Chapter 14
Day 14
Osaka
Our foutheen day in Japan started with a train ride from Kyoto to Osaka. The journey lasts quite short as Kyoto and Osaka are quite near to each-other.
Our bullet train started, and slowly moved away from the Kyoto station gaining speed each second that passed. We had time to say “See You Again” to our dear Kyoto that soon vanished behind the train. Now we were speeding like riding on the back of a lightining toward Osaka.
As predicted, we arrived in perfect time, and we had just time to open our guide-books to read some hot spots of the city. Now we were there. We had to put in practice what we planned.
First of all, we left our bags into a coin-locker at the station. Easy to say, but here I did some magic trick fitting our both bags into a single locker. I don't know how I did, but, I did it! Then, we looked for a local train and we took it. We jumped down at the station close to the Osaka Castle, but when we got out of the station, the castle wasn't there. All the sight was covered by building, shops and housings. So, we took out our map, but, being without clue, we just took a random direction toward a bridge.
All of a sudden, when we were on this bridge flanked by buildings, we seen a lady getting out from a condo. So, I approached her and after having asked if she could speak English, the answer was “Yes”, I shown her my map and I asked the way to the Castle. By the way, on my map the Castle was described both in English and Japanese. She looked at us both, then she looked at the map, she looked at us again, then she looked around and then she looked at the map again. She focused on the map like the wanted to burn the map with her eyesight and carve in it the answer of my question. She twitched her eyes, she inhaled and with her mouth made the shape of a sort of funnel, but long, like she crossed a funnel with a crane beak. A crane which was imitating a Japanese girl impersonating a strange funnel. Then, she pointed at the direction from where we were coming and said “Ok, it’s straight and to the left!” and she used her hands to help us to understand better. She looked so sure that we couldn’t doubt of her, so we followed the direction. We were sure that she was right. Probably she wasn’t the same sure.
Soon we found ourselves walking in a cluster of low shabby housings. It looked like it could be a sort of Japanese slum. And with “Japanese Slum” I could say that it might be a luxurious neighbourhood of New Delhi, but in Japan, the area was quite shanty. We wandered without a clue of where we were heading. In the end, we finished in the garden of a private house. We heard screams and we turned to the closer house and in the darkness we seen a thousand-years-old lady wearing clothes probably coming straight from the Middle Age, when she was still a teenager. She kept on screaming and making gestures like she wanted to punch us, but staying almost tem metres away. Before some Samurai neighbour could come out from nowhere we took a run and left this crazy lady to her screaming.
Following our random path we found ourselves on the banks of the river, on the other side there was the Castle. On our left and high above us there was the bridge where we were before and we could clearly spot the back of the house from where came out Miss. Funnel Mouth. How is possible that no Japanese can give a direction even when they are in front of the place? That’s insane!
We made all the way back, of course, carefully avoiding the one-thousand-years-old-crazy-lady, and we reached the bridge. Once on the bridge, we crossed it and we reached the park at the base of the Castle small hill. All around of us there was a nice park, and for the first time in Japan I’ve seen local people doing some jogging. We entered the castle and we liked it very much. Of course, it’s smaller and less evocative than the Himeji Castle, but it’s still beautiful and worth the visit. The insides are quite similar to the Himeji Ones, but the sight from the top balcony covers a panorama of 360°. From up there you can see the whole city around of you, and, for a moment, with that nice fresh breeze that was blowing in those moments, I felt like flying above the city. That was great!
After the Castle we wandered around the city for a little bit more until we stopped on a bridge to look at the sunset. The sky was crimson, like it was going aflame from the horizon to up in the high sky. The warm sun rays were reflecting on the surface of the river making games of golden sparks and glitters. Boats were drifting quietly downstream, in silence, like if they wished to not distract us from the contemplation of this Japanese sunset.
We waited that the sun went down, beyond this Japanese horizon made by the Osaka skyline, and when it started to be dark, we went back to the train station to get our backpacks back. We took another metro train and we reached the airport. Our hotel was just nearby. The Hotel AP was quite nice, it was clean, the rooms were small as usual, it gave free WiFi in all the Hotel and it gave a free shuttle service to and from the Airport.
The same evening we had a stroll in the neighbourhood around the hotel and we discovered that it was a quiet and nice residential area. We found a small restaurant where we enjoyed a nice Japanese dinner, and then we visited a mall where we bought some Wasabi to take in Italy. After these two weeks in Japan we understood how good and wide is the Japanese cooking and how cheap quality is the same food served in Italy. Yes, even our best Japanese restaurants people can only enjoy a barely-similar-imitation of the good food given in Japan. These guys know how to eat, and do it right (except when they eat still alive fish).
We came back to the hotel early as the next day we had to get up early. We undid our luggage and made it again. This time we had to pack them for long intercontinental flights, so they should be done right.
The following morning we woke up much before sunrise. Our fifteen day of travel was the one of our coming back to Italy. We left Osaka with a flight to Tokyo, and from the beautiful Tokyo we took a direct flight to Milano Malpensa, Italy.
This travel had been very rich in discoveries, emotions and surprises. When we left Italy we had expectation and ideas of Japan, and its people, that we discovered to be pure fantasies. The reality was more interesting, though different, but more vivid, charming and involving than we ever though. We met Japan as tourists but we tried to go beyond the beaten path to touch the real Japan. For this we thank our friend Megumi, the Maids and the same Japan with the festival and also all the people we men on our path. Beautiful, fantastic, amazing. Japan charmed us, and for this that when we were taking off we said to Japan a “See You Again” with the real intention to come and visit this country again. I don’t know when, I don’t know how, but, Japan my dear friend, we’ll meet again, and in the meanwhile, keep the Sakè chilled!
