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Published: September 29th 2018
Hey everyone,
Hope you’re all doing well! The beginning of this past week was Chuseok here in Korea, which is the Korean version of Thanksgiving, more or less. Last year for Chuseok (yup, I’ve been here for a year already-isn’t that wild??), I went to Busan to visit Julia, the first friend I made here in Korea. This year I took a trip to Osaka, Japan, where I met up with Sabrina, one of my friends from college. She is teaching English through JET, and was able to travel to Osaka and hang out with me for a couple of days!
For those who aren’t super familiar with Japan, Osaka is the third largest city in Japan, and it is known for its food, boisterous people, and dialect, which is notoriously difficult to understand. The atmosphere in Osaka is much more welcoming than that in Tokyo, although I found the subways difficult to navigate, as the signage was… vague.
We started our first day off by going to Osaka Castle, which was only a 30 minute walk and a straight-shot from our hostel. The park around Osaka Castle is very well-maintained, and I ended up going back each
of the days I was in Osaka. Each time I noticed a surprising number of runners in the park, both male and female, regardless what time of day it was. The surrounding park also boasts both peach and plum groves, which I’m sure are beautiful in the spring! The castle itself is an imposing sight, because not only is it built on top of a hill, but the building itself sits on a large base, so even when you’re right next to the castle, you’re still craning your neck to look up at it.
After admiring Osaka Castle for a bit, we hopped on the train and headed to Osaka’s aquarium, which was recommended to us by Sabrina’s coworker. I 100% pass on the recommendation (although I would advise not going on a busy Sunday afternoon to avoid the screaming children). The exhibition is a huge, multistory affair, and the main attraction is a whale shark that lives in a huge tank with rays of all sizes, some giant fish, and hammerhead sharks. Prior to this trip, I think the last time I was at an aquarium was back in elementary school, so I can’t really compare it to
anything, but it was definitely an experience! It took us two hours to get through the whole exhibition and we saw some really cool creatures. If you find yourself in Osaka, I definitely recommend the aquarium!
It is common for restaurants (and even karaoke places) to have an option on the menu called 飲み放題 (nomi-houdai), or “drink bar,” meaning you can refill your cup as many times as you want. There are also places that have 食べ放題 (tabe-houdai), which is all-you-can-eat within a limited time period. To finish off our first full day in Osaka, my friend and I went to the Japanese equivalent of Korean BBQ, but it was as much meat as we could eat for two hours. This was a great for us, since Sabrina is gluten-intolerant and I don’t eat seafood, which pretty much eliminates most Japanese food options. Two hours chilling over grilled meat was also a great chance for us to catch up. Unfortunately, our long meal meant we didn’t have a chance to explore the area, Dotonbori, for very long before we had to head back or miss the last train.
Monday was Sabrina’s last day in Osaka, since she had
to teach on Tuesday, so we spent the day shopping at Osaka Station, which is attached to two different department stores. We also managed to find a karaoke place nearby the station, and had a good time singing a mix of English, Japanese, and Chinese songs. I’m glad she was able to come out and meet me; it’s crazy that we’ve been out of college for almost a year and a half already!
After Sabrina left, I waited until the sun started going down, then headed back to Osaka Castle, having heard it’s really pretty lit up at night. Indeed it was pretty, and I managed to get some nice photos, although I definitely paid my dues, judging by the number of mosquito bites I had decorating my legs by the time I left.
On my last day in Osaka, on the recommendation of the hostel owner, I visited a popup exhibition for Japanese artist Tarō Okamoto, whose statue “Tower of the Sun” Sabrina and I saw on our fist day, when we visited Expo City, a huge mall on the outskirts of Osaka. The exhibition showed the creation process for “Tower or the Sun,” and had models
of what it looked like both inside and out. Inside the tower is a giant piece called the “Tree of Life” that shows the evolution of creatures. They also had the original head from the statue, which is a huge gold disc with eye cutouts. Oh yeah, did I mention there are lights inside the eye cutouts that turn on at night, making it look like the statue is staring straight into your soul in the creepiest way possible? Well, there are. And it’s pretty creepy to look at in the dark.
Afterwards, I went to a cat cafe (because of course I did, haha). It’s been so long since I’ve been around cats, so I was determined to get some pets in while I was in Japan, which has no shortage of places to go. The one I went to was called
Ragdoll Cafe, so of course there were lots of Ragdoll cats, but there were also quite a few shorthair breeds, and even one Scottish Fold kitty (I think their ears are so cute!). It was nice to just hang out and pet cats for an hour. I miss living with cats so much!
I spent
Tower of the Sun
From the bridge leading down to Expo City. The tower itself is on the other side of a major highway.the rest of the day just hanging out in the Dotonbori neighborhood, walking up and down the streets. I did a bit of shopping, but mostly people-watched, hanging out. It was a very chill way to end my vacation, for sure.
Wednesday morning I got up early and headed to the airport to travel back to Korea. 13 hours later, and I was finally home! Japan is always a fun (albeit expensive) vacation destination, and there’s so much to see in each city! I’m sure I’ll be back sooner or later for more food and more adventures.
Until next time!
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