OSAKA
Neon lights, Glico Running Man, canals, bars, dodgy night-clubs, restaurants (and street-food), ENORMOUS market…. it's a thrill to just go and explore and try as much food as possible!!
What: sightseeing
Where: Osaka
No. of Nights: 4 (Days 7, 8, 9 & 10 of larger trip)
General observations about Japan so far:
In the interim, I just want to lay out some general observations about Japan so far! Some small things can be a tiny bit annoying, but I must repeat, these are such minor things, so minor in fact, that if these were somehow considered as the main negatives in certain other countries, then we would've had to have been transported to some infinitely nicer parallel universe or something! Because, quite honestly, Japan is incredible and the Japanese people are abundantly delightful.
Plastic packaging galore! :(
On the surface, Japan appears to be a moderately environmentally-friendly place. That said, they do seem to use so much plastic – it’s a bit ridiculous! Every single time I buy something, whatever it is, it's invariably wrapped in a thin film of plastic and then inserted into a plastic bag (and this is at a minimum, done without question). I guess it is a bit behind the times: for instance, compared to many parts of the world (say Europe for example, where they charge for any type of plastic bag (the default being no bag at all unless you ask)), it's less advanced - not that charging for a plastic bag is incredibly advanced anyhow! It’s a bit of a pity. I can only but imagine the copious amount of plastic waste coming from Japan. “Japan generates more plastic packaging waste per capita than any other country except the United States", according to one source. That said, most of the rest of the world is very far from being perfect in this respect, very far indeed. We use way too much single-use plastics, wherever we are, a ludicrous amount! In England for example, so much of the food packaging is plastic packaging, a lot of which is single-use. And the problem with plastic is really just scratching the surface of what is wrong with the way the world is being treated today (not just by Japanese companies, not by any means at all) – the world all-over is ‘littered’ with supra-national companies that ultimately only give a shit about one thing: monitory profit, and this is at the expense of everyone and everything else, it truly is disgraceful. I wish the government had the power and the desire to stop them.
Communication hurdles…
Some people (as incredibly friendly and as helpful as they most
often are), can have the exasperating talent to not think on their feet in certain situations, me included probably! I know I am generalising, and in danger of offending, but I don't mean to offend and if you are reading this please take it with a pinch of salt and bear with me for a moment, because actually it can apply to anyone regardless of where they are from – including me, as I said!!.
So let me set the scene, let’s say there are several (say three or more) staff at the check-out counter, or at the restaurant, or where ever it may be, and lets also suppose that one of them speaks better English than the others: I go about whatever it is I'm doing (e.g. ordering food, asking for a sim-card (see my Hiroshima story)) and initiate by approaching a female member of staff (female or male makes no difference obviously, but for writing purposes it is easier to qualify one or the other). I ask her whether she speaks English before proceeding with my question (naturally, I don't presuppose anyone speaks English and so it would be ungracious to bulldoze my way straight into conversation without first checking).
Ok, so the scene is set. I have noticed that there will generally be one of several reactions: it may be that she immediately shakes her head (perhaps profusely), or perhaps giggles shyly or intimates with other body language that she speaks no English; perhaps she makes a big crossing-gesture with her arms (quite obviously signalling NO - like when I was 'rejected' from the restaurant in Hiroshima on my first night!); perhaps even, she stares blankly or perhaps still, she virtually ignores me; alternatively, it may in fact be that she can speak a very minimal amount and so tries her utmost to communicate with me – which although very kind of her (as per my above comment that it’s hard to criticise the Japanese in any way whatsoever), gets us nowhere soon (!) (because there can literally be no two-way meaningful communication going on at all). In most of the above scenarios (apart from where she's ignored me or walked off etc!), it is at this point that she has the logical option of asking one of her fellow co-workers whether they can step in, but unfortunately (and this is what I can't fully understand) she often tends not to do this. Instead it’s pretty much game over (to the point where she may as well have just walked off anyway), because unless I am proactive here, she will be more than happy to stare blankly until I walk off (probably out of awkwardness as much as anything else!) So I have learnt to be more proactive from the outset! And in a polite and friendly manner (naturally), I will simply ask her to ask one of her colleagues (sometimes using hand gestures or if need be, using a translation app, like in The Kumano Kodo, see my story on this here) - otherwise, I will take the initiative and simply walk over to the co-worker to ask if he (now let's assume he's a 'he' – sorry that’s a tautology there!) speaks English instead, if not to the next and so on and so forth). It can be a little bit frustrating – but at least there’s a way! Imagine if no one speaks your language at all (I meet people all the time, some who hardly speak any English and certainly no Japanese, now that's really tough!).
Food Galore (but what is it?!)
By just looking at a restaurant from the outside, including its outlook, name and menu (if on display), it’s not easy to know (unless you’ve learnt this over time), what type of restaurant it actually is in the first place! Could it be Ramen, Okonomiyaki, Soba, Yakitori, Shabu-shabu, Izakaya, Tonkatsu, Tempura, Kare Raisu, Teishoku, Sushi (the list goes on…), what is it???! Because (to me at least), almost no restaurant will unambiguously state (in English) what type of restaurant it is! But luckily for us, some restaurants are easier to spot than others…
For instance, Sushi is usually relatively
obvious (especially once you peer inside, because even if there’s no ‘sushi conveyor belt’, you’ll soon determine what others are eating!) - and I say 'usually' because there are plenty of high-end sushi places which often don't have any indication whatsoever, whilst moreover you are not even able to easily gain access to make your determination (there will be private rooms and long elaborate entrances, often with no staff there to ask);
the likes of Japanese curry (Kare Raisu) and Ramen and Tonkatsu (e.g. pork Katsu) are abundantly obvious due to the pictured menus often displayed outside the restaurant. These picture-menus are definitely a bonus for tourists (they are certainly not in existence for the benefit of tourists). And there are often displays which at first sight look like vending machines but actually this is where you select, pay, and obtain your food-ticket prior to even having stepped foot into the establishment (the machine can also be situated inside too).
