Off to Osaka! pt 1: Chapman Reconnecting

March 16-21 was yet another Undergraduate Holiday at TUJ, or as I like to call it, “Spring Break.” Just like the other study abroad students, I decided to spend a couple days in Osaka, along with a day trip to Kyoto, the cultural center of Japan. I could’ve gone anywhere in Japan but I chose to stay in Osaka so I could catch up with my friend Mitsuteru. Mitsuteru studied at Chapman last fall and we became friends. I had the opportunity to show him around Los Angeles and now we’re taking on Osaka. Here’s day one (March 16) of my Osaka side-trip.

After finishing up yet another wonderful East Asia class, I headed to Tokyo Station to wait for the Tokaido Shinkansen Nozomi Super Express train number 49 bound for Shin-Osaka Station. The Tokaido Shinkansen is the world’s first high-speed rail line, opening on October 1, 1964, with a top speed of 125 miles per hour. In 1992, Nozomi service was added, meaning some trains stop at only six stations along the route: Tokyo, Shinagawa, Shin-Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto, and Shin-Osaka. Nozomi trains reach a top speed of 186 miles per hour and make the journey between Tokyo and Osaka in about 2 hours and 22 minutes. I boarded train number 49 at about 4:15 PM and we left Tokyo at 4:30 sharp. The train was incredibly smooth and the ride was comfortable. I was in “economy class” but with a reserved seat on the Mount Fuji side of the train. Despite my seat being one of the cheap ones, leg room was enormous. Due to the weather, this mystical mountain remains unseen by my own two eyes. Even at maximum speed between Yokohama and Nagoya, the train ride was incredibly smooth and quiet. In fact, the inside of the train was the quietest place I have ever experienced. During the train ride, I enjoyed some sushi ekiben (station boxed lunch) and sipped on my drink. I watched the sunset as we traversed closer and closer to Osaka. I arrived at Shin-Osaka station at about 7 PM where I quickly met with Mitsuteru. We checked in to the Hotel MyStays near Shin-Osaka station and headed off to Namba, which is basically Osaka’s Shinjuku. Namba (We actually explored Dotombori) was a sight to behold; featuring lights everywhere. We stumbled upon this Pinball arcade filled with Pinball machines, almost all of them were American made. The first one I played was a Pirates of the Carribean themed machine, one I was quite familiar with as I had played this version at my local Chuck E. Cheese’s when I was younger. I also had the opportunity to play on a Godzilla-themed machine, walk past four different Batman machines, some Terminator machines, and even some 10 yen vintage machines. Mitsuteru and I played with the cheap 10 yen machines. Before leaving for Amemura, or Osaka’s “America Town,” we walked past a brand-new pinball machine; this one was themed after Domino’s Pizza. Woah. There wasn’t too much to see as most shops were closing at 9 PM, but we did get to see the “Americaness” of Amemura, to which I was kind of disappointed. In the words of Mitsuteru, “it’s not even American!” We headed back to Namba and took the train a couple stops down to Tamatsu to go visit an Onsen. This marks my second time visiting an Onsen in Japan (my first was in Hakuba, here’s a post on it), but this time was a bit easier. Let me be clear, I do not like being naked, and bathing in an onsen involves public nudity. I still haven’t gotten used to it but hey, when in Japan. We spent about two hours in the onsen, bathing in the body-temperature water both outdoors and in. While in the onsen, we met some fellow Japanese students, one of whom recently visited Los Angeles. After a couple minutes, Mitsuteru and I decided to enter a sauna. This sauna is similar to the traditional saunas of Finland, featuring hot rocks which one pours water on to heat the sauna. This sauna featured employees not only heating the sauna via pouring water over these hot rocks but also waving giant fans over each and every one of us, exposing us to what must have been 200+ degree Fahrenheit air! It was too much, my skin and lungs were on FIRE! I couldn’t breathe. I will never complain about a Los Angeles summer ever again! After a few minutes, we left the sauna and cooled ourselves off with some 64-degree Fahrenheit water. What a relief! After drying ourselves off and changing back into our regular clothes, we drank some milk and ate some Snow Ice, which is basically a shaved ice made with ice cream instead of water. The snow ice was delicious. After realizing that it was now Midnight, we rushed over to the nearest train station. Not sure how Mitsuteru made it home but I took the last train on the Osaka Loop Line (Osaka’s equivalent of the Yamanote Line) to Osaka Station. After walking for a couple minutes, I hailed a cab for Shin-Osaka Station (there is a difference between Osaka and Shin-Osaka stations) and walked back to my hotel.

I already like Osaka better than Tokyo. Osaka is not as dense as the world’s largest Metropolis yet it also reminds me very much of Los Angeles. The food so far has been significantly better than in Tokyo and the vibe here seems more laid back. However, these are just my first impressions. I am doing my part to be a global citizen by maintaining a global network of Chapman alum, in this case, through my connection with Mitsuteru. We will be exploring Kyoto tomorrow, can’t wait to see what our adventures have in store for us.

Here are some pictures from this Journey.