I finally had a chance to spend a day downtown in Osaka City. Osaka has a bit of a reputation in Japan. It is thought of as the wild west, where life is a bit rougher, the people are a bit more aggressive and the life is more free. Of course, you have to keep in mind that this is only relative to the rest of Japan. Most Westerners are amazed at how clean, organized, careful, reserved and lawful everything is. The other thing Osaka is known for, is the food. The variety and quality is truly astounding.
My day in Osaka was spent primarily in the northern center called Umeda. The southern center is called Namba (I think), but I haven't gotten there yet. I took a train there and it dropped me off at Osaka Station which makes Grand Central Station look like nothing. The Hankyu lines end here (about 15 tracks), The Hanshin line ends here (another 15 tracks) and then at least three subway lines have stations here. There is an underground city here complete with miles of mall type shops and levels and levels of the underground. I got thoroughly lost wandering around so I made my way to the surface where there are more people, more shops and more restaurants. I came up near the Hankyu Entertainment Center which I had to check out. Inside the first thing I saw was a full sized blue whale (though this one was red) hanging from the ceiling. Inside was basically a mall with a couple of interesting extras - on the seventh floor I found a giant ferris wheel, sort of like the one in London except this one starts inside a building, near the top of the mall. I had to ride it! What a hoot. So I got some good panoramic shots of Osaka from the top of the ferris wheel on top of the building. The other thing that was a little different, also on the seventh floor, was the entrance to Sega Joyopolis. The signs and pictures made this look like a full blown amusement park with numerous rides and attractions. The only problem was, I knew there wasn't enough room for a roller coaster, a safari ride or whitewater rafting. I had been up in the ferris wheel and knew there were only at most two floors to fit all this stuff. What I finally figured out is that the whole thing is a virtual amusement park. For example, you might sit in a car and they will project the 360 degree view, blow wind through your hair, bounce your car around and even spray you with water. So even though you never moved, you have experienced a safari ride. And the whole Joyopolis was like this. What a riot!
After that I headed over to Osaka Castle. This is the symbol of the city and is very cool! Of course the original was firebombed in World War 2 so this is a replica, but it is still pretty impressive - although I bet the elevator and air conditioning were added in. Anyway there is a huge outer moat, an equally impressive inner moat and then the fabulous castle itself. Perhaps the best thing was I found that they sold Slurpees. After spending a few hours wandering around the castle, the grounds and the gardens, I made my way back to Umeda and spent more time exploring and what to my wondering eyes should appear: an Outback Steakhouse. I know it doesn't seem exciting to you but for me it was marvelous. So I ate dinner there and then slowly made my way home taking in the sights, sounds and smells of the city. There is still a lot more to see, so I look forward to heading downtown for more!
My day in Osaka was spent primarily in the northern center called Umeda. The southern center is called Namba (I think), but I haven't gotten there yet. I took a train there and it dropped me off at Osaka Station which makes Grand Central Station look like nothing. The Hankyu lines end here (about 15 tracks), The Hanshin line ends here (another 15 tracks) and then at least three subway lines have stations here. There is an underground city here complete with miles of mall type shops and levels and levels of the underground. I got thoroughly lost wandering around so I made my way to the surface where there are more people, more shops and more restaurants. I came up near the Hankyu Entertainment Center which I had to check out. Inside the first thing I saw was a full sized blue whale (though this one was red) hanging from the ceiling. Inside was basically a mall with a couple of interesting extras - on the seventh floor I found a giant ferris wheel, sort of like the one in London except this one starts inside a building, near the top of the mall. I had to ride it! What a hoot. So I got some good panoramic shots of Osaka from the top of the ferris wheel on top of the building. The other thing that was a little different, also on the seventh floor, was the entrance to Sega Joyopolis. The signs and pictures made this look like a full blown amusement park with numerous rides and attractions. The only problem was, I knew there wasn't enough room for a roller coaster, a safari ride or whitewater rafting. I had been up in the ferris wheel and knew there were only at most two floors to fit all this stuff. What I finally figured out is that the whole thing is a virtual amusement park. For example, you might sit in a car and they will project the 360 degree view, blow wind through your hair, bounce your car around and even spray you with water. So even though you never moved, you have experienced a safari ride. And the whole Joyopolis was like this. What a riot!
After that I headed over to Osaka Castle. This is the symbol of the city and is very cool! Of course the original was firebombed in World War 2 so this is a replica, but it is still pretty impressive - although I bet the elevator and air conditioning were added in. Anyway there is a huge outer moat, an equally impressive inner moat and then the fabulous castle itself. Perhaps the best thing was I found that they sold Slurpees. After spending a few hours wandering around the castle, the grounds and the gardens, I made my way back to Umeda and spent more time exploring and what to my wondering eyes should appear: an Outback Steakhouse. I know it doesn't seem exciting to you but for me it was marvelous. So I ate dinner there and then slowly made my way home taking in the sights, sounds and smells of the city. There is still a lot more to see, so I look forward to heading downtown for more!
good! I have spent many many days exploring Japan on my own like you did here. It is so fascinating if you take the time to notice the details and differences. I know exactly what you mean about the Outback!
ReplyDeletei can't wait to see what you and mom get into now that you are both there!
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