Kobe Seishin Oriental Hotel

Yesterday we made the trip back to Honshu, leaving our Okinawan experience behind us. It is quite nice to be back on the 'main land' and in the great city of Osaka. We are now definitely back to the Japan that I know.

Osaka is certainly a busier place than Naha -- definitely not as laid back here! There is obviously work to be done, people to see, and food to eat. The thing that always strikes me about Osaka is the sheer scale of eating establishments of all ...

... at Steak Ron, delicious Sakuyaki at Hariju and more helpings of takoyaki/okonomuyaki/yakisoba.

S teak Ron
1-10-2 Sonezaki Shinchi, Kita-ku | Umeda, Osaka

Hariju
1-9-26 Nishishinsaibashi Chuo-ku Osaka

Takontetsu (Pizza Ball House)
1-9-20 Maru Bldg Umeda 1 Chome

Meaning to ruin oneself by extravagance in food. Heard another translation - "Eat, eat until you fall down." Why Osaka is my entry point to Japan. It also translates to eating as much Takoyaki and Okonomiyaki as possible. BTW Takoyaki - Octopus balls. Okonomiyaki - Pancake-ish dealies. Oh Osaka.

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... a bus back to the station, and quickly became lost in my own thoughts as I stared out the window. I was thinking about the people who helped me out that day, or the people who purposely avoided me. I zoned in on people in general, and couldn't help but think that even though the world is small- people are NOT actually all the same at heart. I knew it was a bad thought to think, but honestly- people in different countries have different priorities, different thought processes ...

... the different Chinese years. Then, we wandered the street (one street! Tiny...) and all the food was ridiculously expensive.. like, 15-20 bucks for a meal! Who knew Chinese could be expensive? Not me.. So, we stopped for some dim sum and waited out the rain. He had a Chinese beer for the first time, and it was as terrible as I'd warned him it would be. But it's all good! (Daijobu!) So, then we headed out into the night for the entertainment district ...

... and plus Duc and Kelsey decided to explore the rest of Kobe. Kobe is my favorite Japanese city thus far. After we left the JR rail lines, we first explored the shopping district of Motomachi located close to the harbor area. Motomachi gave me a chance to play a guitar for the first time in a couple of weeks and also allowed me to grab a gift for a friend. After Motomachi we headed to a pseudo-China town filled with Japanese people ...

... best Kobe Steak restaurant in the city. Now if you don't know what Kobe beef is you maybe wondering why did I want to take a detour for steak. Kobe beef it the most expensive and best beef on the planet, what makes it so good is the cow is given the best of everything to ensure thy produce the best meat. Their pens are immaculately maintained, they are heated, they play music to them and give the beer to drink all with the purpose ...

... take coins and put them into the drink vending machines to buy drinks. How awesome is that? The park was CROWDED due to Golden Week. I guess it's a popular thing to go to the hills and have a picnic and a hike. It's not much of a hike as the trail is paved and cars occasionally come up and down it, but I guess it's as good as we're gonna get in Japan. We walked about 30 mins and found ourselves at the waterfall. Alas, no monkeys. We ...

... heading on to Tokyo while we detoured to the small town of Nara, so it was going to be several days before we saw one another again. To be frank, that was fine. I was looking forward to some time not having to coordinate group activities. We caught a local subway in to the heart of Osaka and stepped out of the underground right into a massive shopping arcade lined with electronics stores and expensive boutiques, jam-packed with stylish looking people on the go. It was ...