Goodbye Japan, Hello HK

Current City:  Osaka

It's gonna be a long ride home.  We're off to the airport now, with bags a bit heavier, stomachs a bit fuller, and hearts a bit calmer!  This was an awesome vacation.  One thing I am going to miss (out of a hundred):  Vending Machines.

See you all back in Hong Kong!

Amazing Finds: Osaka

Current City:  Osaka

As we've been exploring the city, we've been spotting some really cool things:

1.  The stop and go men have hats on.

2.  The train system seems more complex than Hong Kong because there are different colors, markers, numbers, and signage to get you to the appropriate place on the platform.  

3.  As we were checking out the Kids Plaza, I realized that I was incredibly afraid of slides.  I also cannot land properly...as I was spit out of the shoot and onto my hands and knees.

4.  Can you see the fish in the bottle?  Does anyone know what this is?  Has anyone tried this?

5.  I actually thought I was ordering a chicken, but I got a small bird...with its head still on set in front of me.  Unpredictable!

6.  The last cool thing we noticed was the advertisements to take the stairs instead of the elevator.  The hostel had put some amazing prints (like the one below) in the stairwell.  So, as you walk, you can view the gallery.

A Touch of Seattle

Current City:  Osaka

Today was a shopping and chill out day in Osaka.  I was looking through my photos and realized that I had been collecting photos of something very Seattle.  From our landing in Osaka, over to Hiroshima, across to Kyoto and around Ibaraki, I have noticed a handful of Seattle's Best Coffees and Tully's Coffees.  There is obviously a Starbucks around every corner, but it was nice to see these old places!  Does Seattle even have a Seattle's Best anymore?

Anyhow, it made me smile to see a bit of home in Japan.  

Food Adventures, Japan

Current City:  Osaka

Over the course of the past few weeks, my husband and I have been on a Y.O.L.O. mentality [Y.O.L.O. = You Only Live Once].  We want to try everything, do everything, and see everything at least once!  (I know this is a bit repetitive...but it's true!)  

This blog post is dedicated to our food adventures.

**NOTE:  The photos do these dishes no justice!**

Seared Tuna

Takoyaki

Beef Curry

Seafood Okonimiyaki

Shabu Shabu

Toast with a Hard-boiled Egg and Tea

Vegan Burger with Fries and a Side of Salad

Ramen with Char Siu

Vegetable Curry

Egg and Chicken Donburi with Miso

Matcha and Sake Soft-Served Ice Creams

Beef Bowl

Kobe Beef Yakiniku

Someone told me that Osaka was known for their Takoyaki and that Hiroshima was known for their Okonomiyaki.  I learned through our Gion tour that Kyoto was known for their dumplings...but is Kyoto STILL known for their dumplings?  And what type of food is Miyajimi known for...since it was also a stop along our journey through the Kansai region of Japan?

Absolute Tourists in Osaka

Current City:  Osaka

Today was a day of experiences!  We were absolute tourists today.  We visited the aquarium, rode the big wheel, checked out the history museum, and then ended the day at the art museum. 

The most exciting undersea creature that I wanted to see was the whale shark.  I love aquariums.  There are so many interesting things to see, but it also makes me a bit sad because I start thinking...(1) are the sea creatures happy?  (2)  Do they like living in aquariums?  (3)  Do they like people looking at them all day?  (4)  Are they being cared for properly?  Anyhow, questions upon questions constantly run through my head when I visit any aquarium. 

There is a deal where you can purchase a combined ticket of the aquarium and a ride around on the big wheel.  It provided a great view of the city.  And there was an audio tour guide that played constantly as we went around.  There were not so many people riding on the big wheel today, but, instead of passengers, we found some huge stuffed animals riding in the cars after us.

Pooh Bear riding the Big Wheel

There was also a deal to visit the Osaka Museum of History and the Osaka Castle across the way.  This building is beautiful.  The glass ball connects the museum and a television station.  The one thing I really appreciate about the museums that we have been visiting is that there are volunteers that explain things to you.  The volunteer below taught us a game, which tested our knowledge of the information we learned in the museum.  It was quite fun.

The sun finally came out!  The science museum and the art museum are right next to each other, but they were both closing at the same time, so we chose to view art over science.  The exhibit that was showing:  Andreas Gursky.  The regular exhibit was just as impressive:  Kwak Duck-Jun.

It feels so good to be a tourist and do touristy things!  Today, especially...

Postcard from Osaka

Current City:  Osaka

We spent a pleasant last day in Kyoto, chilling, reading, and eating our last Kyoto meals.  Then we caught the train into Osaka and were greeted with the lights of the city!  So far, it has been an evening of searching for food and wandering the streets.  There are so many things that attract the eye here!

Glico Man running on the right

Wonderfully creative street lamps

The shopping arcade near our hostel

I haven't posted about food so much because I hope to have a post dedicated to food sometime soon.  But, for dinner, we decided to go the breakfast route.  We found this cute little shop that served pancakes.  They also had the cutest tea pots I have ever seen lining their eating bar.  It was a nice change!

Our dinner spot

Everything on the menu looked divine

--> A parade of tea pots! <--

Pancake

French Toast

It was a good sweet dinner and a great evening stroll.  Overall, our first night in Osaka...was very relaxing!

Another Side Trip: The Church of the Light

Current City:  Kyoto

...in Ibaraki...

Within a quiet neighborhood of this little town, there rests a beautiful little church called The Church of the Light.  We actually visited this last Sunday, but, it so happens to be posted today!  This church is only open for public viewing on Sundays.  We had to contact the church via their website.   We were then added to the list of visitors that day.  There is a limited number of people who can visit the church...which is totally understandable.

This church was commissioned by the town to be designed by Tadao Ando.  He designed the church so that it could be filled with light.  So, from this particular worship area, there was a giant cross that is cut out from the wall.  As the sun passes over the structure during the day, the light of the cross moves across the room.  There are images of this in the church office.  It's really spectacular to be here during noon time.  The room is just filled with such a luminous light.

It was a beautiful experience to sit in the pews of this church.  There was also an organ lesson going on at the time.  So, we had an incredibly inspiring experience.  I wonder what it would be like to have church service here on Sundays...

Amazing Finds: 1970s World's Fair in Ibaraki

Current City:  Kyoto

In between Kyoto and Osaka, is a massive commemorative park that once was home to the 1970s World's Fair.  This was a good all day trip to the Ibaraki area.  From the train windows, the first thing I saw was this massive statue peering over the trees.  

1.  He was the first amazing find of the day.

2.  The little train that ran through the park was a great way to get an overview of the facilities.  There were points where you can hop on and off the train.  They really gave a good tour...

3.  Speaking of tulips!  There was an area of the park that was covered in tulips!  People were out photographing them.  Just so lovely to find.

4.  One of the fun bits of the day was finding this flea market.  I love me some flea market!  There were so many knick-knacks.  And it was a great place to find little gifts for my family.

5.  The last amazing find was the National Museum of Ethnology.  This was perhaps the most amazing museum that I have been to in my life.  It's massive.  It's so informative.  The displays were so awesome.  We also got a free audio tour set.

This was totally a great day of seeing a lot, but giving our feet a good rest.