Matsuri Fireworks near Osaka!

August 4.

The idea had been to explore Kyoto after my morning at Zen meditation course but instead, I found myself on a train to Osaka with two other individuals who had taken the course. It was spontaneous and fun change of plans! ;D There was a fireworks festival in the Osaka metro area, Jonas said. I asked whether there was a special occasion. Nah, the Japanese just love fireworks in the summer haha.

Jonas’ friend whose name I can’t remember, Jonas with his stein of beer (because he’s so German), and Lenka.

Looking outside the window.

So many people!

It was all so orderly.

Did he seriously just get a number in the minute we’ve been herding out of the station?

Kimonos for matsuri.

So cute!

My thought at about this moment was along the lines of crap, I don’t have any mosquito spray.

Everyone else who got here first!

We stopped by a grocery store conveniently located by the train station to pick up dinner and beers. These may have been mine. :P

YAY for new friends! :)

I had not intended on taking photographs of the fireworks but Jonas requested (a tad too late for the first/best).

Fun! :D

Tomorrow: Hiroshima.

Another Day in Osaka!

August 2.

Why was I back in Osaka? I wasn’t really sure. I wanted to give the city another try, I suppose. My cool Nagasaki host Carey had said Osaka had great cafe culture. I was tired from spending 1-2 days here and there before moving on. Maybe today could be a slow-down day.

My host Rikako was supersweet and had a day planned for us. We would go to Osaka Castle!

Cool, a Japanese castle!

I wasn’t particularly interested in going inside though. :P The area surrounding it was a nice place to relax and hang out.

She took me also to see this Glico advertisement. It was apparently famous.

Busy shopping area. Hm, I would not mind going shoe-shopping. I forgotten a pair of everything-purpose sandals in Okinawa, which had been an annoying loss.

Seriously, that’s supposed to be a boy?

Riverside view.

I wonder what this restaurant sells.

I was interested in just walking around, actually.

Takoyaki for lunch? Sounds good.

Blowfish was an option.

Interesting architecture and signs.

Octopus dumpling balls being made.

Rikako said this place was very popular.

There was a holo-something talking from the front of a mobile service provider store. I had to take a picture. Is there anything that doesn’t talk in Japan? I’ve had the bathtub control panel talk, the air conditioner and washing machine talk, the toilets play music…

Are we sure the Japanese economy is not doing well? :P

An advertisement in an underground mall for someplace. Yes, I want to go there. :P

My accomplishment for the day was finding these flip flops (aka thongs to some), nearly exact to the model I had brought from the US and best yet, it came in my size! YAY!

That evening, Rikako and I hung out at her family’s home. We openly asked each other questions about Japanese and American culture and crazy. She was planning on doing her own round the world trip next year as well. COOL! :D Her mother prepared delicious home-cooked Japanese food for us and we watched season one of Gossip Girl and/or the movie “New Year’s Eve.” It was nice to do something “normal”/nothing for a change.

Cycling Around Osaka!

July 19.

My host had an extra bicycle so we cycled along the river for the 5-8 kilometers/miles (I forget which haha) to the harbor. I had become reacquainted with the joy of bicycling back in Luang Prabang. In Japan, bicycles needed to be registered as if they were cars and I just had not gotten around to renting a bicycle, if that was even possible.

We were just in time for sunset. That purple tower is a part of the artistically designed waste management facility.

The park area.

The way we came. What a nice ride! :D  <3 I was happy.

My cool bicycle.

We sat and watched the sunset. I kind of wished I had an alcoholic beverage to enjoy it with.

There were gears on the left and right handles. That was new to me.

I didn’t know how to use the one on the left haha.

Afterwards, I was ready to eat dinner.

City lights!

We were going to get okonomiyaki, which I had never had before.

They apparently cook okonomiyaki over there and then bring it over to you and let it sit/stay warm on the grill in front of you. It was taking forever to be prepared so I also ordered noodles as well.

Apparently this place is famous.

It was smoky. The woman had her hair tied up cutely with a towel.

I’m hungry. :( Where was my okonomiyaki!?

The noodles came first.

It may not look appetizing, but it smelled delicious and I was ravenous. Apparently Osaka and Hiroshima had two different styles of okonomiyaki, which I would see very soon when I went to Hiroshima.

The narrow street we found this restaurant on. I liked these old-Tokyo city streets.

Around midnight, I decided I wanted to dye my hair. We went to Don Quijote, a variety store, and they had a startlingly vast wall of options available.

I ended up getting one of the “boy” boxes because it had a red I liked.

Um, these are guys? So effeminate!

Anyway, with the assistance of my host, I dyed half my hair red (or tried to anyway. With Japanese instructions, I was kind of guessing how this was done hahaha). The process was complete around 3 a.m. I napped until 5:30 a.m., and then proceeded to the Shin-Osaka train station. I was catching the first Shinkansen train to Nagoya for the Sumo Wrestling Grand Tournament finals. My first bullet train ever and sumo wrestling, woohoo!

My Tokyo park bench buddy Mike had written a post about Osaka: http://5614toofar.blogspot.kr/2013/07/the-sun-drops-in-osaka.html

Spa World and First Day in Osaka!

July 18.

“So… I have to be completely naked? In public?” I asked. I had just arrived in Osaka and found my way to my host’s place. Claudia, a CSer departing the day I was arriving, answered affirmatively. Spa World, a massive complex with recreations of international hot springs and onsen experience, was on her last to-do list before she flew out, conveniently on the way to the airport. There was a special for 1,000 yen admission rather than 2,700 yen admission. I had been in Japan for over a month and had not yet tried going to the onsen. There were rules about how to act and do things that I didn’t know! And I wasn’t totally comfortable with the idea of being nude in public hahaha. Uh, okay. I hesitantly agreed to accompany her. Let’s see how this goes.

On the way there. I was back in a big city and felt a little strange/unwilling to going from beach bum mode back to full speed ahead city mode. Mentally, I wanted to still be snorkeling at Furuzamami Beach in the Kerama Islands.

A lively area, I am told.

Some of the different hot springs available. They certainly looked pretty. I was still unsettled with this public nudity idea. Ah, so American, grrr.

I asked the Internet for a description: “An onsen theme park with full resort facilities, SpaWorld features natural hot springs where you will feel like you are traveling on a world tour.” There was an Asian floor and a European floor, which alternated every month between men and women. This month, women were assigned the European floor.

Slight problem: Claudia had tattoos, which the Japanese did not like to see. She would be kicked out if they were spotted.

Gangs have flower tattoos? :P

While we went searching for a pharmacy to buy something to cover up Claudia’s tattoos.

They have a god for “The things as they should be.” I thought about that one for a bit.

After we taped up Claudia’s three tattoos, we returned to the onsen. I had never met anyone I got naked in front of so quickly hahaha. It was slightly better because she was a girl.

Inside Spa World, I took two towels for strategic placement hahaha. (Why were they so small!?!) I was self-conscious for the first 5-10 minutes but after seeing so many boobs and butts and such nonchalance, I remembered/realized that I didn’t actually care what anyone else thought, I was comfortable in my own skin, and I would never see any of these people ever again haha. So I left my towels behind, went totally bare and my new fast-buddy Claudia and I enjoyed the hot springs of Ancient Rome, Greece (Medicinal Bath), Finland (Sauna House) – the best one!!, Mediterranean Sea, Grotto Azzura, Spain, and Atlantis. :D