<Thai> – <English>
Finally, after Singapore, I arrived at my destination Osaka. And this is the trip report of my five days in Osaka.
Warning, This is a trip without any planning.
Day 1
I had to transit the plane at Taipei before I arrive at Osaka, and what is the fun part of this transit?
I stepped down from the plane, go into the gate and walked right back to it!
- The same plane
- The same staff
- The same seat
- Even the scrap of paper on the floor is at the same spot.
They should have let me sleep instead of waking me up if everything is that the same. (I get it they have to check the plan and stuff just joking.)
The Moment 01: Custom
First thing before I’m going in the country I got stopped by customs officer after migration and the first question was, “Are you travel alone?” He pointed to my bag, “With only this for five days?” (FYI: I only have a bag size of the one that you will bring with you to high school.) Then he ordered me to open it and pull everything out.
He asked me again, “Are you sure you not doing business here? Are you sure you not living here?” He kept asking me the same question two or three times while pulled out anything from my bag (Mostly my boxers.)
What do I look like a boxers sale man? I stuck with him for nearly ten minutes, don’t know why he had so much interested in me.
After the custom, I took a train and go into the city to the restaurant that I missed from my last visit here due to a super typhoon. Honke Shibato Unagi a grilled eel restaurant that walks around ten to fifteen minutes from the train station.
And now I can’t eat Unagi in Thailand and think it delicious anymore.
After lunch, I walked around 3-4 km. (Yep I’ll use the metric measurement.) to the apartment that I’ll stay for the rest of my trip.
It took me about one hour to walk to the apartment through Business district, Dotonbori river, and Namba.
The apartment was small but have everything like usual Japanese apartment from a bathtub to the kitchen and washing machine.
The Moment 02: Foreigner on the third floor
When I first got to the apartment, there was a foreigner, a traveler like me that stay at this place too.
Maybe because I already remember the combination and got a key from the mailbox without like a pro (The owner left a key in the mailbox and gave me a code to unlock it.) when I open the door and hold an elevator for him he just looked back at me and said, “Arigatou gozaimasu.”
No, I’m not Japanese! And that was the first time on this trip that people mistake me for a Japanese (I don’t know if it’s good or not.) I think I should learn Japanese next time and when I’m there, I will be invisible.
Po Travel Tips – 03: If you can try to blend in. Don’t stand there and look like a tourist or a traveler blend in! The more you look local, the more thing you get to see when you are travel.
After I took a bath, I decided to go for a walk again. This time I just looked on the right side of the apartment and walked that way. Hours later before I knew it, I walked into a street full of pachinko and prostitute… (After that I google it and realize it was a district call Tobita Shinchi, a famous illegal district in Osaka or something like that.)
I didn’t take any photo from there because I’m too afraid that someone would came and dragged me to the dark alley and put me there.
The Moment 03: Mama-san and her Girl
In Tobita Shinchi there is Japanese style rowhouse on both left and a girl sitting inside with an old lady in every door. And the funny thing will happen when your eyes meet with the old lady.
First, she will call you as soon as your eyes meet with her, “Oniisan, Oniisan…” and then start to rapping in Japanese (I know she’s not rapping, but it sounds like it.)
And not just that, if the girl beside her just sit there didn’t do anything, she will tell her to smile and wave (Think of penguins in Madagascar.) Then she will return to her rapping to invite you into the house.
Just try to imagine this an old lady, someone that maybe lived long enough to see WW2 rapping at you in Japanse. And when you walk away she will slap her knee and make a disappointed sound “Ahhh” to you.
And look at the picture below. All of those white sign in red circles are the house that will open its door at night, and all of it has a Mama-san that will invite you to the house, and you’ll have to listen to them calling you from three to four of them at the same time.
That was one of the most surreal experiences of customer calls I have ever seen.
After I walked away from that place, I got a text from my friend he has arrived in Osaka. (He’s the one that rent the apartment.) So, I jumped in the nearest train station to go meet him again at the apartment
Po Travel Tips – 04: If you travel alone and something look suspicious, trust in your gut.
The Moment 04: Meat
And now is the time for a first night food in Osaka with Yakiniku Restaurant that I can’t remember the name but only ten minutes walk from the apartment.
The meat there come with a lot of fat, like really A lot. And the pan is special design pan with a hole that will make all the fat and oil from grilling dropping to the bowl below (Look at the picture.)
And what is that brown sauce in the bowl? At first, I thought it was just a bowl to dispose of the fat and oil from grilling, but oh boy, how I was wrong. That sauce and oil will be used to fried soba that came last after the meat. And you don’t have to grill it for yourself. There will be staff that helps you grilled the meat and fried soba.
In my opinion, if somebody like a lump of fatty meat or oily food this could be a paradise for them. But if not stay away from it.
Day 2
On the second day, I chose to walk Osaka while my friend went to Universal Studio. But first, No army can fight on an empty stomach. So, I went to a small cute looking café near the apartment to had my breakfast.
After that, I walked until I found a temple in the middle of the city, so I stopped and took pictures of it. While I’m avoiding the group of old Japanese tourist that also came to this temple too.
At noon when I’m started to feel hungry again, I went to an old wooden restaurant that I randomly found on the street. They sell food that looks like curry but doesn’t taste like it. Then I go to a bakery one block away from that restaurant, and it had one of the most delicious cakes I ever eat.
