Amazing Osaka.. and a newfound friend. Part 1


I couldn't think of  a good title so might as well use what they have on their train pass, Amazing Osaka Pass, which I passed out on, pun intended. 😝

I took the train from Kyoto to Osaka. I was to meet a new friend I met online through Couchsurfing later that day but it was still early so I decided to get some rest at the hostel. Actually, the hostel I booked turned out to be just a few steps from Dotonbori which is a really good thing because to be honest Osaka intimidates me haha. I was scared to venture out on my own and get lost. I wasn't even scared in Kyoto because the hostels I stayed in were located right at the heart of Gion and along Miyagawa-chō so most attractions are within walking distance. If I had to go farther away, it was easy to take the bus. But Osaka was another thing. So I just decided to stay put until my friend arrives.

Okonomiyaki


Soba
When she finally arrived, it was amazing because I feel like we've known each other a long time. It was really great! It was my first time meeting people through CS and it was her first time too but it turned out really fine. She didn't have any references yet nor do I so the decision to meet up was based entirely on faith. We ate okonomiyaki first and then we went to Hozenji Temple in Dotonbori because I wanted to see the mossy statue. The place is really small and it seemed out of place in the busy area.It's actually a bit hidden away that's why I made sure to ask my friend about it because I plan to visit that alley again in the evening. I've seen some images of Hozenji Yokocho Alley and I think it is quintessentially Japan. We also went to manga town because I wanted to look for Naruto stuff for some friends but everything's sold out. I could sense my friend was uncomfortable in the shop, maybe because there were some otaku around and I guess women don't really go here? Anyway, it was an interesting area.

Hozenji Temple

Hozenji Temple

Inside one of the stores in Den Den Town
Next, we went to visit Osaka Castle. It was really pretty. We didn't come up anymore because I wasn't that interested on what's inside. I just wanna see the castle ground and the castle from outside.











My friend had to attend school but we agreed to meet again later that night after her classes at 10 pm. Looking back, I think I really imposed myself on her. I feel embarrassed now but also thankful at the same time. I told her I wanted to ride Tempozan Ferris Wheel and visit it's surrounding area that afternoon so she wrote the direction on a piece of paper , the train routes and all. I went back to the hostel and rested a bit. However, I had second thoughts about going to Tempozan Harbor, I was really sure I'd get lost. So, I ended up not going. Instead, as the sun was setting down, I went back to Dotonbori with my camera and took a lot of photos. Brace yourself, shameless photo spamming coming your way. πŸ˜…

It's early, so the Glico Man is not  on yet, I guess.














I also found Yokocho Alley again. That alley was really interesting! It was so narrow and is set up like a maze. At every turn, I found something awesome. Like one alley with pop up paper arts. I had a really good time losing my away around that area. And Dotonbori is really different at night too! It really comes alive. I heard someone say at the time that Dotonbori is a bit like Tokyo's Shibuya and  I had no idea what he was talking about. But since I came to Tokyo early this year, he couldn't be more wrong? I mean I like Shibuya too but Dotonbori has it's own charm too. I really loved it! The electronic billboards, the crowd, the restaurants, the iconic crab and Glico man, Ebisu bridge, the restaurant staff who invites people in, everything! You can almost feel the excitement in the air of people who were happy to be right there , right then. I don't know, maybe because it was my first time in Osaka and I haven't been to any bigger city yet but to this day, it remains one of my most favorite memory. I also went back to manga town. Actually, I knew it as Den Den town during my research but no one knows about it. I kept asking people and they don't know Den Den town so I asked if they know know manga town and yes! Haha,  it's quite funny but tiring at the same time. πŸ˜…

Entrance to Yokocho Alley

Hozenji Temple at Night





















I'm gonna cut it here and make another post because  this has become photo heavy already. Sorry, I cannot bear to leave a single photo out because this is like my online diary. In case something happens with my hard drive in the future, at least I'll have all the photos here. No, I didn't wanna buy more Google Drive space. πŸ˜…

Update: You can follow my instagram account, mieezu, for my latest adventures in Japan!

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