Off to Osaka! pt 3: Slow Day and More Namba

March 18 marks my third day in Osaka, which was a rather quiet day compared to the previous two. Yesterday, Mitsuteru and I explored Kyoto for 10 hours and the day prior we explored Osaka’s Namba (sometimes spelled “Nanda”) district. Today was one of extra sleep, catch-up work, and more Namba.

I woke up at about 10 AM and did some work for my Foreign Governments class (or Comparative Politics) in order to prepare for a quiz this coming Thursday. After about two hours of studying, I went back to sleep and woke up at about 4 PM. Mitsuteru and I had no plans today so we decided to get dinner in Namba and explore the area some more. I took the Midosuji Line from Shin-Osaka Station to Namba Station and met with Mitsuteru, where we walked around the bustling shopping streets in search of food. We explored this underground shopping area located near the Takashimaya department store and ate some delicious Yakitori and Garokoen (chicken). I once heard someone describe Osaka as “the breadbasket of Japan,” referring to the amazing quality of Osaka food. The yakitori was very delicious and was one of the best meals I have had in Japan. Overall, I would say Osaka food tastes way better than Tokyo food, placing it more on par with French food than American food. While I have only explored Namba, Tabata, and the area near Shin-Osaka station during my short stay here, I would prefer to live in Osaka if I ever decide to move to Japan. Plus, the Osaka dialect of Japanese is, in my opinion, easier to understand. But back on track. After enjoying our delicious yakitori dinner, we resurfaced and explored Tower Records. Yes, Tower Records is still a thing in Japan. In 2006, the Japanese division of Tower Records bought themselves out from the American Tower Records and became their own independent company. As a result of this decision, the Japanese Tower Records stores continue to thrive while the American stores went the way of the dinosaur: extinct. I was surprised at how many familiar artists’ CDs were sold at this store, including some personal favorites such as The Killers and The Strokes. Of course, they also had a floor dedicated to J-pop and K-pop, as well as DVDs. I decided to purchase a copy of The Killers’ most recent album “Wonderful Wonderful,” and I was also searching for a copy of The Strokes’ first album “Is This It?”. Unfortunately, they had every Strokes album except Is This It?, so we headed downstairs, briefly explored Muji, and then the Takashimaya Department Store. Recently, I watched an episode of Begin Japanology (link) about Japanese Department Stores. One of the reasons they became so popular in Japan is because they guarantee the quality of their goods. They also provide impeccable customer service, featuring concierge services who will help you find the perfect gift or the best store for your style. These department stores are often about 10-12 floors (B2F-9F for example) and feature food stalls on the basement levels and restaurants on the upper levels. Sandwiched between the multiple food levels are your traditional department store levels, such as an International level, Men’s and Women’s clothing, and home and makeup levels. The closest department store in the United States that comes to mind would be Nordstrom, but with trains. We walked around the store for a little bit and decided to explore this Underground shopping street instead. We then resurfaced and walked around Namba to find a place to drink. Mitsuteru and I are not heavy drinkers, we enjoyed two beers each while we discussed Japanese and American culture, politics, and economics. We spent about two hours just talking and I am forever grateful he speaks such great English. I learned quite a bit about Japanese culture; we discussed how Japanese people tend to be indirect with their true intentions, and how Americans’ tendency to say “let’s do this” felt unnatural to him. In fact, when we were making our plan for today, he messaged me saying he was a little hungry. What he meant was he was VERY hungry. Luckily, this didn’t turn out to be a problem because I was also hungry. But there was another instance where I misunderstood his intentions. When we were making our original plans for this trip (which we did entirely in Japanese), I said something more direct than I should have. The good news is Japan is a country where you can make cultural mistakes and, as long as you try your best to take part in and respect the culture, no one will get mad. After our drinks, we headed back to Namba Station and parted ways, possibly for the last time until further notice. I boarded the Midosuji Line train bound for Shin-Osaka and headed back to my hotel. Just two stops before Shin-Osaka, the conductor kicked everybody off the train. I didn’t know why but I think the train was finished for the day. Luckily another train approached and I took that train back. After grabbing some water at the nearest 7-eleven, I started packing to prepare to check out and return to the world’s largest Metropolis: Tokyo.

Despite my limited exposure to Osaka itself, I am so glad I got to experience this wonderful city. The fact that I got to spend my weekend with my friend Mitsuteru was the highlight of my entire trip to Japan. Not only did he help me by speaking English, but we also got to spend time together and get to know each other better, as well as explore Kyoto. Mitsuteru, if you ever read this, you made my trip to Japan better. Let me know when you come back to the United States and I will show you around again.

Part 4 (the last part) will consist of mostly pictures from the day.