Blogs from Osaka, Osaka, Japan, Asia - page 20

We got to Osaka on the afternoon of the ninth after a long bus and trian journey! We decided to go to the umeda sky building to get a view of the city. It was really cool because we stayed up there all afternoon so we saw Osaka by day and night! There is a glass enclosed escalator on the way up which is supposed to be terrifying but really wasn't! Ideally we wanted to watch the sun set over Osaka bay with a cold beer but it was too cloudy :( The terrace was outside though which is why we look so wind swept! The views were terrific though as you'll see...... read more

Okay, Okay I know it seemed like I didn’t really like this place from my first blog and truth be told I didn’t. However, every time I visit the city it grows on me a little more. It is kind of like that misfit abstract painting in your friend’s apartment that you slowly become found of. Anyway, back at Osaka Castle and there is another protest next to it! This time it is some sort of labor union protest. All I could gather from it before wandering off was someone bellowing on a loud speaker about how national health care should be expanded to include more. At least this protest wasn’t hostile towards me. This castle visit was a quick one. We didn’t go inside, just chilled on the grounds enjoying takoyaki and the scenery. After ... read more

Viimeiseksi yoksi olin varannut ja maksanut hotellin Osakan lentokentan lahelta, jotta siirtyminen lentokentalle kavisi sitten helposti. No siirtyminen hotelliin oli oma lukunsa. Tahan hotelliin ei ollut annettu sahkopostiosoitetta, vain puhelinnumero. Ohjeissa luki etta vieras tullaan hakemaan asemalta, mutta asemaa ei ollut kerrottu. Kun soitin sinne edellispaivana, siella puhuttiin englantia, mutta minulla ei ollut kynaa mukana. Aamulla kun menin soittamaan sinne, ylitin kapean kadun kun autot olivat menneet ja olin jaada pyorailijan alle. No sitten hotellista vastattiin etta englantia ei osata. Pyysin hostellin pitajaa soittamaan sinne. Selvisi milta asemalta minut haettaisiin (Rinku town) ja etta tanaan ei paikalla olisi englantia osaavaa henkiloa. Lipun osto Kiotossa kavi helposti (1770 jenia). Minun piti vaihtaa Osakassa junaa. Jalkimmaisessa junassa vastapainen kaveri alkoi... read more

When we arrived in Osaka it was already dark and the city was bustling. We had a few moments of confusion: Which metro? Which way to the hotel? We were exhausted by the time we got to our hotel, a business hotel near the electronics district. Although we never really exposed ourselves to the nightlife or busiest parts of Tokyo, so our comparison may be unfair, but we found Osaka far more crazy than Tokyo -- a lot of neon, and fast moving people, bicycles and cars. The bicycles are just about as dangerous as the cars, as they ride on the sidewalks at about 20 miles per hour and you are the one expected to get out of the way. Our hotel room in Osaka was more "Western Style", but very tiny. It was more ... read more

Hi guys, Well, in Kyoto, we saw a temple called Hi-an Temple. It had heaps of gold statues. It was awesome! After that, we went to a market. Jack and Albert bought a minature sword on a key-chain. I got a book called Charlottes Web. ( In English thankfully! ) We had dinner and went back to the ryokan. The next day we went to see a golden temple. It was made out of gold-leaf. It was beautiful! We also saw heaps of gardens. They were lovely. We also went to a castle called Nijo-jo Castle. It was really cool because it had squeaky floorboards, so if it got attacked, they would know when people entered the castle. After that, we than went back to our ryokan. Our ryokan has only 6 rooms. It is a ... read more