After that was a long walk to the park across the bridge pass the old town district and street art while I taking pictures along the way.
The Moment 05: Yodo River
City slowly faded away as I walked until I found a big river ahead of me. The wind was good, and the view also too good to pass by. So I decided to take a break until dusk to took pictures of sunset sky before I head back.
Po Travel Tips – 05: Sometimes If you found something great on your trip, just forget the plan and goes along with it. Take a break from planning and enjoy more on what life have to offer you at the moment.
I walked there for an hour along the river to find the right spot for a sunset picture. And trust me when I say that this spot was a place that I stumble upon by myself. Not even a local came to this place only three or four old people jogged past me in one hour.
Osaka Nightlife – 01
One of the highlights in Osaka is its nightlife, a district that has a bar, pub, and nightclub stick together in a walking distance like a ball of nightlife zone. Most of them will start to open from 5 PM to 10 PM and will close from midnight to 5 AM so you can walk it all night.
The Moment 06: Kinguu Bar
The first bar for me in Osaka was the bar name Kinguu. I really don’t know how to describe it, but this bar decoration was really unique. So, I’ll just have a picture for you to see it yourself.
I also got free shots here and there from the owner and a group of Indian tourist that I met in the bar.
The Moment 07: Not a Casino, Casino Bar
I also met a Bar that had a big sign in front of it “Casino bar for amusement.” At first, I didn’t know what the word, “Amusement” mean, I thought it was just a flashy word to invite more customer into the bar and casino, but no.
Amusement means you play just for fun, not for the money. I ran out of that place at full speed when the owner told me that you can’t cash out the money that you earn. (Good thing that he said to me before I buy a chip.)
The Moment 08: Host and Hostess
Have you ever seen Japanese “Host” from any media? (If not just google it.) You can see them in Dotonbori at night standing in a group in front of the club inviting people in. The thing is I don’t is that know why I got jumped by them a lot.
It sounds scary at first when you say “A random good looking guy in front of the club just walk to you and invite you for a drink.” but these guys are actually polite. They will walk to you and invite you to the club then politely walk away when you decline.
Most of them will apologize and walk away when they know you are a foreigner. (Again, I’m an Asian in Japan, so people mistook me a lot.) Or some of them will try to talk to you in English. But no one going to drag you into the bar against your will. (At least that I know of.)
And there is also Hostess too. And for the male host, they are not just a young man with good looking hair and clothes but even an older man that feel like a cool uncle and more mature guy.
The Moment 09: Mayura and Free drink
That night I met a bartender called Mayura. We talked with each other for a while, and again she was surprised that I’m not a Japanese and ask where I’m from. When she knew I’m from Thailand, she started talking about herself and her grandma, who also came from Thai. After that, I got a lot of free shot from her until she left the bar at around three.
Po Travel Tips – 06: Try meeting new people and make a friend at the pub and bar.
Day 3
Since I used up all my energy on the last night, the third day was a light day. I just woke up and went out to Kuromon Ichiba for something to eat and came back to sleep like a log until the afternoon before headed to the aquarium and come back to sleep again till morning.
The Moment 10: Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan
One the largest aquarium in Japan, an 8-floor aquarium. All the tanks are set to be a long narrow down and let you walk in the spiral downward. The more you go, the deeper the water, and you’ll have a chance to see the fish that like to live on the surface and deep down in the same tank.
Also that day there was a field trip from some high school too. And Thanks to these three girls, I got a beautiful picture of them watching fishes in the tank.
And don’t forget about Ringed seal that waiting for you nearing the end, it was the fattest seal I’ve ever seen and look how cute it is.
Day 4
Nothing in particular on daytime, just walking around took a picture all day.
Osaka Nightlife – 02: Best Night Ever
And the best moment of this trip The second nightlife of Osaka. It all began in the late afternoon, it was raining, so I decided to find a place to wait for the rain to stop. I went into a random pub of many in Osaka, drank a beer and played some pool. But then around seven, the fun began.
The Moment 11: Draw on Me
I found a group of people doing some kind of event with a white shirt and marker pen drawing on each and before I knำw it I’m joining their group walking to the next bar.
The Moment 12: We love Osaka
Trust me when I say that, Holding the stranger in the shoulder in the middle of the street pointed your finger at the raining sky and shouting, “We love Osaka,” Is one of the best things you can do while drunk at Osaka. (Lucky me that no police was there.)
The Moment 13: I believe in you at Dotonbori River
The craziest and the most romantic moment in the night?
I walked down Dotonbori river shared the umbrella with someone (In the picture, I’ll let you guess who.) And that person just closes the umbrella and climb on the fence reached the hand to me and yelled.
“I believe in you, Po! Please Hold me.”
Then we walked with each other holding hand down the river in the middle of the rain. And with that wet floor, of course, the slipping will bound to happen.
And let me tell you this
You are not at Osaka until you jump into the river in front of Glicoman at midnight.
Po Travel Tips – 07: Crazy thing is fun to do. But please take care of yourself and know your limit.
Day 5
The last day was nothing just find something to eat and hurry to the airport. (Also play one of that UFO catching machine)
And that’s it, all of the thing I do in Osaka, if you like it, please don’t forget to follow, like, comment below.
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