Osaka is Japan's "Second City" after Tokyo. It combines with Kyoto Kobe, and the surrounding area to form Japan's second largest metropolitan area - slightly over 19 million people - 14th largest in the world after New York City. The city has several districts that are reasonably well connected via metro but areas farther away need to be access via train.
Osakans love to eat and the most prevalent dish seems to be Takoyaki, octopus in a half fried, half gelatinous form found at street stalls throughout the city. The chef uses sticks to turn the octopus balls until the are cooked to perfection and ready for consumption.
Osakans love to eat and the most prevalent dish seems to be Takoyaki, octopus in a half fried, half gelatinous form found at street stalls throughout the city. The chef uses sticks to turn the octopus balls until the are cooked to perfection and ready for consumption.
UMEDA
Umeda is the business center of Osaka, primary train station, and a center of nightlife. It can take over fifteen minutes to walk through Umeda Station - while Shinjuku Station in Tokyo has more daily passengers the activity doesn't compare to the mayhem at Umeda.
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DOTONBORI CANAL AND PEDESTRIAN WALKWAY
Dotonbori Canal is the quintessential neon light, larger than life objects protruding from buildings, people mayhe image of Japan. It's busy in the day but best visited at night to see the flashing lights in all their glory. The surrounding area has a few boutique shops and anime stores.
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A few metro stops away is Shinsekai which is a "lighter" version of Dotonbori.
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I was not a huge fan of Osaka. I spent two days here and I seemed to find crowds without getting a real feel for the city. It was difficult to get a feel for the personality of Osaka. But one night I stumbled upon an event in a park that was near the hostel. It was a carnival like atmosphere. There were a couple of food and game stalls. In the center of the park was a DJ playing music that had the locals dancing in traditional Japanese attire. It was one of the best things I saw during my travels through Japan. |
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KOBE
Kobe is a quick train ride west of Osaka. The city's name is synonymous with Kobe beef, consider the greatest beef in the world. I splurge for meals when it's a cultural experience and eating a kobe steak certainly qualifies. What surprised me about kobe beef is that it didn't taste much like steak. It had a rich and fatty taste and sort of melt in your mouth without much chewing. In the photo to the bottom right, there's salt and pepper which you lightly put on the steak to accentuate the flavor.
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NARA
Nara is a former capital during the 700s that has several temples including the world’s largest, completely constructed from wood, building. Small, spotted deer wander the temple and park areas and calmly approach people adding to the serenity. A forty minute train ride from Osaka (similar distance from Kyoto).
The main temple is Todai-Ji:
The main temple is Todai-Ji:
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But the real attraction are the local deer. Deer so calm you can calm that you can walk right up and feed them.
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Deer chilling everywhere. Deer walking into stores like it's perfectly normal.
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For additional Osaka photos see FLICKR ALBUM.