{"id":13591,"date":"2024-08-02T16:50:35","date_gmt":"2024-08-02T22:50:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eaumaison.us\/?p=13591"},"modified":"2024-08-02T16:50:35","modified_gmt":"2024-08-02T22:50:35","slug":"japan-day-7-osaka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eaumaison.us\/index.php\/2024\/08\/02\/japan-day-7-osaka\/","title":{"rendered":"Japan Day 7 – Osaka"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ben woke up early and toured the Hogan-ji Temple across from our hotel. Once I was ready for the day we went back together look about and get stamps in our book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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These are from Ben’s visit<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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And now I’m awake!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Moat carp<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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We never figured out what these showers are for.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The forecast said heavy rain all day. We heard that Osaka has miles and miles of covered shopping arcades and underground malls, so we decided to spend the day there. We got on the train bound for Osaka and headed to Dontonbori. I didn’t know anything about the area except that it was famous for food stalls. I certainly did not expect the touristy atmosphere! The tacky oversized signs and figures made it feel like vintage Las Vegas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There were even MORE pet shops (rentals?) in Dotonbori.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Outdoor climbing wall<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Fueled up with my barley tea!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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You don’t see giant video game billboards in Colorado<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Takoyaki are the famous specialty in Osaka, so that’s the first thing Ben ate! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The famous gold baby I supposed?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Ginormous takoyaki sign<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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A sampler plate – Ben liked the original (rop right) the best.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I will admit, we didn’t eat as well as we expected. Due to a combination of norms it was uncomfortable to eat, plus it was a lot of fried\/rich foods early in the days. You can’t walk and eat, but seating is rare. Trash cans are only for use from the stall you purchased, so you can’t gather several things and eat in one place. Drinks come from vending machines and were not very plentiful or cold. The serving portions were large, so we felt like we were wasting a lot of food by not finishing, but also not getting a lot of variety. It was fun to just wander around and gawk at all the Japanese tackiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There’s always fried chicken for me<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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A shop to fish, you can see the stocked pond inside. Ben saw this in a video game and didn’t know it was real.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Crane machine boobies<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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This guy….<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Taiyaki FTW!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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We left the main Dotonbori arcade for an air conditioned underground mall. Another Studio Ghibli store had different displays and items than the Gion store. We also got lunch at Mos Burger to sit and rehydrate before going back upstairs to a different shopping arcade. I got a cute macaroon for later and found a k-pop themed photobooth store. This one was not as freaky as the Harajuku. Then another k-pop merch store (more fake stuff. I was so disappointed not to find authentic goods in Japan!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I like the wig standing in for flax<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Twice!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Ita bags! <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Bumped into Stray Kids shilling Tommy Hilfiger<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Sanrio decoration for your lightstick<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Ben found a nice matcha shop that served authentic old fashioned desserts. He ordered Anmitsu and I tried a chestnut Mont Blanc. (I had to bother the waitress to bring me water. Who wants a thimble of hot tea on a sweltering day like this?? The locals, apparently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Next we found a Parco mall with lots of character shops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Japanese free-play table was so minimalist and organized!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The One Piece shop even had a stamp station!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Young Jack would’ve been so happy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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I made Ben pose a lot. He was a good sport. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The rain really wasn’t that bad, so we decided to squeeze in a quick visit to Osaka Castle before it closed. I’m really glad we did! It was refreshing after the retail overload. We took a train with a single transfer, and then walked through a long garden to get to the main castle grounds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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