So, I waited around until after sunset, and when it got dark enough that the city was bright and shiny, I took some photos. It got really cold though, so after I got some shots I liked, I left.
On my way out, I spotted this.
What is it, you ask? Good question. Basically, Naniwa is an archaic name for Osaka. The number 720 can be read in a certain way to sound like “Naniwa”. Thus, by extension, these people here in Osaka have decided to pledge their efforts of recycling PET bottles by collecting 720 TONNES of PET bottle caps. Wow. There’s always something to see here.
After I left the Floating Garden Observatory, I realised I had 4% battery left on my iPhone (why is the battery life on an iPhone so damn poor?) It was time to buy AA batteries to put in my portable charger again. So I headed over to the huge Yodobashi Camera store in Umeda.
I was looking through the AA batteries when I spotted the iPhone portable chargers. You know, the type that you charge once at home, then take with you and use to charge your phone later on when it’s needed? They were selling a few, with the cheapest one ¥1100 or so, but the one I wanted was ¥1980… Was struggling to figure out whether to get it or not, because I know that ¥1980 is not that cheap considering the crappy exchange rate; then I turned the pack over and it said “For those who want to open this pack and use the battery right away – go right ahead, we packed it fully charged.”
Sold! I paid and left Yodobashi.
#Travelers note: I didn’t really use the Osaka Unlimited 2-Day Pass to its full potential. I am not a huge fan of onsens because I have a nudity complex, but you should definitely go. There are two that are included in the pass, both are pretty good (or so I hear), and they are open till late. That would have been a perfect way to end today, seeing as I’d been walking around most of the day (again).
Headed into Hankyu Sanbangai to find an Okinawan restaurant that an old friend introduced me to a long time ago. I eventually found it, but the dish I felt like eating (taco rice) cost almost ¥900. Way too expensive. So I wandered around looking for my second choice, a soba noodles joint that another old friend showed me 4 years ago. I found it, and to my surprise, the item that I wanted to eat was marked down from ¥1200 to ¥650. Right place, right time, anyone?!
This is Tenzarusoba. Basically, it’s cold soba drained, served with a dipping sauce, which you can mix scallions and wasabi into (optional, but I put it all in). It’s served with tempura on the side.
I ordered an extra piece of chikuwa tempura (a type of fishcake) for an extra ¥100. That’s a very filling meal for just ¥750. See, who says Japan has to be expensive?
#Travelers note: It’s hard to tell when things are on sale, especially if it’s a seasonal sale. Because of the temporary nature of such sales, most stores don’t bother to get the signs translated into English. Look for words like ???? or ??. If there is Engrish notation on there, it will say things like “PRICE DOWN” or “XXX? OFF”. Otherwise, it’s really just luck.
Umeda -> Shinsaibashi (¥230 included in pass)
After finishing up my meal, I headed back to Shinsaibashi to go back to the hotel, but then remembered that there’s one typical Osakan food that I wanted to show you. So I headed into Amemura (America Town) and looked for the Sankaku Koen (Triangle Park) which sits right in the middle of it. Just around the corner from the park, there is a small and not-so-widely-known store, that sells takosen.
“Takosen? I know what takoyaki is, but what is takosen?” Totally fair question you ask.
Takosen is two takoyaki balls, cheese, tenkasu, okonomiyaki sauce and a little bit of mayonnaise sandwiched between two thin slices of prawn crackers. If you buy it at a good time (i.e. not when the store is about to close), the cheese melts towards the gap between the two takoyaki, creating a “cheese burst” or “cheese bomb” in the centre. I have yet to take somebody there who didn’t end up liking it. Oh yeah, and it only costs ¥150.
After finishing the takosen whilst sitting in the Triangle Park, I headed back to Osaka Teikoku Hotel along the Mido-suji. Since I forsee a very early and hassle-filled morning, I bought two onigiri (chicken mayonnaise, and mentaiko (cod roe)), two kinds of purin, and a can of Coke. It’s going to be a late night as well…
#Travelers note: When you go into a convenience store, you will find they have a big range of snack foods. I have an unhealthy addiction to the fried chicken varieties they offer (as you have probably noticed already, if you’ve been paying attention to the blogs so far); I also have an equally unhealthy addiction to purin. Purin is basically the Japanese version of creme caramel, but there are countless varieties. I like either the baked ones, the “rare cheese” variety, the “Hokkaido milk” variety, or the “Belgian chocolate” variety. As they are usually written in Japanese, I will try to take more photos next time I get some.
Back at the hotel now.. my blistered foot is literally crying. It hurts to have it resting against anything, so it’s propped up while I write this. Also, I can not believe that this hotel doesn’t have a coin laundry. I’m on the verge of running out of clothes. I’ll have to drag this big plastic bag of dirty clothes with me to Kyoto (and then Nagoya) tomorrow.
So.. good night, then.