015. Seven Days in Osaka
When you find yourselves in your Eat, Pray, Love era and multiple people emphatically tell you that the exchange rate has never been better and really, really, if you want to go to Japan you should go now - you find yourself blinking into the light at Osaka airport at 10.30am on a Tuesday morning, six days after booking the flight.
The intention was always for one more big trip in this six months, Japan opened their doors, and we walked right in.
The culture shock was much less pronounced compared to arriving in Bangkok, although having said that I essentially blacked out at the airport on arrival, and Ke - realising that my senses had taken a complete leave of absence - swept in and ushered us onto the Metro, in so smooth a transition I have no working memory of it.
We’ve stayed a week just outside of Namba - seemingly Osaka’s answer to Oxford Street, and it has been the most wonderful sensory overload.
Everything. Looks. Amazing.
Everything - from the washing up liquid to the bin lorries to the tube signs to the billboards - is either masterfully refined and minimal, an example of inspired graphic design, or one great big kawaii cutie. The cars! The cars!
Eating as a vegetarian has been a challenge though, and we’re back to Thailand-levels of prior research, Google Translate, and seeing dinner as an exercise in foraging. What we do find though, has been excellent 99% of the time, and 7/11 continues to be one of the Wonders of the Modern World.
In Osaka we spent 3 full days working (though with trips out for lunch and evenings spent roaming) and 3 days exploring - one day was spent ‘arriving’ which basically translates to feeling dirty, tired, disorientated and nauseous. The aquarium was lovely but left a funny taste in our mouths (perhaps more Black Fish than one would like). The art museum was hard to find but made us feel terribly cultured. Osaka Castle was beautiful though busy. Don Quijote blew our socks off - we have already planned to buy extra luggage for the way home (just like everyone said we would).
Ke is mostly thrilled by how every gadget imaginable is more efficient, more effective, and more ingenious than possibly imagined. He has made a new song up dedicated to the Japanese toilet.
