Today would the best test towards how far I can push my luck. Leaving the foreigner friendly Tokyo for Osaka down in the South.
Breakfast was almost the same as yesterday, the fruit bagel was replaced by a ham & cheese one. Which I could only applaud! After breakfast it was time for a shower and check-out.
Time to travel to Osaka! But first I had to exchange my JR-pass. Best station to do that according to my travel route would be Shimbashi. After asking for the ticket office twice I found it and got helped pretty quickly there. Finding the correct platform didn’t prove any problem either. On my way there I picked up some stuff to eat & drink.
On to the Shinkansen! Think I had to wait only 15minutes for a Hikari Shinkansen. Which wasn’t that bad.
During the 3 hour travel I wrote up the last blog-post as I had the time then. The start of the travel there wasn’t much to see outside either, and I had a pathway seat. Halfway the gentleman in the window seat left and I could take that spot (and the power supply!).
Now it was time for the Melonpan I picked up to be consumed. To my surprise, this one wasn’t as expected. It was filled with peanut butter… bleegh.
I payed for it, so I finished it,but next time I’ll pay a bit more attention to the packaging to stop this stuff from happening.
Arriving in Osaka I quickly noticed it was a lot cooler than in Tokyo. Walking around in my T-shirt was quickly out of the question. I went to my hostel to check-in and returned to Osaka Station as it is home to the Osaka Pokémon Center. Found there this weird Mahjong-looking game. But it’s more off a 20-games-in-one-box thing, using tiles.
After a brief visit it was time for my usual stroll around the area. Found some nice viewing spots. With gardens on buildings, really crazy stuff. Back on the ground I found this pathway dedicated to Billiken filled with restaurants and an arcade hall. the poor fellow can’t touch the soul of his foot, so if you scratch it for him, he’ll bless you with good luck.
Tried my hand on a crane game for a Roy Mustang Figurine, but to no avail 🙁
There was even this one game, where you’re simulating being a train driver. With pedals, levers and all. It had even a manual with it to properly explain how things worked.
Dinner time! This time a combination of my last 2 real meals, Udon noodles with curry sauce. I’m not really a foody, but this was just fine. Nothing special to write about actually. Except that these buggers are slippy as hell.
That was my first day in Osaka.
Oh yeah, before I forget. At one point there was a Giratina raid going on, you could hardly pass this mass of people. Some even had five cellphones on them.
