KUIDAORE'D @ OSAKA (2日目)

It was a chilly morning. I had woken up early to take a jog around the city but it was too cold to get out of bed. All my time planning a jogging route before the trip sadly went to waste. I had not anticipated I would be literally frozen in bed. I was cooped up in my little dark eighth floor room and I didn't know how to turn on the television. Instead I listened to this classical music playlist on my iPod to keep me in the mood. I played the 2Cellos' music on loop from the moment I boarded the plane to Osaka, to the time I arrived back in Manila. Their version of Welcome to the Jungle (as well as the rest of their debut album) must have been the soundtrack of my autumn; next time though I'll download something a little less European to complement the experience. I looked out my window and was thankful that even if I was assigned a smoking room, I didn't have to inhale even the teeniest wisp of cigarette smoke, plus the view was nice. But enough about inside the hotel. 

Fig 1. Kitsune Udon at Osaka Castle.

I caught a train to Tenmabashi to see the beautiful Osaka Castle at 9.30; that way I was able to avoid the morning rush hour. From the station, I was fascinated by the red and yellow foliage all around. It was beautiful. I passed by the NHK building on the way to the castle. An old man took me around the vicinity. He spotted lonely me camwhoring against the landscape so he volunteered to take my picture, give a history lesson about the castle and have lunch with me. We ate Kitsune Udon, which is thick noodles cooked in broth with deep fried kitsune (tofu). I was excited because I thought I would be eating fox meat that day. Kitsune, when translated in English, means fox. Nevertheless, I wasn't disappointed by its taste. After lunch, we tried to take more shots of the castle so I could properly justify the fact that a moat surrounded the structure. I guess that's the reason why people marvel at its beauty. A huge school of fish the size of a salmon, flock to one part of the river, and is entirely visible even ten meters above the water. Many websites post pictures of the castle at night to emphasize what it looks like when it's properly illuminated against a dark sky. The man continuued to talk about several eras which involved the castle being used as a fortress, but I didn't get a lot out of it because he spoke in Japanese. I didn't want to offend him, so I occasionally responded with "Hai, wakarimashita!" 

Fig 2. Osaka castle and me..

Fig 3. Sand replica of the castle.

Fig 4. Moat around the castle.                                       

We parted ways at half past one in the afternoon and I took another train to restaurant-studded Dotombori. This street is famous for the animated characters that restaurants have on the facade of their shops. There was only one sign that would confirm I was in the right place.. and that was a giant crab statue which I had seen from a food magazine before. But while doing that, I got lost several times, and so I got overwhelmingly hungry. I spotted a good takoyaki (octopus fritter ball) shop and I was dying for some. We have lots of Takoyaki stalls in the Philippines, but I know for a fact that because they come cheap, they'll never be close to the original taste. So I checked out Kukuru. It was the only sign I could read because it was written in Hiragana. I feel intimidated to try a restaurant if I can't read the name. Four ladies and a man, welcomed me very enthusiastically into their hole in the wall. Fortunately they had an English menu so I could understand what they offered, and order what I wanted. "Kore wa hitotsu onegai shimasu," I said as I pointed to a picture of eight pieces of takoyaki. It was only an hour and a half after I had lunch but in Japan, my stomach was in the mood for almost anything. The lady gestured instructions on how to eat the takoyaki, saying that i should transfer the ball to a separate plate, before drizzling mayonnaise and sprinkling katsuoboshi (smoked fish skin) on it. At first, I wasn't sure what she meant when she crossed her arms, but I kind of figured it out later. I was so starved I actually finished all eight in one sitting. I have a big appetite, I know! 

Fig 5. Bikkuri Takoyaki (JPY 1050) at Kukuru. 

I walked some more after that, hoping the food would move to my colon faster. I wanted to make room in my stomach for more, but that didn't happen. I was unable to try authentic Kansai-style okonomiyaki. I once went to a Japanese restaurant in Manila which served the Hiroshima version. I found it to be better tasting than the Kansai one. So there I was willing to correct my perception of Kansai okonomiyaki, but unfortunately the takoyaki wouldn't budge along my GI tract, so I just went back to my hotel. 

Fig 6. A multitude of restaurants and their animated life size boardsigns, line Dotombori.

Fig 7. Takoyaki Shop 2.

Fig 8. Crab sign- let's me know I'm in the right place.

Fig 9. Kukuru Takoyaki shop, Dotombori, Namba.

A few hours later that night, I was starving again. It was eight-thirty in the evening and I took another walk around Umeda until I reached the next station, Nakatsu. I even saw a river and decided to stop walking further because I might not be able to return to my hotel that night. My phone's battery was running out and I would be lost if it died in the middle of my evening adventure. This time I was brave enough to order in Japanese, so I again ate at a local restaurant and I was up for some tempura. I ordered vegetable tempura and had some tsukemono (pickles) on the side. I rinsed it all off with two cups of tea and called it a day. 

Fig 10. Umeda at night. 

After walking for two hours in the ten degree weather, I returned home and topped the day with a good hot bubble bath. I believe I had exercised every muscle in my frame that day, and deserved a relaxing treat when I got home. I can't remember the last time I was able to explore a neighborhood after dark. My place is just so dangerous to walk in after the clock strikes ten. This is one of the things I look forward to when in a foreign land- shopping and interacting with people during the day, dinner dates and walking the city at night. Locking up yourself in a hotel room just isn't my idea of a vacation. 

Fig 11. Second night's dinner- Vegetable tempura.