大阪 part 1

Hey everyone.

Look at this! I'm finally updating! And I only have a month left so I'm going to finish up my blog before I go home. I hope I can do it!

Let's start off with the LONG over-due trip about Osaka from when I went back in FEBRUARY! I'm sorry it's taken so long. There's been a lot going on in my life recently, so please forgive me!

I don't remember every detail as clearly as if I had just come back, but I'll do my best. Also, on the bright side, my camera can be read by my computer again so I'm able to put pictures up along with my stories!

We got to Osaka easily from Kyoto. It was a short train ride away and found the hotel rather easily as well. It was VERY windy and a little unnerving, but we were excited upon learning that our hotel had an onsen we could use for FREE in it! Onsen (温泉) is a public bath (separated for sexes) that goes through an amazing little procedure before you actually get in. First you have to wash yourself COMPLETELY outside the bath. I mean like the hair, the butt, the body, everything. And you're next to people while you do this. Onsen in hotels have towels and washing material provided for you, but small ones on its own require you to bring your own stuff. you can't go in if you have a tattoo (unless you can cover it up) because tattoos in Japan are VERY taboo. Most of the time people associate you to the Yakuza (Japanese mob). Also, no running, talking in loud voices, or drinking before coming in. This is a giant room full of hot HOT water (sometimes even having saunas), so it's not a good idea to do that. This is a place to relax and feel totally clean.

Anyways, we were starving so we wandered for awhile to find a small cafe and eat some lunch. We rested up for a bit at the hotel before we found our way at the main station of all of Osaka and one of the most famous places in Japan! I was shocked! We had found it by accident!

The name of the area we were at. It's near a train station so everyone calls it Nanba.
It was selling Takoyaki (fried ocotopus)! So good! Osaka is FAMOUS for it's food.
17 stories of shops! Awesome! And shiny.
This is a famous crab sign as it moves and was one of the first in Japan to be made. There are shops like it all over Japan now.
Osaka is extremely famous for Fuku (puffer fish), but I'll never try it. Puffer fish is the most deadly meal ever because, if not prepared correctly, it can kill you. Puffer fish are actually poisonous and every year, no matter what, people die from it.
Another section we stumbled upon that's VERY famous! It was awesome! The nightlife is crazy here!
This is a spa.
One thing Osaka is known for is it's "craziness" compared to the REST of Japan. There was a show a few years back that showed the difference between the West (Osaka) and the East (Tokyo). A man with a fake sword ran up to people in Tokyo and pretended to be a samurai, slicing and dicing at them. The people in Tokyo either walked away or stared and walked away. But when this same test was done in Osaka, the people played along, even going so far as to put on a little show.
I saw this for sure as there were a LOT more drunk people and tons more places to eat and hang out or gamble. It was great.
Another thing that Osaka is well known for is their love of sports, mainly baseball. This river is where fans jump into a lot when the Hanshin Tigers (Osaka's baseball team) wins the World Series. They do it often. It's really hysterical to see it when it happens.
This is the world's first neon light AD ever made. It's still in use and is an extremely famous icon in and outside Japan.
IT'S A GIANT BEER AD!
Osaka reminded me a bit of Texas in the sense that "everything's better..." or "everything's bigger..." kind of mindset.
So after Nanba, we went home to sleep.

The next day, there was an amusement park nearby that I really wanted to go to, but some of the group wanted to go see Osaka Castle first. So we split up and some of us went to the amusement park while the others went to Osaka Castle. We trucked through that blasted wind for hours or so because we got lost. We found this place....AND IT WAS CLOSED!

But I took a picture just to SHOW that I got to this actual place!
CURSE YOU FUNLAND!!!

Anyways, so next up is Osaka Castle!
The inside wasn't much to scream about as it was mainly explaining the life of Tokugawa and... I already know about that dude. Yay, all right... He unified Japan. Sweet beans.

The outside, though, was beautiful and there was a lot of mystery to just the stone walls surrounding it!
The rocks inside the inner wall are HUGE and one of them weighs over 2 tons and yet was able to be dragged with the same procedure as the blocks in Egypt were to make the pyramids. However, they have NO idea where these stones came from and in that perfect of condition.
So here's the actual castle. It's an extremely famous landmark of Japan (I'd have to say the second or third most iconic symbol of Japan).
A close-up of the detail. Yes, that's real gold. The tigers are symbols to protect the citizens of Osaka.

(Please go to part 2 to see what happens next! I'm not allowed to put up anymore pictures in this post...tragic.)

~星子☆