This is my FIRST TRIP TO JAPAN!
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| I seriously don't even know which direction to look! Everything is so cool |
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Okay here is the update from day one of our Japan trip
Mike had to come to Osaka for two days of board meetings so I came along with him. We arrived into Osaka KIX airport last night at 11pm...
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| The cabbies here are awesome--they all are old men and wear white gloves and have white lace covering the backseat--a little bit of a step up from the good ol KL taxi cabs that are falling apart, but we love them nonetheless |
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| Exhausted, at 11 at night we walked in to check in (Mike is on the left). Side note: Mike comes to Japan probably once a month. You can picture the look on my face when I walked into this place. First thought: "Wow is this for real...? This place is gooorgeous" Second thought: "While I'm at home changing poopy diapers, you get to stay here at this gorgeous setup? How does this seem fair?" -- hehe -- I give him a hard time |
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| We woke up in the morning to see the Osaka skyline. Osaka is like a more down to earth Tokyo -- it is the #2 city in Japan |
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| Okay so Mike has been talking up the toilets in Japan -- I finally get to experience them for myself -- they are super high tech with heated seats and like a billion buttons and sprays and stuff |
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| I guess Mike says the Japanese love their toilets (or "washlets" as the sign says) and so they have trouble staying any country outside of Japan where the toilets aren't as accommodating |
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| Okay seriously can I just live here? |
Okay so my first day out. Mike was in meetings and hanging out at the hotel alone I was feeling a little too "Lost in Translation" (a much less cute version of Scarlet Johansson) so I raided my Lonely Planet for a must do list of Osaka -- I headed out to walk all the way down to the Dotomburi neighborhood -- here are pics of the walk
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| There are vending machines with drinks everywhere (see the yellow boxes on the right) |
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| Okay so I need a bit of hairspray. Can you seriously imagine me trying to find a little can of hairspray in this crazy shop? I tried so hard but EVERYTHING is in Japanese and I couldn't figure out which cans were hairspray (you'd think it would be obvious but it wasn't) so I ended up giving up and walking out empty handed. |
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| This little old lady was so cute making her little snacks on a stick -- I had no idea what they were but I bought two sticks anyway |
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| It turns out they were like soft sticky rice balls dipped in some sort of sesame sauce -- pretty good but I don't think I'll be getting any more |
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| Okay I am still walking down to find the Dotomburi neighborhood and I found another little snack stand. This cute lady was selling these balls full of meat and soup -- I ordered a few and walked around eating them on chopsticks |
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| Okay these actually were really good and I will have to get more next time |
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| I finally made it to the famous Dotomburi neighborhood. This is the Dotomburi neighborhood. |
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| The theatre where they perform traditional Japanese arts |
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| This area is famous for inspiring sci fi Blade Runner scenes |
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| I don't even know where to look -- it was cool. I kept taking pictures then realizing who is going to want to look at all these pictures! I obviously edited a ton out for the blog -- you can only look at so many giant neon signs |
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| This area is known for its fried octopus -- a ton of people were lined up at this shop waiting to get their fried octopus balls |
Okay next up...Udon noodles!
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| I found this little noodle joint where everyone sits at a long bar and you order your meal from a vending machine outside before you even go in to sit down |
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| The vending machine is on the left -- seriously I cannot stress how much everything is in Japanese. I had NO idea what I was ordering. The worker guy from inside had to come out to help me and he was laughing because I was so clueless -- it was hilarious |
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| Okay here I am (in black) sitting up at the bar waiting patiently for my udon noodles |
Next up...Amerika-Mura neighborhood and...
...the love hotels!
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| I read about these "love hotels" in my guidebook -- they are hotels you can rent out for the night or just for a few hours even during the day -- I was so stoked when I finally saw that one I HAD to take a pic for the blog |
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| Crazy Japanese add for Vitamin Water -- so unlike the simple Vitamin Water adds in the US |
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| Another thing I read about in the book -- the gambling arcades -- I really wanted to go up the escalator and take a peak but since I was alone I guess I didn't have enough guts |
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| Bikes are all the rage here -- |
