rail system which encircles central Osaka) to the Osaka Castle. A Disney show must have just finished in the neighboring park, so we are walking against the flow of hundreds (thousands?) of little Disney princesses and their parents.

The castle, Osaka-jo, is not the 16th century original but a 1931 concrete reconstruction. Doesn't matter, it is very pretty and is surrounded by a large park. Finally some greenery! It is no escape from the scorching heat and humidity though, and we are drenched in sweat within a minute.

Osaka-jo (Osaka Castle)

Osaka-jo (Osaka Castle)

Osaka-jo (Osaka Castle)

We are jet lagged and the humidity is not helping our energy level either, so we decide to only visit the 360-degree observation deck on top if there is an elevator. There is one, so we go for it, just to discover that the elevator does not go all the way to the top. Oh well, if we came this far we might as well climb those steps. The view from the top is nice, though I wouldn't say it is a must-see (or maybe I am just grumpy because I am tired?).

View from the observation deck of the Osaka Castle

The exhibit inside the castle is not terribly interesting, consisting mostly of TV screens on the walls, so we go through it rather quickly. We do pause by the fascinating shachi (legendary dolphin-shaped fish) and fusetora (crouching tigers), full-scale replicas of the ones adorning the exterior of the castle.

Shachi and fusetora, Osaka Castle

In the downstairs souvenir shop we buy our postcards, then we sit on a bench for a while, re-hydrating. Normally it would bother me to be so drenched in sweat, but everyone is, including the locals, so I learn to ignore it.

According to the official brochure, there are 1,250 Japanese plum trees and 4,500 cherry trees in the park surrounding the castle. Must be beautiful in the spring. Right now there are no flowers, but, judging by the almost deafening sound, probably millions of cicadas.

Osaka-jo (Osaka Castle)

Osaka-jo (Osaka Castle)

Cicadas make a huge noise around the Osaka Castle

We are heading to the subway this time (not the loop line), and it's quite a long walk via a modern neighborhood full of tall office buildings. This is the first time we notice a stripe with textured surface on the sidewalks, which helps the blind to get around safely. The texture changes when there is a change in direction, when it crosses a driveway and so on, and it continues into train and subway stations, all the way to the door of the train. What a brilliant idea!

A modern neighborhood close to Osaka Castle

We stop at a Seven Eleven to buy stamps, then we take the metro to Dotonbori, Osaka's lively nightlife area, full of neons, restaurants, shops, colorful arcades and who knows what else. According to our Japanese hosts, this is Osaka's Champs Elysee. It is not dark yet, but it's colorful and bustling with people. As it gets darker the crowd thickens. In some of the narrow alleys it's almost impossible to move. I love it!

Dotonbori, Osaka

Dotonbori, Osaka

Dotonbori, Osaka

Dotonbori, Osaka

Dotonbori, Osaka

Dotonbori, Osaka

Dotonbori, Osaka

Dotobori, Osaka

Dotonbori, Osaka 

We would like to eat real, authentic Japanese sushi tonight (we eat the Parisian version often enough), so our hosts pick a sushi bar in one of the back alleys. It's packed with locals and there are no other tourists, which is always a good sign of authenticity. It's delicious!

Sushi bar, Dotonbori, Osaka

Inside a Sushi bar, Dotonbori, Osaka

By the time we finish dinner it's dark outside. The neon lights are all glowing and the place is even more crowded than before. The atmosphere is fantastic, unfortunately we are ready to collapse from fatigue and jet-lag, so it's back to the hotel.

Dotonbori at night

Dotonbori at night

Dotonbori at night

Dotonbori at night

Dotonbori at night

Dotonbori at night

Dotonbori at night

Day 2:

As I mentioned before, Osaka is not exactly a tourist gem, so today we are taking a day trip to a nearby  town high on everyone's sightseeing list: Kyoto. Osaka Station is as hectic as ever and I am so glad that our Japanese hosts are navigating us through it!

We are excited as we are taking the famous Japanese bullet train, the Shinkansen. It doesn't make much sense to take it from Osaka to Kyoto, as the two cities are only 30 minutes apart by regular train. Plus, we could take the regular train directly from Osaka Station, while for the bullet train we need to transfer at another station. But we would really like to try it. It's part of the Japanese experience, isn't it? We have taken high speed trains many times before, the TGV, Thalys, even the Sapsan in Russia, but the Shinkansen is a legend.

The journey only takes about 15 minutes and it's incredibly smooth. Still, my sensitive stomach is happy we are not going further, as the acceleration itself is enough to make me slightly dizzy. I am glad we did it though, one more thing to cross off my imaginary "once in my life I would like to" list.

Sign to bullet train platform, Osaka

Shinkansen, the Japanese bullet train, Osaka to Kyoto

Inside the Shinkansen, the Japanese bullet train, Osaka to Kyoto

After a fun and exhausting day in Kyoto we return to Osaka by a regular train. We are too tired to eat dinner anywhere else but in the hotel. It's a buffet and I focus mostly on the Japanese part of it, trying many new things (not really sure what they are, but they are very good). We are entertained by a magician who goes from table to table performing his magic tricks.

Day 3:

We wave good-bye to our friends, then it's off to New Caledonia.