Day 3 - Kara
May 10th, 2008We have been without internet, so the next few posts will be a little late…
Today was an early start with Ricky and I waking up at 7am and out and about by about 8am after a bowl of Japanese Corn Flakes. Ricky had been reading up about Osaka in his trusted lonely planet guide and decided a trip to the Tensunka Tower was in order. As far as I was concerned this area was a bit dodgie, especially when we entered a strange store selling ‘jam sand cookies’ with the store assistants freaking Ricky out with their repeated high pitched ‘Iraishaimase’ meaning welcome to our store but sounding more like a boiling kettle. Anyway, I’m still living down the fact that I didn’t want to pay 12000 yen to climb to the top of the tower, considering Ricky’s sudden obsession with going up high buildings everywhere from this point on.
We then decided to check out the Tennoji Zoo as it was right next door and for 500 yen sounded like a pretty sweet deal. We were wrong. This was the WORST zoo I could have imagined! My initial impression was seeing a Oranguantang sitting in the very corner of a small caged room. When I walked up to him with a packed a biscuits in my hand he sat up, stuck his hand through the cage and looked straight at me with a hopeful face. I said ’sorry mate, I don’t think these would be too good for you…’ and he sat back, slouched, with the most horribly sad expression on his face. Still shocked from the unhappiness of the animals I saw we headed over to check out an elephant. The ‘phant came over to the water seperating us and then ATE SOME PLASTIC FROM THE WATER! With eye fulls of school kids in every direction, I came to the conculsion that the zoo is mainly servicing education. Needless to say, Ricky and I didn’t stick around for too long as I was finding this place far too depressing.
It was then off to check out Osaka’s portside. After riding 2 trains and a tram we made it to the Cosmostower. We paid 800 yen to ride a glass lift to the 52 story and then another 3 levels of esculator to the very top. Here we found ourselves looking out over all of Osaka city feeling a bit like I was going to fall out from the glass. Ricky spent 200 yen to look through the big binolculars for about 1 minute. I think he learnt from that experience.
Not far from where we were, but still 1 tram and 1 train ride away, we found ourselves at Tampozan where they have the world’s largest ferris wheel which, of course, Ricky had to go on. In the same area was a large shopping complex which we had a little wander in, and then ducked into the Aquarium and Art Museum before deciding that our arses were too tight to pay the fees to go in. Ricky had a bad headache by now so off we were back to the hotel for a little bit.
By 8pm we were leaving home again, off to see another big glass elevator building. This one was the Umeda Sky Building which locals hate because it looks like something out of a sci-fi flick. On our way we did a great job of point and order at another little resteraunt in the underground markets. We ordered 2 of the 3 meals available with pictures and thankfully they tasted alright. No cold noodles for Ricky today. Umeda Sky Building had one elevator ride 51 foors up with 4 glass sides and a wanting-to-vomit Tara. Still, the view of Osaka at night was amazing and Ricky took his good Camera up to take some shots of the scene.
By now it’s 10pm, so we go back to Osaka station to book our Shinkansen train to Shin-Yokohama for 7:13am the next day. I’m thinking we should get straight home to pack and get to bed but the forces that be had better ideas. Ricky suggests we go one station further from our normal station and grab some stuff from the supermarket. I put my faith in Ricky’s sense of direction. Bad idea. After catching a wrong train one way and back again in the right direction we finally surface above ground. We walk a bit before Ricky realises he is very lost. We walk one way, we walk another, back another way and then another again until it is 12:30pm and I’m pissed off, crabby and tired!
I say ‘lets get a cab’
5 mins.
We’re home, packed and soon to be asleep.
Tara’s Top Five:
1. Trying Grape flavoured fanta.
2. Seeing a man in our the resteraunt we stopped in at lunch pull out his electric shaver at the table for a good 5 minute shave.
3. Passing Maccas with people smoking in it.
4. Finding an AWESOME shop full of cool Japanese stuff, I was in a similar heavan to Ricky in Yodabashi.
5. The view at night from the Umeda Sky Building.
Ricky’s Extra Top Things:
1. The goat at the zoo, licking a pole!
