Day 3- Getting a degree in getting lost
Ohayo gazaimasu! (good morning)
Guess what? The sun came out! So naturally we now love Osaka. It even reached a balmy high of 13 degrees which was a lovely change from the day before.
We found a little cafe with an English name (Cafe Regent) for breakfast and were served the one meal on their menu- toast with eggs, bacon, cabbage and banana. The cafe itself reminded me of the set of Seinfeld. Its furniture was from the 70s, every customer was going on 80 and cigarette smoke filled the room. Despite this, is was very charming and had the feel of the local place to be (if you're over 50) where everyone knew everyone, except us.
After breaky we ventured out to Osaka Castle. The gardens were absolute beautiful and there were two huge moats surrounding the castle grounds and the castle itself. Most of the buildings were replicas of the originals which were built in the 1600s but later destroyed by numerous wars between Osaka's hierarchy.
We then took of to find the Umeda Sky building which is an impressive structure which hovers over the city. We didn't have a map but we were sure we'd be able to see the giant building once we got off the subway and then be able to head towards it. Wrong! The building completely disappeared from sight amoungst the other tall, brightly lit buildings. After wandering the streets for an hour, we gave up and had lunch at an eccentric little restaurant in town. It was here we accidentally ordered fried chicken cartilage. Very very chewy.
After lunch we explored the bustling area a little more, trying to spot the giant sky building, but after no luck we threw in the towel and went home. Surprisingly, English is not as widespread as we would have thought so it is near impossible to ask for directions. And we didn't plan it well enough to bring a map.
After resting our weary legs at home we ventured out again at dark to find the famous Dotonbori strip. It's a busy,brightly lit area which cradles either side of a canal. The area was absolutely bustling with people and filled with screaming restaurateurs trying to entice you into their eateries. The area is often featured on the big screen in scenes to depict Osaka. Everything about it was over the top, making it a really great place to explore!
Despite the huge range of choices for dinner we ended up eating back at our favorite little restaurant near the hotel. You just can't beat cold Asahi and cheap gyoza!
Tomorrow we leave for Hiroshima. Until then, Sayonara!