In Japan, many restaurants have these 'menus': select and pay before entering!
Food tickets obtained! Ramen restaurant in Osaka
If however, the food type is not obvious from the outside, you must at least go inside to try to discover what type of restaurant it is - time and energy permitting, that is. Needing to go inside means there were probably no pictures and it therefore ensues that you will be required to either: observe others eating; and/or, talk to staff members (see above points about this however) - perhaps also trying to obtain an English menu is the best option at this point. And as such, at this stage, my estimate of the chances of positively determining the type of restaurant is about 50%, and much less so if no restaurant-goers are there to observe (in which case you’d probably want to go elsewhere anyway!)!
Do also note, if like me, you have an aversion to crustaceans and offal, or as with some people (and more difficult still), you have an allergy or religious requirement, then you almost certainly won’t know if these ingredients are in the food by just the picture alone - and even if there’s an English description it won’t necessarily be accurate: I have seen ‘vegetarian pasta with tomato and basil sauce’ which turned out to also include seafood and minced-meat! it might be a ‘chicken skewer’, but in fact it could be chicken tail, or chicken heart, or chicken cartilage, the list goes on! So, mostly, the menus are not in English and if they are they won’t always be right!
But I must say! All of the above-mentioned (minor) negatives are far, FAR outweighed by the many, MANY positives (some of which are dotted around all over this piece of writing!). And anyway, it's all part of the experience, it really is. I find it exciting exploring and have no qualms making a fool out of myself - that said, when I'm hungry, the 'hunt' is not always so 'thrilling'.
Osaka, general remarks
As for Osaka, it’s certainly not my favourite city in the world! To me, it has no heavyweight charm, and architectural exquisiteness is quite invisible to the naked eye, unless I’m missing something here?!
But there are things I’m definitely enjoying in Osaka. And the thing I’m most enjoying about my stay, is stepping out of my centrally-located hotel and into this gigantic endless maze of food establishments and bars – this seems to be a Japanese ‘thing’ (maze of narrow streets filled with restaurants, clubs, bars!!). The pure scale of this particular ‘maze’ is altogether staggering: it consists of intersecting streets to an extent unfathomable to my little brain – restaurant/shop/bar/club upon restaurant/shop/bar/club. The choice is extraordinary and it’s quite a thrill to peer down these long straight narrow streets, filled with low-rise buildings, and overhead dozens of thick black power-lines. And especially at night, what with all the neon lighting and all the people, the noise, and the aromas of delicious food.
Dottonburi area and Ebisu-Bashi suji shopping street
Oh, and I also really like the Dottonburi area at night, the neon lights are impressive and seeing the Glico Running Man for real is very cool!
I enjoy walking through part of the Ebisu-Bashi suji shopping street - dating back to the golden days of the Edo period (late-1600's), this shopping district in the heart of Osaka's Minami (South) area has everything from famed historical establishments to shops at the cutting edge of fashion. It must be over 1km long! And the street-food from inside the long, long, long(!) shopping street is fantastic!
Morning-stroll & coffee
One morning after breakfast, I wonder outside and drift around for hours. It is very enjoyable. And I come across a superb coffee house where they roast their own coffee. I have a freshly-roasted/ground cold-brew, and what with this scorching heat, it is deliciously refreshing. And in the middle of a pedestrianised area, I sit in a square surrounded by tattoo artists and bizarre performers – here I sip my cold brew, chill and watch the other side of the world go by.
One evening, I meet up with a nice local guy I’d been put in contact with. He takes me to an altogether different area. it seems rather distinct from what I’ve seen so far, less hectic – we choose a great place to have a delicious feast of Shabu-shabu. It turns out to be quite costly (but worth it!) We meander back to the station where I’m deposited back where we started!
I'm staying at a Candeo hotel, so they also have the rooftop-spa (just like in Hiroshima). Although not on par with the one in Hiroshima, it’s still nice and I very much enjoy the relaxation facilities. Sweet after a long day of walking about.
Another evening I go for dinner at a restaurant nearby, it’s a bit quirky and the Teishoku is tasty. The waitress seems intent on practicing her English on me! Since I’m alone with no impelling reason whatsoever to hurry up, I am happy to entertain her appetite to chat – anyway she is very friendly and interesting to talk to!
Himeji-jo
I also do a day trip to Himeji-jo – allegedly one of Japan’s most stunning castles, a Unesco world-heritage site, a national treasure and one of only a handful of original castles remaining (many are reconstructions, like the one in Hiroshima). Indeed, it is very impressive and does look stunning.
Apart from all of this, I’m not so sad to be leaving Osaka, and unless for business or food, I struggle to find a compelling reason to come back here (in a hurry at least). People here are mostly very friendly of course, but they do seem a bit more brash and loud than what I have experienced in other parts so far, but that ain't a bad thing anyway! And I am glad I visited this unusual place!
