My fantastic return to Osaka...

Leaving Tokyo, the next stop was Osaka. Kelvin and I stayed in the cutest hostel. It was pretty much like a house, with one open plan room upstairs which had just 6 bunk beds. Downstairs was the shower room and a little living room with a dining table, books, tv, computer, maps, comics...

Straight away we met my friend Namiko (Namiko and I last year - The week I became slightly Japanese and 5 years old again... AND Time for some countryside...).
Had some childlike fun on a big ferris wheel...ate at an Izakaya (of course) and had a good old catch up.

Our first full day we decided to go to this huge electronics department store, just to see how advanced Japan is (and how crazy!). There was one section where you could try all these fitness machines. Some you had to stand on and the machine wiggled, maybe this is to get rid of fat,　I am not really sure...but I most certainly did not want to go on it! Another funny machine was like a rodeo seat, the ones that you have to try and stay on. But this one did not go that crazy, you just had to sit on it and let it tone your waist and thighs I guess!?

The camera floor was huge, I had a lot of fun there...wanting all of the amazing lenses!
I also spent quite a while in the sound system section, only because they had this huge TV and stunning speakers playing For Once In My Life, sung by Stevie Wonder and Tony Bennett. It was on repeat in the store, I think I watched it about 5 times!
You must click on this next link and watch it!
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=LMStRERJNsM

Kelvin and I got lost from each other in this massive department store...it did have about 10 huge floors! Luckily, I left the store just at the right time, as I saw Kelvin just about to leave outside.
I just do not understand why he did not find me...waiting for him on the floor with all of the amazing massage chairs...I was waiting there for at least half an hour...

Last year in Osaka, I went to this psytrance rave by myself..it was on my list of things that I really wanted to experience in Japan, and I was so lucky to have randomly found one! (Read about it here - A beautiful place with an horrific tale...) Before the event I went to this bar called Scorpion, just to have a few drinks before the night properly started. In this bar you could comfortably fit maybe 15 people. I ended up making friends with the bartender. He subscribed to this blog and when realising that I was in Japan again told me that I should pop by again! So of course I did!

Somehow I managed to find the way from a mixture of memory and a business card still in my purse from last year. It was such a fun night...we discovered the world's largest icecube, a drink only for girls...and he gave us free beer, lemon shots and right at the end, to finish the night...a beautiful jagermeister shot...mmm oishii. Plus, Tommy (the bartender) told me that I looked slimmer...I was very happy!
It was really strange being there again, especially seeing my polaroid photograph on the wall from last year!


Our last evening in Osaka was a fun one. I took a booklet from the hostel, which was filled with coupons at various bars in the lively Shinsaibashi area of the city. At certain times you could go in and get 2 for 1 on drinks, cheap beers...and at one, a completely free drink! I think Kelvin was sad that he did not pick one up as well...of course we shared the offers, but with two booklets it would have been even better! Or maybe not...maybe the night could have gone horribly wrong...

We came across this man dressed as a pig, advertising a restaurant..so of course we want a photo with him. He was so happy that we asked him! After struggling to find this specific restaurant through the seedy strip bar streets, we gave up and started walking back to the main road again...until we bumped into PIGMAN again!! I asked if he could take us to his restaurant, which luckily was Okonomiyaki...exactly what we wanted! So through the streets we went, with Pigman dragging us and singing "Okonomi Ton Ton, machi machi umae!" Ton Ton being the name of the restaurant and the last part meaning the soft chewing of it is so good! And believe me...he was not lying...

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