Cooking Courses and Capsule Hotels


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Asia » Japan » Osaka
March 2nd 2006
Published: March 3rd 2006
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The Osaka SkylineThe Osaka SkylineThe Osaka Skyline

From the roof of the Umeda Sky Building
"Sushi nigri Jackie Chan" came the knock at my door. Well it might as well have been. "Tell him to f*ck off" said the voice in my head. The comically stereotypical japanese student I had bumped into the evening before wanted his photo taken with me before setting off to tour italy. It gave me a good wakeup though, so I packed in preparation for my cookery course, and then the train to Osaka.

In Japan it seems there are 10 people doing my job, so I should hardly been suprised when a cookery course involved 4 people - 2 attendants, the instructor and a taxi driver. And I was the only person on the course. Well, me myself and Illixenber as they had creatively mispelt my name.

The course was great, run in the home of the instructor and very hands on, especially with the 1-1 nature of it. I was tought to cook:

The course was a lot of fun, with frequent visits to the pocket translator to avoid confusion
Umeda Sky BuildingUmeda Sky BuildingUmeda Sky Building

You either love it or hate it
between manure and mayonnaise. I was plied with sake over eating, and given another bottle to take with me. It turns out the instructors husband is a rep for a sake company. Excellent!

Stuffed and a bit pissed I headed off to Osaka, and the New Japan Sauna and Capsule Hotel. Classy! The hotel at about 13 pounds a night was a steal though. Its location however... in the middle of one of the most full on red light districts I have ever seen. 'pink cabarets', fetish shops and love hotels line the streets with no exception to the east. Luckily to the west are a lot of clubs, bars and restaurants to escape to.

I decided an introduction to the city was needed, so I went up the Umeda sky tower, regarded by some as a space age Arc du Triumph with its two towers and joning "Sky garden". The view was great, but not as great as the ride up. I felt like Charly in the great glass elevator - for it was just that that whisked you from the ground to the top in seemingly no time. I stayed up there to see sunset, then headed down town for some food and beers.

Dotombi is district of Osaka which is just crazy. It has floor to ceiling neon, and more restaurants, bars, clubs and casinos than you could hope to visit in a lifetime. The main streets are the realm of the ultra modern, and the back streets are the realm of the traditional. It is put simply a great place to be in the evening. I went to a Kaitzen-Zushi bar (conveyer belt...think Yo Sushi) and tried to complete my list of sushi. Having ticked of Unagi (eel), squids foot, octopus tentacle and a few others I wandered off to soak up the atmosphere, before heading back to the capsule hotel for the night.

In the New Japan, clothes are left at the door along with shoes. Only robes and barefoot are allowed beyond reception, and after walking through a small cafe/bar and a lounge you come to the sleeping pods. Corridors as long as the eye can see filled with chambers, just shorter than me and stacked 2 high. Although they were a suprisingly good sleep, and I would recommend the experience to anyone. In fact I'm booked in again tomorrow!


Additional photos below
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DotomboriDotombori
Dotombori

The river is suprising tranquil, a stark contrast to the mayhem only one street away either side
In Osaka No One Can Hear You ScreamIn Osaka No One Can Hear You Scream
In Osaka No One Can Hear You Scream

Row after row of plastic sleeping capsules, reminiscent of a spaceship.
From inside the coffinFrom inside the coffin
From inside the coffin

6'4'' of Alex, 6'3 1/2'' of Capsule


3rd March 2006

Capsule hotel
By the looks of it we could get about a dozen of those capsule things in your bedroom at home. We could then take on lots of lodgers. Mum said don't forget to wiggle your toes as you could get DVT in one of thoes coffins
3rd March 2006

Birthday boy
Are you doing anything special for your birthday tomorrow? I know you treated yourself to the cookery course but that was yesterday. We may have to open a bottle of Sake up at the village hall in Horndon to celebrate without you. Legacy are playing there. Lots of love...mumsy
3rd March 2006

Happy birthday
Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Alex, happy birthday to you. Lots of love Mum and Dad. PS we're just going out to a nice restaurant to celebrate but its not your birthday here yet

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