Osaka: A Love Letter

Osaka doesn't get enough love. When my mother and aunt came to visit me in Japan, my aunt told me, "Osaka is the ONE city you can skip in Japan." I'm here to tell you that is so, so false. Let's break down a few reasons why Osaka is so great.

5. The Airport

This may seem minor, but the Kansai International Airport is the best airport I've flown into in Japan. Customs in Tokyo involves long lines and take around an hour. Customs in KIX takes 15 minutes, tops. Once you get out of customs you cross a skywalk and are at the Japan Rail Office where you can get your Japan Rail Pass. From getting off your plane you can be on a train to your destination in about 30 minutes. The Hotel Nikko (a little pricey, but nice) is located right across a walkway from the airport, so if you are done in after you arrive there is a place to crash nearby.

4. The Food

Osaka coined the phrase "kuidaore" which literally means "eat 'til you collapse" (or "eat 'til you ruin your life"). The city is famous (or INfamous) for the dish takoyaki, fired balls of dough with pieces of octopus in the middle, and you can find these treats from many vendors across all of Japan. But Osaka is full of all kinds of deep-fried, goes-great-with-beer cuisine, including kushikatsu (anything and everything on a stick, dipped in batter and deep-fried) and okonomiyaki (sometimes compared to pizza, a mix of dough, cabbage and whatever you'd liked, fried together in a massive pile on a grill).

Tonkatsu in the underground mall

3. Bunraku

I don't have a picture for this because I haven't been to a bunraku production since college, but it is Amazing! Bunraku is traditional puppet theater. Three puppeteers control each puppet, and the plays performed are historical, much like kabuki. The puppeteers study for years to learn their craft, and it really looks like the puppets are alive. If you closely you can almost see them breathing! If you get a chance to attend, jump on it!

2. Hep 5

Hep 5 is a department store right across the street from the Hankyu Umeda Station in northern Osaka. When you walk into the store, there is a large atrium reaching up seven stories. Hanging in that atrium is A GIANT RED WHALE.

Most of the building is full of small fashion boutiques, but on the 7th floor you can buy a ticket to ride the huge ferris wheel that is built into the building itself. Last time I was there it cost 1000 yen to ride. You sit in an enclosed "pod" that even has a heated seat in the winter! It takes about 15 minutes to go all the way around, and there are great views of Osaka. The windows have map outlines drawn on so can tell what you are looking at (written in Japanese). After you get off the wheel, cruise over to the restaurants and enjoy some Italian food or a waffle cone ice cream sundae. There is also a large 2-story arcade taking up the top two floors of the building. Hep 5 used to have an ad campaign composed of posters of people covered in ketchup and the words, "You need Hep 5". INDEED.

View of a ferris wheel "pod".

Giant TETRIS

Hep 5 is located in Umeda, the northern entertainment hub in Osaka. There are a gigantic underground mall and a Mandarake located in this neighborhood, as well as the Umeda Sky Building (Japan's 12 tallest building) and a Yodobashi Camera (large electronics store).

1. The People

People in Osaka are (in general) incredibly friendly. I've had people yell at me out of windows to say hello, cab drivers who go waaaay above and beyond in helping me get around, restaurant servers who go the extra mile to help a lost tourist, just a string of amazing encounters in this city. Although I prefer to live in smaller towns, Osaka is the one big city in Japan that I could see myself living in happily. There are many more reasons to love it than the ones I've listed here, but a big shout out to all the Osakans livin' and lovin in that fair metropolis. <3

Bookstore Dan

Just a quick shout out to one of my favorite places to get manga in Kyoto. I know Book Off! is cheaper, and Mandarake in Osaka has a HUGE selection, but I consistently find exactly what I am looking for at Bookstore Dan.
In 2009, I spent two weeks buying all the Nakahara Aya single volume manga I could find. At the end of the trip I walked into the Dan and found all my carefully collected volumes had been all the time available in one place. I also found reprints of classic shoujo manga, which led me to one of my now-favorites titles: Kuroi Bisho, by Hosokawa Chieko! So vintage, so CRAZY.

My Haul, 2009

Bookstore Dan is located in Shijo St. between Tominokoji St. and Yanagi Baba St. It's on the same side of Shijo as Teramachi St., and is about 3.5 blocks east of that shopping arcade.

Iwatayama Monkey Park

If you like monkeys and want to get up close with them, this is the place! (But if your best friend is scared of monkeys, you might want to cross this off you itinerary.) Iwatayama Monkey Park is a 5 minute walk from Hankyu Railway's Arashiyama Station, but count on 10 more minutes to climb the mountain to where the monkeys are hanging out.

Starting from downtown Kyoto, catch the Hankyu line bound for Osaka (usually Umeda Station). It's 220 yen for the whole trip, but you will need to switch trains at Katsura Station. At Katsura you will need to exit your train, go up some stairs and go back down another flight to your left. Then you will be on the correct platform to ride to Arashiyama.





