We were pretty worn out the day/night before so we slept in late and decided to just do some sight seeing nearby. As it was a Monday and Yukiko had to work, we were on our own. So we headed to the Osaka Castle, which was about 10mins walk from our apartment. Sweet. Weather check that morning was decent with a high of 13'c but it did show signs of shower. Missy apparently-know-it-all-directions, yours truly, read the map wrongly and it was a blind lead the blind case for the first 20mins. heh...yea...it
was supposed to only take us 10mins walk from the apartment but yes, mistakes do happen :P Anyway, friendly Japs helped us along the way and guided us back on track.
The perimeter river surrounding the Castle grounds
Osaka Castle
View from the Castle observatory deck. Those buildings behind me is the NHK building(taller one) and the Osaka National Museum(shorter one connected to NHK through a dome).
That night we took the subway to Namba, Dotonbori again to do some shopping in Shinsaibashi. Shopping in Shinsaibashi I'd say requires a lot of MONEY and time. It's basically two rows of shops, one each side, running miles and blocks away. I thought it was like an open-air departmental store. I bought some really pretty accessories. We also found a bakery, Grand Afternoon Tea, which serves really yummy bread. Dad got hooked on them and we spent a hefty sum just on bread!
Day 3 - NaraBy the third day, we were actually getting the hang of traveling around with the subway. The English version subway map Yukiko got for us on Sunday was really handy and it's actually not that difficult once you know where your intended destination is and where exactly should you get off.
So after figuring out which subway line we were supposed to take, we confidentally took off to Nara, approx. 80mins from where we were. The main attractions in Nara was the Big Buddha in Todai-ji (Eastern Great Temple), and the deer park (which we later found out that deer in Nara roam freely and Nara itself is a BIG deer park!).
Yours truly always have a blunder on her trips, what more my blunder this time happened even before the trip took place (if you've been following my posts you'll know what I mean). Anyway, the second blunder happened when we were waiting for the train to Nara. Upon purchasing the ticket, which happens to be the most expensive ticket we've been buying so far, we hurriedly looked for the right platform to board the train coz we were told the train would arrive within minutes.
In the rush, I must've dropped the ticket coz as we got to the platform, I fumbled in search for my ticket in my pockets but I couldn't find it! *Oh GREAT!* I panic and so did everyone, or should I say the nagging started. :P I ran up the stairs to the ticket conductor booth and used simple English and all sorts of hand gesture to tell the conductor "I've lost my ticket!" Fortunately, the conductor at the booth was really helpful and kind and he went all out to help me. He said I didn't need to worry as he'll call the guys at Nara Station and inform them about my lost ticket but somehow I wasn't really convinced that I'll be able to get through. So he made a couple of calls and tried to assure me again and he was scribbling and canceling what he scribbled on the notepad that he was communicating with me. *heh* Then suddenly, he told me to wait and he started running off. Within minutes, he came running back panting hard and showed me my ticket! Until today I don't know how he managed to replace that ticket cos the ticket he gave me had the same exact serial number as what mom, dad and Wen's had. Somebody must've found the ticket somewhere. But what a kind soul he was.... : )
In Nara.....
Dad buying roasted sweet potato...it was really yummy that....
Wen got attacked by her new found friend. He bit off the corner of the paperbag from Wen's hand! How rude...*tsk*
Entrance to the temple.
She thought I had food :P
There's a BIG Buddha sitting in there
The BIG Buddha
One of the pillars inside the temple. Apparently it's for good luck if you can wiggle yourself through that hole. I made it through! haha...a Canadian guy whom happened to be standing around found it amusing watching me wiggle through that hole. When I got through, Dad and I convinced him that he could do it too. I offered to help him snap a photo even. He was pretty convinced at first, removed his jacket but after much consideration, he gave up without even trying. Takes a bit of courage to do it *ahem* coz the hole
is pretty intimidating.
Nara is really beautiful and serene. The fact that the city allows the deer to roam freely is simply amazing. The gorgeous gardens filled with lovely blooms of
Tsubaki and lush greens everywhere you go gives you a sense of peace and calm.
We had lunch at the convention center, further up from Todai-ji, over looking a beautiful garden. Lunch was simple, I had a beef curry rice, but possibly because of the view we had, the food tasted really yummy. It's no wonder Japanese live and age so gracefully. Mom said it's cause they walk a lot, which is very true.
