Blogs from Shinsaibashi, Osaka, Osaka, Japan, Asia - page 3

Last nite as I was heading to the subway I passed a gray ball of fuzz in the tunnel. It was not a rat, literrally just a giant dustball, but it got me thinking about rats... You don't see rats in Japan. Oh, they're out there, just not visible. I've only seen a rat once here and this is the story: At the time I was living in Wakayama-Ken. Through my friend Shannon (a NZer) I met Shin. Shin was an aspiring guitarist living in Osaka City. He had studied English in Australia and had big plans to return and make it BIG as a rock star. Hey, we all have dreams! On this particular day, Shin had invited me to join his band's practice. Band name forgotten...band mates names, yeah, also forgotten! Except for Daisuke ... read more

As promised here are the last few things that happened while I was in Nara and Osaka Japan before coming back home. Nara first: The next day was our full day in Nara (after going to see the big Buddha). We got up early and walked down to the Museum. It was really interesting and the first section that we saw had something to do with a big cultural event that happens at a certain Temple in Nara. They gave the history and scrolls and pictures and variety of other things. Really had us think about the fact that America is so young and we don't have any traditions at all similar to what we were looking over. Some other parts of the museum had some old pottery and clay figures that were excavated back around ... read more

Here are some photos from our quick trip to Japan in October. We headed back to Todd's old stomping grounds, Osaka. Many of his friends are still working at Universal Studios so he was really looking forward to seeing them. Aki, who used to perform in the Back to the Future show with Todd, was our tour guide for most of our trip. Our first night, we went out for sushi and then to catch Aki's performance at a comedy/nightclub. There really are no words to describe what we witnessed, so let the pictures do the talking. Japanese humor is quite different! The next day Todd and I went to Osaka castle. We enjoyed the picturesque views, I ate my first tako-yaki (the famous streetstand octopus dish) and Todd infiltrated a group of schoolchildren on a ... read more

Tortured girders try to keep the shattered bricks up, rubble all around. You can't touch it, the security system tightly governs access to the 'A-Bomb Dome'. All around this monument to mankind's madness, a thriving city re-grew. Children were born and laughed, while their parents grieved for the dead, trying to comprehend the graphic deaths their loved ones had suffered. It happened on a normal morning, people trying to stop the rumbling tummies, hungry due to war-time rations, making your way to school or the office. Did you remember your homework or your bus-fare. In cities around the country, in countries around the world, a war-torn world, people go about their business. If it had been cloudy maybe we would be visiting a different monument in another city today. I have no words for what happened ... read more

Now, for my money, I enjoyed Osaka bit more than Kyoto. In Osaka we saw a lot of different shiny things and places to shop, so it probably appealed to my ADD-ness. Our first stop was Shinsaibashi and Dotonbouri, two areas which are basically a giant shopping mall that spans several blocks. There, the wonders of the orient proceeded to never cease through such wonderous things as amazing street-side takoyaki (little battered fried balls of octopus, which Osaka is famous for, and rightly so), taco crepes, and at least two stores devoted solely to leggings. I also got the pleasure of purchasing a practical and inexpensive item of clothing from Uniqlo - a unique find in a large Japanese city like Osaka. I had heard a lot about this store from friends, but the only one ... read more