When you arrive in Arashiyama exit the station and go straight. This isn't the most direct route to the park, but I feel that's it's the most scenic and also gives you a chance to buy snacks. You will pass bus stops and a parking lot, but then you will arrive at the park by the river! Turn left and do not cross the bridge onto the island that is a large park. Keep walking straight until the road ends and turn right. In about 1/2 a block you will be at an intersection with a bridge. Stay to the left and walk along the river- don't cross the bridge! The entrance to the park is inside a small shrine- look for stone steps to the shrine on your left after about 180 ft. The shrine looks empty, but when you enter there is a booth on the far left selling tickets to the park. It is 550 yen for an adult entrance ticket. Now the hiking begins!

I was carrying my camera backpack, was in fairly good shape and still had to take a break halfway up. Apparently I took the left path, which is shorter but steeper. Hang right for a less onerous climb. On my trail there was a sign halfway up reading, "Hang in there! The monkeys are waiting for you!" There is fencing up around the trails which made me think there were monkeys in the bushes and trees, but I didn't see any on my way up to the top.

At the top of the mountain it is MONKEY CITY! Monkeys sleeping, grooming, just hanging out. There is a small wooden building with chain link fence over the open windows. You can buy food in here and give it to the monkeys through the fence-windows. They were selling apple slices and peanuts- I asked the lady selling them which the monkeys liked better and she said the younger monkeys liked the apples and the older monkeys liked the peanuts. When you feed the monkeys you are supposed to put the food on the windowsill for them to grab (so you don't touch them), but they hold out there little hands and it is Very Difficult not to put the food in their palms.

Outside the hut the monkeys don't bother you for food, but there are still rules to follow:
1. Don't look the monkeys in the eye.
2. Don't touch the monkeys.
3. Don't feed the monkeys outside.

There are rangers walking around making sure everyone is following the rules and that monkeys and humans play nice. The rangers are happy to take your picture with a monkey you just need to stand a few feet behind one so you are not too close, but in the same shot. The rangers also know all about the monkey's history and hierarchy. If you speak Japanese I highly recommend asking them questions, they are happy to answer!

Last of all, if you are there at the end of the day (4:30 to 5 pm), you will catch feeding time. I'll let the video speak for itself:

Back in the game

My last trip to Japan was a bit different than I had planned. I ended up catching the flu and not being able to do almost any of the things I had planned. But now I am back, and ready to keep blogging about all the good times I have had in Kyoto, so keep an eye out for more posts coming soon!

Coming up:
Fushimi Inari Shrine
Iwatayama Monkey Park
Mseum of Traditional Hairstyles

Otagi Nenbutsuji

Otagi Nenbutsji is a small temple located in northern Arashiyama. It's so small that even though I've been to Arashiyama many times, last year was the first time I visited it. I was surprised at how close it was to Adashino Nenbutsuji- how can I have never gone before?

To get to Otagi Nenbutsuji you need to walk through most of Arashiyama. Since that would be a long, long paragraph of directions, I'm going to start from Adashino Nenbutsuji and write a longer post on the walk through Arashiyama later. There is also a decent map on the temple website, but it starts from the JR station and I think the walk is best started from the Hankyu Arashiyama station.

Looking down the street from Adashino Nenbutsuji.

Starting from Adashino, head north up the Saga-Toriimoto Preserved Street. If you are just leaving Adashino Nenbutsuji this means you will be turning left. The street looks mainly residential, with a few shops. One shop directly across from Adashino sells handmade felt boxes that look like cake. They're extraordinarily detailed, with felt fruit and frosting, and the artist makes them right in front of you! The family that runs the shop is incredibly nice so I always make a point of stopping by and picking up some delicious looking gifts for friends.

Tiny felt cakes

You will pass traditional thatched roofed houses.

 After about a block the street forks. This is where I got confused on my visit. Stay to the RIGHT of the fork. If you go left (like I did) you will find yourself on a pleasant forest road that winds for 3 kilometers before reaching a train station. There is nothing for forest along the way, and the ladies at the cake box shop told me that bears, wild boar and monkeys can be encountered on the road in the summer! So stay safe and keep RIGHT, especially if you are traveling solo.

Don't go this way!

The fork to right continues past houses and then appears to also be entering the forest. No worries! After about 100 feet you will see Otagi Nenbutsuji on your left! Entrance is 300 yen, hours are 8 AM to 5 PM.

 Otagi Nenbutsuji is full of statues. They are all carved by amateurs (instructed by a master) and represent the disciples of the Buddha. Each one is different, and there are some very funny figures! Happy statues, grumpy statues, serene statues, statues bowling, pouring sake, listening to walkmans(!), even one that looks like Mike Tyson! Although they are covered in moss, they were created only in the 1980s. There is a temple bell you can ring. Ask the staff the correct order, since there are 3 bells!

 On my last visit I only saw three other people here, and they didn't stay long. While it's a little out of the way to reach, this is a great place to really take your time, enjoy the atmosphere and the quiet.