Out and about in Osaka

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Day 3 in Osaka is coming to a close. And it has been entertaining. Yesterday setting out fairly early the first place that I went to was called Umeda Sky Building, located in the centre of the city. The building is relatively new, and in my guide book describes the architecture as very Lego-like, but I actually thought it was quite pretty, as far as skyscrapers go. The main reason for going there was to go to the top floor that has an open-air observatory. They call it the floating garden observatory, but that doesn't make any sense to me, there are no trees or flowers or anything to suggest that it is a garden. Also, when I say building I actually mean two buildings, or towers, covered with those mirror windows so that the sky is reflected in them. The observatory, which is a ring, is attached to both buildings. Hence the name floating I suppose. Oh, just look at the photos! The view really is incredible, with all of Osaka spread out before you, a full 360 degree view. Osaka is absolutely massive, the buildings just went on forever. In the basement of the Umeda Sky building is a section full of restaurants that have been designed in a 1920's style and so I walked around them and it led out (and up) to a garden which was very pretty. Overall a pretty nice office building to be working in!

Next stop was a shopping centre called Hep 5. It is basically shops for teenagers and 20 year olds, and it has a Ferris wheel on the top. I spent a little while walking around there and one of the shops that caught my eye was the Disney shop. It was full of Disney merchandise and it was packed with people, but the thing that amused me the most was the customers. They were my age and above! Guys and girls! It was crazy, all pushing past each other to get to the soft toys etc. In Oz that would be a shop mainly for children, but Japan has a thing for cute things.

Before heading back to my hotel I by-passed the National Bunraku Theatre, I had wanted to see a Bunraku show while I was in Osaka, as that is where it originated. Bunraku is a puppet show, but they use life-size dolls and it takes 4 men to each puppet to get the movements in unison. I had seen little bits of it when I was in Oz and became fascinated with it, it is a traditional Japanese art and it amazes me that they can make the doll look and move like a real person. It takes something like over 20 years to become a fully qualified person who does it and to be the person in charge of the head, which is the hardest and most important. Anyway, I went to the theatre to see if they hd a show on at the moment, as there are only 6 every year. But unfortunately there wasn't so I will try to see one in Kyoto I think.

Today so far, I have spent the day shopping in some of the big shopping centres and arcades. I went to a street that is dedicated to all things kitchen and restaurant related. I was told that it was something you should see. And it was quite interesting, heaven for a chef or someone who loves cooking. The most interesting thing for me though was the life-like plastic models of food. In Japan, outside a restaurant not only do they display a menu but also plastic models of their food. And it always looks exactly like the real thing. And at these shops they sold these plastic models, they really do look real, it would be easy to mistake them for the real thing. But they were so expensive, I bought a small fridge magnet to keep as a memory.

Tomorrow? Kyoto!

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Photos

Umeda Sky Building
The "floating garden" is the ring section, connecting the two towers.

Unique Escalators
Japanese design never fails to amaze me. These escalators were suspended in between the two towers.

Osaka
View from the top

Osaka
View from top

Osaka
View from top