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Yep, that's me, in Osaka! I'm standing under the famous crab sign in Dotonbori. The sign over my left shoulder says "crab sushi." (I guess it doesn't have to be raw crab, does it?) They sell sushi-to-go out in front of the restaurant. |
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We were always searching for meals when Mizue-san wasn't there to take care of us. Dotonbori is famous for tako-yaki (little fried balls of battered octopus). I ate a few, but Christeen wasn't interested. The other thing I wanted to try in Osaka was okonomiyaki. And we actually already knew this restaurant called Chibo. (We've been to the Chibo in Honolulu!) So we went in. Ordering was a adventure in itself. No English help available, and I really confused the waitress when I kept pronouncing the word "tama" (round) as "tamago" (egg). But we actually got what we were trying to order, and it was worth the effort. "M, m, mai!" |
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Wondering around the neighborhood we came aross a cute, busy little shrine. People were stepping up to the altar with incense and quick prayers. I was quite surprised, really, that on a random Tuesday mid-day there was so much activity at a tiny little shrine. |
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In Japan, a lot of shopping areas have streets that have been closed to traffic, and have been covered over. The feel is very much like our suburban shopping malls. But it's still the same old neighborhood, still right in town. We should try this here. |
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The view down a quaint side street, just off that same "mall" pictured above. |
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This clown, like the giant crab at the top of the page, is a famous landmark in Dotonbori, so... |
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...so I got Christeen to pose next to the clown. Soon after this, we headed back to Kobe. But by now we were experts at riding the subway, and experts at finding our way around Osaka Station. (Not!) (^_^) |
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Thursday (the day after our tour of Kyoto with Mizue-san and the gang) we had a scheduled tour of Osaka castle with an English-speaking guide. We met up at Osaka Station, and our guide lead the group (nearly 20 of us) through train stations, and on and off trains, and got us to the castle. This was our first view of the castle after we walked up from the station. |
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The castle moat, and the base of the walls. (The shape of the wall is said to be the strongest shape possible.) |
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A view of the castle high above as we approached the bridge over the moat. |
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This might be a picture of the castle, but it's actually a picture of our guide Tomoko-san. She spoke English VERY well. But had not spent much time abroad. She said she learned English in school in Kyoto. Like nearly all the Japanese people we encountered, Tomoko-san walks very fast. Perhaps not a good quality in a tour group leader who typically leads older Americans around. We asked her to slow down, and she said she would, but it's just her natural walking speed: Fast! (An older gentleman from Mauritius whose wife stayed behind at a half-way point said "My wife said she signed up for a walking tour, not a jogging tour." Haha!) |
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Side view. We walked around to the far side of the castle where the entrance is. |
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That's Tomoko-san on the right telling us to wait while she goes to buy us tickets. Christeen is just entering the frame from the left. |
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Christeen poses with the castle, a beautiful cherry tree, and the first flight of stairs we would climb. |
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Same cherry tree. |
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I was thrilled to see "Osaka Dome" as we walked out of the train station. It's the big auditorium where I've seen many of my favorite pop stars perform (on video). So I took this shot of the auditorium from the top of the castle |
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Here's another of those rooftop fishes that are seen on many castles, but this one is covered in gold leaf. Beyond, in the upper-right corner of the shot, you can see the Oogawa river, lined with cherry trees on both sides. Our tour this day included a boat ride on the river. Great for cherry viewing. During the boat ride, another person in our group said, "This is beautiful, but if it wasn't cherry blossom time, what would we be looking at?" I didn't feel that way at all. EVERYTHING was so strangely interesting, so different from California, I never got tired of looking around. |
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The castle framed in cherries. |
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The crowds coming and going. |
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While I was waiting for the group to form up after the castle and museum, it happened that two models wore posing for a photography crew. There were also stylists, producers, directors - - a whole crew. |
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It must have been for some commercial, or perhaps for a magazine spread. So I took a few shots, too. |