Sayonara!
Our bullet train started, and slowly moved away from the Kyoto station gaining speed each second that passed. We had time to say “See You Again” to our dear Kyoto that soon vanished behind the train. Now we were speeding like riding on the back of a lightining toward Osaka.
As predicted, we arrived in perfect time, and we had just time to open our guide-books to read some hot spots of the city. Now we were there. We had to put in practice what we planned.
First of all, we left our bags into a coin-locker at the station. Easy to say, but here I did some magic trick fitting our both bags into a single locker. I don't know how I did, but, I did it! Then, we looked for a local train and we took it. We jumped down at the station close to the Osaka Castle, but when we got out of the station, the castle wasn't there. All the sight was covered by building, shops and housings. So, we took out our map, but, being without clue, we just took a random direction toward a bridge.
All of a sudden, when we were on this bridge flanked by buildings, we seen a lady getting out from a condo. So, I approached her and after having asked if she could speak English, the answer was “Yes”, I shown her my map and I asked the way to the Castle. By the way, on my map the Castle was described both in English and Japanese. She looked at us both, then she looked at the map, she looked at us again, then she looked around and then she looked at the map again. She focused on the map like the wanted to burn the map with her eyesight and carve in it the answer of my question. She twitched her eyes, she inhaled and with her mouth made the shape of a sort of funnel, but long, like she crossed a funnel with a crane beak. A crane which was imitating a Japanese girl impersonating a strange funnel. Then, she pointed at the direction from where we were coming and said “Ok, it’s straight and to the left!” and she used her hands to help us to understand better. She looked so sure that we couldn’t doubt of her, so we followed the direction. We were sure that she was right. Probably she wasn’t the same sure.
Soon we found ourselves walking in a cluster of low shabby housings. It looked like it could be a sort of Japanese slum. And with “Japanese Slum” I could say that it might be a luxurious neighbourhood of New Delhi, but in Japan, the area was quite shanty. We wandered without a clue of where we were heading. In the end, we finished in the garden of a private house. We heard screams and we turned to the closer house and in the darkness we seen a thousand-years-old lady wearing clothes probably coming straight from the Middle Age, when she was still a teenager. She kept on screaming and making gestures like she wanted to punch us, but staying almost tem metres away. Before some Samurai neighbour could come out from nowhere we took a run and left this crazy lady to her screaming.
Following our random path we found ourselves on the banks of the river, on the other side there was the Castle. On our left and high above us there was the bridge where we were before and we could clearly spot the back of the house from where came out Miss. Funnel Mouth. How is possible that no Japanese can give a direction even when they are in front of the place? That’s insane!
We made all the way back, of course, carefully avoiding the one-thousand-years-old-crazy-lady, and we reached the bridge. Once on the bridge, we crossed it and we reached the park at the base of the Castle small hill. All around of us there was a nice park, and for the first time in Japan I’ve seen local people doing some jogging. We entered the castle and we liked it very much. Of course, it’s smaller and less evocative than the Himeji Castle, but it’s still beautiful and worth the visit. The insides are quite similar to the Himeji Ones, but the sight from the top balcony covers a panorama of 360°. From up there you can see the whole city around of you, and, for a moment, with that nice fresh breeze that was blowing in those moments, I felt like flying above the city. That was great!
After the Castle we wandered around the city for a little bit more until we stopped on a bridge to look at the sunset. The sky was crimson, like it was going aflame from the horizon to up in the high sky. The warm sun rays were reflecting on the surface of the river making games of golden sparks and glitters. Boats were drifting quietly downstream, in silence, like if they wished to not distract us from the contemplation of this Japanese sunset.
We waited that the sun went down, beyond this Japanese horizon made by the Osaka skyline, and when it started to be dark, we went back to the train station to get our backpacks back. We took another metro train and we reached the airport. Our hotel was just nearby. The Hotel AP was quite nice, it was clean, the rooms were small as usual, it gave free WiFi in all the Hotel and it gave a free shuttle service to and from the Airport.
The same evening we had a stroll in the neighbourhood around the hotel and we discovered that it was a quiet and nice residential area. We found a small restaurant where we enjoyed a nice Japanese dinner, and then we visited a mall where we bought some Wasabi to take in Italy. After these two weeks in Japan we understood how good and wide is the Japanese cooking and how cheap quality is the same food served in Italy. Yes, even our best Japanese restaurants people can only enjoy a barely-similar-imitation of the good food given in Japan. These guys know how to eat, and do it right (except when they eat still alive fish).
We came back to the hotel early as the next day we had to get up early. We undid our luggage and made it again. This time we had to pack them for long intercontinental flights, so they should be done right.
The following morning we woke up much before sunrise. Our fifteen day of travel was the one of our coming back to Italy. We left Osaka with a flight to Tokyo, and from the beautiful Tokyo we took a direct flight to Milano Malpensa, Italy.
This travel had been very rich in discoveries, emotions and surprises. When we left Italy we had expectation and ideas of Japan, and its people, that we discovered to be pure fantasies. The reality was more interesting, though different, but more vivid, charming and involving than we ever though. We met Japan as tourists but we tried to go beyond the beaten path to touch the real Japan. For this we thank our friend Megumi, the Maids and the same Japan with the festival and also all the people we men on our path. Beautiful, fantastic, amazing. Japan charmed us, and for this that when we were taking off we said to Japan a “See You Again” with the real intention to come and visit this country again. I don’t know when, I don’t know how, but, Japan my dear friend, we’ll meet again, and in the meanwhile, keep the Sakè chilled!
Sayonara!