Beef bowl

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Osaka

My most recent trip... Mon, and I went to Osaka, Hiroshima, and Kyoto.

I've visited Osaka before, so the newness of it is not there. Still, visiting Japan again is thrilling and exciting. This time, I picked a hotel in Sakai City, in the outskirts of Osaka. I didn't see much of Sakai as we spent most of our time in Osaka proper.

Mon relied on me to translate (even though my Japanese is not so good). We explored the city, and it was a lot of fun. For Mon, this is her first time in Japan. She's never experienced the busy and crowded subways of Japan. I can still remember the look of fear in her eyes when she stopped to adjust her bags only to see a horde of salary men and office ladies charging towards her.

Of course, we walked around the massive underground shopping mall near the Osaka Station. We ate at one of the small shops. It was so much fun.

We had no means of transportation except the subway. Everywhere else, we were on foot. And as such, we became exhausted at the end of the day. I took her to Tempozan on the second day. We went to the Aquarium and the Ferris Wheel, and we ate Okonomiyaki and Takoyaki. The next day, we saw a panoramic view of Osaka from the hanging garden of the Umeda Sky Building. And later, we saw a French/Canadian boys choir perform while promoting their music CD.

We went to JR Station to buy Bullet train tickets. I didn't know they had three types: the Hikari, the Hikari Railstar, and the Nozomi. We took the Hikari Railstar bound for Hakata. It was cool, we were on our way to Hiroshima! It's my second time riding on a bullet train. I can't remember the first time coz it's been so long ago. The ride was smooth and fast. I spent the whole time watching out the window. Mon fell asleep ^_^ The landscape was picturesque but bland. The kinda of stuff you'd see in some books.

Hiroshima

Hiroshima proper is a busy city like any other, but the surrounding suburbs and countryside are nice and quiet. We stayed at the Hiroshima Prince Hotel. It is a very nice hotel. We even had a view of the bay. Too bad it's in an isolated area of the city. We had to take a 30 minute bus ride (including the wait) to the Hondori shopping drag. I wish we had a chance to ride the ferry...

I was surprised to see the number of resident foreigners in Hiroshima, like it was starting to be diverse. Even the children's television programming had a mix of races. I don't remember seeing stuff like that last time I was in Japan. Maybe it's just businesses vying for market share in a global economy.

We went to the Peace Memorial the next day. It was a sombering thought that more half a century ago, a weapon of mass destruction was actually used on human beings and it dropped here where we stand. The place is a memorial, but overall it was kinda depressing. Later, while searching for a Starbucks, we stumbled into an underground shopping mall. We then headed towards the Hiroshima castle. It was all very interesting. We saw some Japanese swords on display.

We also visited Mazda HQ in Mukainada. The outskirts of Hiroshima are so nice and peaceful, I could have literally gone to sleep at the train station. The pace is much, much slower, and it gave us a chance to enjoy the small town feel. I still remember the feel of the warm sun behind me as we strolled along the quiet steets and alleys.

Kyoto

We took the bullet train back to Kyoto, and we arrived at the Kyoto JR Station. A quick stop by the information desk and we were off to the bus stop. After a short bus ride, we were at our hotel (near the Kyoto Civic Center). Mon really loved the hotel coz it was in the middle of the city. The shopping drag was one block away! A quick walk around the area revealed a nearby Yoshinoya Beef Bowl. Then I thought, "Quickly now... I'm in Japan, and I see one of my favorite fast foods. What to do?..." Well, we didn't eat at Beef Bowl. Mon wanted something better. But I thought, "We're in Japan, in front of a Beef Bowl!" Of course, I would've lost that argument (sigh).

Mon completely enjoyed our walk along the shopping drag. It must be like paradise for her. Then we ate at a small shop where they serve a really good tasting chicken. Interestingly, the rice is all you can eat (only in Japan ^_^)

The next day, we ate Beef Bowl (Yes! Finally!) It tastes the same as in the states, except they don't serve chicken, only beef. Then we spent the rest of the day going from temple to temple. We saw the Vermillion Temple and Golden Temple, and took some pictures, all the while the rain was coming and going. It was a lot of fun. One of Mon's friend was also visiting Japan at that time. She wasn't sure if they were in Kyoto, but she knew that they were staying in youth hostels. We found the youth hostel, but the front office was closed.

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