Before leaving Nara for Osaka, we stopped by the
Kofuku-ji (5-storey Pagoda). The Pagoda was constructed from wood and I must say, the architecture's stupendous! We walked around the Pagoda grounds and just admire its formation and construction. We didn't get to figure out if we could actually go inside to have a look, cos its surroundings were pretty quiet by then, must've been closed or something, so we just didn't bother checking. We were pretty exhausted by then cos we've been walking the entire day and the weather was getting chilly. I went cam-whoring around and took some really decent shots...heh
Nara was(is) indeed a beautiful lil' city. Heaps of picturesque photos were taken and it'll remind us of how peaceful and calm that lil' city is.
And so we left Nara and headed back to Namba to meet Yukiko for dinner. We're so familiar with Osaka that Yukiko found it amusing watching us purchase subway tickets and leading her to the subway exits. *grin* We went on a big eating spree in Dotonbori that night. Our first stop was Sammy's Ebisu Plaza, a some sort 'junk' food theme park. Prior coming to Osaka, we saw a food connoisseur program introducing and highly rating the plaza. The interior of the plaza is recreated into the Taisho-era of Japan, or simply, ancient Japan, with alleyways, houses, shops and a 'old-town' square where a short musical performance is staged. We tried okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake), akashiyaki (similar to takoyaki - octopus balls, just that this is made from a rich egg-batter and dipped in a fish broth before eating), and tonkatsu skewers (deep fried breaded pork/beef on skewers).
After Sammy's Plaza, we went on for more food. We wanted to try ramen and Yukiko asked around for the best ramen shop around Dotonbori. As we got there, I figured it's the best as there was a long queue waiting to get into the ramen shop! I tried a pork ramen with a soft boiled egg, highly recommended by Yukiko and it was really good. The egg is somewhat like herbal eggs but it wasn't herbally...no idea, but it was really good!
At the akashiyaki stall
My pork ramen & soft boiled egg / Yukiko & I at the subway
Day 4 - Kuromon MarketThis was a our final day. We didn't want to go too far and the Kuromon Market was actually one of the places to go in our guide book. 'sides, we, at least I know I do, love to check out markets, any type as long as they're not too dirty and smelly. *heh* My little guide book listed Kuromon Market as Osaka's main kitchen. Now, how are we gonna miss it?
It wasn't too difficult to find our way to Kuromon Market. We were actually quite good at studying our subway map by then. Once we exited the subway, we were a lil' cautious about getting lost or going against the wrong direction of the market. So, we asked a middle age lady whom happened to pass us and she pointed us to Kuromon, which happened to be just in front of where we were standing. Now, that's how convenient and easy it is for you to get around in Osaka. The subway station guide tells you exactly where you're suppose to exit to your intended destination and as long as you're on the right track, you'll never get lost. I like.
The market is actually quite similar to Victoria Market in Melbourne except it runs for a few blocks and it's what seems to me like shop lots. It's actually very clean and most importantly, it didn't stink! : )
Our first purchase was cuttlefish! Which we later found out was imported from China, explains the cheaper comparison price to the ones we bought later as well as taste. Japanese cuttlefish has a tender and juicier texture, while the other was harder and dryer. Next, we came to a fresh seafood shop, which was the first shop we stopped for a quick bite of sashimi fugu (blow fish). And we're all still alive ; )
There's fugu everywhere!!
That's mom's finger pointing at the box of fugu she's selected for us to 'risk' our lives on. *grin*
Slices of sashimi fugu on the semi-circle, spring onions and soy sauce for dipping on the right corner and strips of 'cover' (heh, that's what the vendor said - he actually meant 'skin' :P) on the left corner.
We went on to explore the market further and it was indeed Osaka's main kitchen. I mean you get to see the freshest seafood, meat, vegetables, fruits, pickles, and all sorts of dry food as well as restaurants, which many specializes in serving fugu. We had lunch at one of these restaurants. I'll come to that in a while....
This shop was selling whale meat(!) and tuna
There were crabs everywhere too. Big, small, reds, maroon, monsterous looking...check out that one in the middle (that's Wen's hand). Dad was tempted to get one of those claws packaging home but held back because of the logistics and bulkiness.
Those orange looking things in the box is uni(sea urchin), assortment of packed sashimi, huge squids and tako (octopus) of all sizes and prices
Look at the sizes of Japanese daikons (radish), fruits and pickles of all sorts
Now, if you've been to the Hokkaido or any Japanese food fair in Isetan, and happened to come across the fruits section, you'll notice one of the most expensive fruits, the Crown musk melons. Last I remembered, they were priced at RM180/pc. I've always wondered how great these melons were so, since we're in the land that produces these fruits, it's a MUST-try! We found one of the cheapest at 900¥ (RM27), a small little one. *heh* It was really, really good!! We asked one of the fruitsellers in Nara (one of his melons on the rack were priced at 8000¥!!) why were the melons priced at such a high price. According to him, each plant only produce one fruit and basically requires a lot of TLC! haha...that's the Japs for you. It's the same about how they care for the cattle that produces Kobe beef. At RM500/kg, now that's expensive meat! I know, I'm beginning to sound like one of the moms that visit the market frequently, who knows the best price in town! *eeeekk!!*
The Crown musk melon.
