Silverweek!! Osaka!

Sept. 21

This morning was an early one. Up at 7:45 (mind you've I've been getting up at 5am for work...so I guess it's a surprisingly easy habit to break). My friend Sarah and I met her friends at the station at 9am, along with one of their Japanese friends. After waiting for the "right" train, we finally got on and were headed for Osaka... expect the train was packed so we had to stand. I read a manga (comic) over a guy's shoulder to pass some time, but then started to get a headache so I had to stop.

When we got there, the stores in the shopping mall weren't open yet. Sarah heard there was a Subway restaurant in Osaka, and although we weren't looking for it, we found it while we were exploring the area!! I haven't had subway in years but I couldn't resist it this time! They had some interesting food there! For example, avocado subs, green tea cream filled croissants, oven fries, mango soy lattes, etc. I decided just to keep it simple and half a 6" Tuna sub, and cheese oven fries (which weren't that good).

Then the shopping commenced!! I really can't go into details here because I didn't do the shopping. I was dragging around a small suitcase, which although small, cannot maneuver in most of the tiny shops in the mall we were at so I waiting outside for the most part.

Around 4:30 I met up with my sister's best friend (I was staying with him for the rest of my time in Osaka). Seeing as both he and I were exhausted we decided to settle down with his other roommates and watch The Godfather (the first one). None of us had seen it before! It was good, I definitely want to see the rest!
After the movie finished we all decided to relax in the jacuzzi (which is conveniently (?) located on the roof of his house). We were in there for maybe 40 minutes until our hunger got to us. So we went and ate breakfast (for dinner) and then went to sleep. Not the most exciting day so far that week but still a good day.

Sept. 22

I woke up way too early (8:45). I didn't need to meet my friends until 11:30. I took a nice long time in the bathroom getting ready, and when I came back into my room to grab a few things, there was someone in my bed!!! Apparently a friend had stayed over the night before but was sleeping in the common room. But the common room, being what it was, was very noisy in the morning so that person couldn't sleep. Thinking that I left for work or something, she jumped into my bed. I said it was okay, grabbed my things and left the house (2 hours early).

I got to Cosmo Square at 10:30 and to kill time, I wandered around the area. I went to our meet up area, Cosmo Tower, and discovered there was a flea market being held!! Lucky!! That gave me something to do for a while! I wanted to find shoes for the new dress I bought but of course all the shoes were too small so I gave up on that idea quickly and just browsed.

I met up with my friends around 11:45 and we went for lunch at a Soba restaurant. (Soba are Buckwheat noodles) I had to take the waitress to the front of the shop and point to the fake food to order because I couldn't read what it was called. The food was pretty good! It looked like a lot but I was still hungry afterwards (I didn't have breakfast).

After lunch we explored the area and found COSPLAYERS!! (For those of you who don't know.... Cosplayers = Costume Players. People who dress up as characters from games, movies, shows, etc). I think this was Osaka's designated "Cosplay area." We went around and I asked a few of the cosplayers if we could take their photo (I was very proud at the fact that I could ask in proper Japanese... not broken Japanese!!) Judging by how many looks we got, you would have thought we were the ones cosplaying!!

We then made our way to the Osaka Aquarium, where we met up with Anne. We had to wait an hour in line but it was worth it!! The building has 8 floors and you start on the top an work your way down. But when I say 8 floors, it's not actually 8 floors of fish and sea life. It's 5 floors of fish and sea life, one floor of buying your tickets and what not, and 2 floors of souvenir shops!!! For the most part the aquarium tanks went through 4 floors. So although you couldn't see much on the 8th floor, by the time you got to the 5th floor you could see plenty!! In the centre tank they had a bunch of manta rays, sharks, fish, and 2 WHALE SHARKS!!! (ie 12-meter long sharks that look like whales!) There were so cool. There were scuba divers in the tank cleaning it, and one of the manta rays really liked the bubbles from the scuba diver's mask so it kept doing loops over top. It was pretty funny.

After the aquarium we went to a Mexican restaurant!! The food was very good AND we heard THE BEST singer ever!! He was a Japanese man, playing the guitar, and singing English cover songs. He seriously was the best live cover musician ever!! He made our night perfect!!!!!!!

After dinner, I went back to my friend's to hang out before he went out to party. The others went karaoke-ing but I didn't have money anyways so that was ok.

Sept. 23

I was out of the house with all my stuff by 8:15. My first destination was Osakajo (Osaka Castle). I made it there pretty quickly, and although it was cloudy it was very humid. I dragged all my stuff through Osakajo Park, up MANY MANY steps and eventually got to the castle!! I asked a group of people to take my photo so I got a few good shots of me in front of the castle. Then I was approached by a Japanese man, with an expensive looking camera and tripod, and he asked if he could take my photo! Random. But I said yes, so he got a few pictures of me (Not with the castle in the background) and a photo of me and him. I'm not too worried about it, because some people just really like foreigners and don't get to see them often haha. He offered to be my guide in Osakajo but I had been warned not to go in it because it was turned into a modern (and horrible) museum, so I declined and headed back to the station.

From the castle I made my way to Umeda Station. My goal was to find the Yodobashi Camera shop (similar to Future Shop or Best Buy, but bigger and with a lot more stuff other than electronics). The reason for this goals was because on the 7th floor was the Shounen Jump shop! (Shounen Jump being a very popular boys comic magazine). I found it, after asking a few people, but the 7th and 8th floors weren't open yet so I browsed in Yodobashi. So many nice things that I would have loved to buy (except 1) I didn't need them and 2) I didn't have much money left).

I finally got up to the 7th floor and found the Shounen Jump shop!! Wow!! I was very happy! I must have spent like an hour looking in it. But I controlled myself and only bought 2 things; I mug that says Capsule Corps (From Dragon Ball) and a Naruto poster. From there I headed to Shin-Osaka station and caught the Shinkansen to Tokyo. From Tokyo, I took another Shinkansen to Sendai. The entire trip back took just over 5 hours. It's safe to say that when I got home I was tired and ready for sleep!

I had a lot of fun this week but I think I spent a bit too much, so the next trip I plan will be much closer to home (and thus cheaper!)

:)

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