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Published: August 16th 2008
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We arrived in Japan on the 26th July after two full days on our ferry from Shanghai. The ferry was a much more luxurious one than we were used to, with our cruise down the Yangtze River, with numerous activities for entertainment including DVDs, Table Tennis and the fun night time activity of Karaoke. Our Italian friend Davide's version of YMCA was definitely something to write home about ('eeets fun to stay at der Y M C A' all in a cheery comedy European way), as well as a strip tease during Sweet Caroline by a Canadian guy we had met (he got a bit excited with the lines 'touching me, touching you... '). There were some really great people that we had met on the ferry, including a couple from Leeds called Sally and Dan. It was really good to hear a strong regional dialect after spending so much time not having heard one.
The ferry came into the port city in Osaka. In our first day we checked into our hostel, which was based in the stadium of Cervezo Osaka Football Club. Having got rid of our heavy bags, the relief was all too great as the weight
of those bags will definitely prove to be problematic throughout this trip, we ventured out to the wide world of Japan. At first we just wandered around in awe at all the brilliant things they have; vending machines on virtually every street corner, we went to the toilets (let me tell you all the Japanese have reinvented the toilet seat and its bloody marvellous) and the electronics shops. Light years ahead of what we had become used to in China.
Having toured these electronics shop and seen that everything was slightly out of our price range we settled for a new 50p alarm clock. Last of the big time spenders.
From here we checked out the city's Giant Ferris Wheel which at 112 metres high stands as the tallest ferris wheel in the world. It was a fitting ending to our first day in Japan, where everything seemed to amaze us.
The next day we made the long trip to the Museum of Ethnology in the outskirts of the city. The museum was set in a garden that proudly boasted that it played host to Expo 1980: the first expo in Asia. I don't really know what
the Expo is but Asia seems to find them very exciting; Shanghai has the next one in 2010 and had already started the countdown before we had left.
On entering the park you saw the large and interesting statue known as the Tower of the Sun which was refreshing. In China it seemed that everything that we saw was at least similar to something else within the country, however this statue was very original and I liked it. The museum itself was probably one of the best museums I have ever been to. It provided a whirlwind tour of each of the continents with thousands of artefacts on each area ranging from Thai Tuk-Tuks to Totem poles and Bollywood posters to boats dating from early Japanese times. It was a whistle-stop tour of the world through its more traditional and ethnic roots.
We were fortunate that we arrived in Osaka at the time of the Tenjin Matsuri festival. During the festival there were a number of floats and all the locals were dressed in their traditional clothing with the gents in their robes and the ladies looking stunningly attractive in their Komonos (boys, get out here for the
girls alone, they are gorgeous). The festival culminated in a huge firework display. We thought that we would take this opportunity to go the nearby Umeda Sky Building, the tallest building in Osaka and watch the fireworks. The building is in fact two buildings linked by an escalator about half way up. To get up to this point, you go in a glass lift in which you feel like Superman soaring straight upwards, above the buildings. Then you get the glass sided escalator which also gave really good but odd views of the city.
We arrived just as it had got dark and all the lights over the vast urban sprawl of the city were just beautiful. Then the fireworks started and then was the icing on the cake. It was a weird feeling however being higher than the actual explosions of the fireworks but we had a really good view of them from our vantage point. The whole experience couldn't have been any more romantic. Ahhhhh.
Yuk! Anyway next day we were back in the real world and we went to see Osaka Jo. I was under the impression that Osaka Jo was a person, some kind
of shady drugs person ('If you have any probem, don't go to the Doctors, you go see Osaka Jo, he'll cure you') but apparently not. Jo is Japanese for castle so we were effectively going to Osaka Castle (there'll be plenty more Jo jokes or JOkes in future entries). It was impressive and had a Museum where I had the opportunity to dress as a Samurai. Its not everyday you get this opportunity so I duly accepted and you can see the photographic evidence of the event.
In the grounds of Osaka Jo another festival was happening. There didn't seem to be much in the way of a reason for it but there was some kind of fair on. At this fair there were lots of music and interesting stalls selling food and other bits and bobs. We also saw a stand for Osaka university where the students there had built 3 cars. These included a car that was in the Guiness Book of Records as the fastest car powered solely on batteries. It was powered by 8 normal AA batteries and could go up to about 80kph. Puts what I did at uni to shame. I once got
an eight letter word when watching Countdown.
After this we went to Amerika Mura where the cool kids hung out. We then went to a British pub for some long awaited fish and chips!! The first since we left England in February. Yummy!!
Overall, Osaka was an exciting first Japanese city, we hoped that Japan continued with these high standards, if so this could turn out to be one hell of a country. Our next stop was Kyoto.
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