Looking at all the food available in the market, our stomach were crying out to us. We knew what we were gonna have for lunch, FUGU! There were so many fugu restaurants to choose from, mom picked a decent looking one and as we got in, there were indeed many people digging into their hot pot. It's a good sign...that these people are still alive! *heh* It was so packed out downstairs, we requested to go upstairs. Mom ordered the mid-range sets at the price of 5000¥ per person.
The set starters; 'cover' strips (hehe), sashimi slices and a fugu salad with fugu roe (I think)
Deep fried fugu, babycorn, eggplant and green chilli pepper - my favourite dish, the fugu was really good prepared this way, especially the tail piece :P
The platter for the hotpot
All in the hotpot *yummm*
And like the kani meal, the finale of the rice porridge. We were really stuffed after the lunch!
FUGU-licious!! Fugu's a MUST-try if you're in Japan. Highly recommended by yours truly. It's on the pricey side, but still go for it! FYI, Yukiko, Noriko and their partners have never tried fugu before as it's too expensive.
Anyway, we were unable to do more shopping after lunch as we already had too much to carry. There was no other choice but to head back to the apartment. 'sides we had a lot more to pack for our flight the following morning. Once we got back to the apartment, mom washed and cut up the fruits we bought from the market. The musk melon was so heavenly sweet and fragrant that Dad, Wen and I took the subway back to the market before it closed to get more fruits! hehehe...we're pretty crazy as you can tell. We went back to the same vendor and Dad packed more pessimons and mandarin oranges to carry back to KL. I asked the lady at the shop if it's possible to walk to Dotonbori from the market. I had an appointment to meet Yukiko and her bf for dinner. She gave me directions and it didn't seem too difficult to find my way there and convinced Dad that I'd be fine on my own. So, Dad and Wen took the subway back to the apartment and I walked across the subway station, finding my way to Dotonbori.
She was right. It wasn't difficult at all finding my way there and it was actually very nearby, say 5mins walk. After window shopping a lil', I went to Kani Doraku, the meeting spot I was supposed to wait for Yukiko. Minutes later, both Yukiko and her bf arrived. He'd just returned from San Francisco two days before, explains why he wasn't with us for the kani meal. (And I really can't recall his name too :P). Oh, and according to Yukiko, I'm to first to meet him since Noriko hasn't met him yet (they've been going out for 2 yrs now).
Anyway, they decided to take me to a
Izakaya since my parents were not with me, to simply get a feel of what young Japanese enjoy doing, to eat and to drink with friends. I wish I remembered the name of the Izakaya that we went to cos I really like the food and drinks there. The interior was nice too, unfortunately the photos we took in our little booth did not do justice to that. However, if I ever do go back to Osaka, I'll be sure to visit this Izakaya again. Then again, there may be other nicer Izakayas and as Yukiko said, I'll have to visit Kita, the place she frequents with her friends during the weekends, the next time I'm in Osaka. More reasons to visit Osaka again ; )
In our little booth
That's the end of my Osaka adventure (finally!). That night, the three of us took the subway back to my apartment, I got down but they continued on their journey back home. We parted in the subway just before I got down at my stop and it was almost illusory that I'd spent the last few days in Osaka and the dinner meet ups with Yukiko.
It's exactly ten years since I've met Noriko and Yukiko. They were then exchange students in my high school. I hosted Noriko while my good friend,
Cheo hosted Yukiko. And what coincidence that it turns out, Noriko and Yukiko are good friends too. Since they left after the exchange program (we hosted them for 2 nights only), the both of them visited Malaysia again on two separate occasions. On their last trip, the both of them stayed at my place (Cheo was away at uni in UK then) and that was when we were 20. Cheo made a trip to Osaka a couple of years after and it was then that Yukiko was away in UK studying, so he only met up with Noriko. And now, after years of persuasion from the girls, I finally made the trip but Noriko had a job posting out of state the day after I arrive (she's attached to KPMG Japan as an auditor - explains the busy life she leads). It's like a switching role game. heh...well,at least I managed to meet up with her that night for dinner.
Yukiko actually told me to start saving up again so that I'll be able to attend Noriko's wedding early March. I don't know 'bout that.......it's tempting, but it's also fatal! hehe...
