It took me a couple of days to orientate myself with the city and trying to get over my culture shock (especially since on my first day it took me 3 hours to find an ATM that took my card!). On my first night there, my roommate Lynn and I went out for dinner (to a Korean restaurant) and ordered a meal that looked great on the menu but ended up being some vegetables and the meat was just bones - literally!!!
The next day I went to the Osaka Aquarium with James and Anthony - 2 English guys from my hostel. The Aquarium had many levels and lots of the tanks were on split levels so you could see creatures above and below the waterline. The best bit though, was the tank with the Whale Shark and Mantra Rays in! We caught Deep Sea - a 3D film at the IMAX afterwards.
Then I went to Osaka-jo - the castle. It contained a lot of the history of the area and the battles that the castle had been involved in. It also had an observation deck at the top which had great views of the city. I also went to the Museum of History but it was all in Japanese so I didn't learn much!
That night I, Lynn, James, Anthony, and 2 Americans from the hostel, Ben & Pete went out to discover the Japanese nightlife. It was certainly a random night. We had dinner at a small restaurant and got to try out the local cuisine of Okonomiyaki - kind of pancakes with vegetables. Its hard to describe but they taste good! Then we spent time in a Mexican Bar before going to a night club called Sam & Dave's!
The next day I wandered around the southern parts of Osaka and went to a couple of shrines - Shitenno-ji & Isshin-ji but it was raining and I wasn't in the mood for taking my time at them!
On my final day in Osaka, I took a day trip to the nearby town on Himeji to go to Himeji Castle. It is supposed to be the most impressive surviving feudal era fortress and it lived up to expectations.
That afternoon, I went to Liberty Osaka - a museum of human rights that focuses on the taboo subjects in Japan. It was really interesting to look at the exhibitions and I learnt quite a lot about Japanese history.
After being here a week I am still a little shell-shocked by the culture but I'm starting to understand things a little better (like the train systems) and practising my 'hellos' and 'thank-yous' (I doubt that my language skills will get any better!) I'm off to Nara tomorrow to stay with a host family which should be great fun!
The next day I went to the Osaka Aquarium with James and Anthony - 2 English guys from my hostel. The Aquarium had many levels and lots of the tanks were on split levels so you could see creatures above and below the waterline. The best bit though, was the tank with the Whale Shark and Mantra Rays in! We caught Deep Sea - a 3D film at the IMAX afterwards.
Then I went to Osaka-jo - the castle. It contained a lot of the history of the area and the battles that the castle had been involved in. It also had an observation deck at the top which had great views of the city. I also went to the Museum of History but it was all in Japanese so I didn't learn much!That night I, Lynn, James, Anthony, and 2 Americans from the hostel, Ben & Pete went out to discover the Japanese nightlife. It was certainly a random night. We had dinner at a small restaurant and got to try out the local cuisine of Okonomiyaki - kind of pancakes with vegetables. Its hard to describe but they taste good! Then we spent time in a Mexican Bar before going to a night club called Sam & Dave's!The next day I wandered around the southern parts of Osaka and went to a couple of shrines - Shitenno-ji & Isshin-ji but it was raining and I wasn't in the mood for taking my time at them!
On my final day in Osaka, I took a day trip to the nearby town on Himeji to go to Himeji Castle. It is supposed to be the most impressive surviving feudal era fortress and it lived up to expectations.That afternoon, I went to Liberty Osaka - a museum of human rights that focuses on the taboo subjects in Japan. It was really interesting to look at the exhibitions and I learnt quite a lot about Japanese history.
After being here a week I am still a little shell-shocked by the culture but I'm starting to understand things a little better (like the train systems) and practising my 'hellos' and 'thank-yous' (I doubt that my language skills will get any better!) I'm off to Nara tomorrow to stay with a host family which should be great fun!
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