Exploring the sights

Tempozan Ferris Wheel
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We arrived quite early in Osaka so we decided to venture out to the maze of shops and restaurants along the underground train station of JR Osaka Station. Since we arrived at 7am, most of the stores were closed at the time asides from the restaurants serving breakfast called “morning set”. Pretty much every restaurant open at the time served morning sets and nothing else. What interested me the most was the fact that all morning sets that we came across were western breakfasts as opposed to the traditional Japanese rice and miso soup. These shops were bustling with morning commuters most of which were men. We finally settled on a place having visited three others. Some of the shops were so dense with cigarette smoke that you would gasp as you entered the door. We high tailed it out of most of them. They technically all have a smoking and non-smoking side but we noticed the smoke to be quite unbearable first thing in the morning. I think people tend to light up while having their ham & eggs and coffee that it almost seemed second nature to them. Having come from a city where smoking is banned in all public places, it was quite disgusting. The restaurant that we settled on wasn’t as busy as the others and we soon figured out why.  All the other joints were serving an entire set with an egg of your choice, ham, toast and coffee for around 400yen but this place was charging 700yen for the same deal. It wasn’t anything special and the portions were so small for the price. You’d think you’d get a Denny’s size breakfast with gigantic pancakes and egg but nope, we were left quite hungry still. We never had a problem with food portions and found it quite comparable and reasonable in price to back home until we came across this breakfast. The lesson we learned today is that you should hold your breath and although very smoky, go where the locals go because they offer the best bang for your buck! In the end, we wound back up at our favorite spot the convenience store where we picked up some sandwiches and drinks for half the price.

Girly ninja?
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Anyhow enough about breakfast. We decided to venture out to the port today as we heard that Osaka has one of the largest ferris wheels in the world.  The area is called Tempozan and is easily accessible by JR from Osaka station although you have to transfer to a non-JR line. As with any tourist attraction in Japan, we thought that it would be crazy busy but given that it was a weekday, we got on the ferris wheel without having to line up. The admission per person was 700yen which I found to be quite reasonable. The ferris wheel is 112m high and offers a spectacular view of Osaka, Osaka Bay and Kobe. It offers a vocal narrative in Japanese of the surrounding area which I found to be quite helpful as we had no idea where anything was geographically. The down side is that they did not have an English version but narrative aside, the ride was quite enjoyable and it was very nice to see some ocean for a change.

Rod loves his ninjas!
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After the ride we walked over to the adjoining Tempozan Marketplace. Nothing special or unique to report about, it was your typical touristy mall filled with souvenirs and knick knacks. We did however discover this neat little faux Edo period remake food court called Naniwa Kuishinbo Yokocho. It was a neat area filled with eateries decorated in the Edo-period and comprised of various popular Osaka gourmet. Stuff that Osaka is famous for such as tako yaki, niku man (pork/beef buns), dango to name a few. They weren’t really restaurants but more like take out windows where you’d grab a dish from each store and sit outside on the “street bench” (this is a remake of a city but indoors) to eat. The food was simple yet amazing. It’s definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area.

Entrace to Naniwa Kuishinbo Yokocho
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We went looking for internet access. As the hotel front desk denied any existence of an internet/manga café in their surrounding area (they wanted us to pay the rip off internet charges at the hotel), we asked at our always loyal and never let us down convenience store. (If you’re lost, hungry, need directions or looking to waste some time, the convenience stores are just awesome!) Anyhow, we found a manga-kissa right across from the Westin Osaka. I don’t remember what the name was called nor the internet fee but it was on the second floor up a flight of stairs, literally across from the Westin entranceway. For half the price of what you’d pay at the hotel, we were escorted to a private partitioned cubicle with leather reclining seats and wide screen state of the art computers. They also had a self serve drink bar where you can help yourself to everything from tea to pop to slushies (sorry no alcohol). It was free of charge and unlimited. As you’d guess, Rod went wild! I think we spent a good 2 hours there but if you’re into Japanese manga, I’m sure you can spend an entire night there. It’s so comfy, clean and inviting. There’s got to be one in every urban neighborhood so skip the expensive hotel business centers and make your way to one of these joints. It’s cheaper and much more of a cultural experience.

Inside Naniwa Kuishinbo Yokocho.. kinda cool!
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Anyhow, we have an early morning tomorrow as we’re using Osaka as a base and heading out to Kyoto. The following day, we’re thinking of venturing out to Nara.