Osaka-17th April « Not Fun Anymore

Osaka-17th April

Beautiful Tuesday morning. And we got lost.

We intended to go to Sumiyoshi Taisha, further south-west from where we stayed. But the train rides/map/directions given confused us and we ended up chasing wild geese (yes, plural). So, we decided to skip the trip to the oldest shrine in Osaka because there were going to be many more shrines and temples in Kyoto anyway. Trust me, after 3 or 4 of those, nothing they say can interest you anymore than watching a lizard on the wall. So, we read that Tennoji park is a beautiful place to walk around. We arrived there, took some pictures of sakura trees and weren’t that impressed. Maybe I had too high an expectation.

We then left the park for Namba, to Den Den town, the supposedly electronics paradise of Osaka. It took us a long walk from the train station, a few wrong turns, a very helpful couple to point us the way and a very enthusiastic Oji-san(old uncle) ~~walking~~slow jogging along with us to get there. But Ojisan told us Lab 11 (Yamada Denki, which was recently opened, is a better bargain and brought us there instead). Of course, we thanked him as spiritedly as we could, on a busy street when we finally got our bearings right.

Indeed, Lab 11 is much cheaper than any other place. I found that out when we arrived in Akihabara, Tokyo a week later. Akihabara is famed for its streets lined with electronics superstores. But I wasn’t much of an gadget geek and will die if my dad finds out that I swiped the card for a PSP, even though it’s crazily cheaper than those sold in Malaysia. So, out of necessity, I bought only some batteries and a charger for my camera. Mind you, they’re not any ordinary batteries, these are Sanyo Enerloops, rechargeable up to a thousand times and bloody good according to reviews. The only problem is, the charger uses a two-pin plug and 110V which means it would certainly FRY if ever used only with adapter plugged into our sockets(230V). So, nowadays my dad has to charge those batteries with a transformer. Well, he’s very equipped with all these mumbo-jumbo electronics stuff.

After Lab 11, we rushed to Umeda Sky Building, in Umeda(of course) to catch the sunset. Because sunset is the highlight of the day, and what better way to enjoy it other than perched on a lazy chair in a cafe on the topmost floor of the 40 story landmark of Umeda?

We even attempted some night-shots on the rooftop observatory. But the wind was adamant at blowing us off the rooftop and I was shivering uncontrollably by the 3rd second I stepped foot in the open air. I was only in my shorts and a measly jacket, so it can’t be helped, practically running to the exit, I settled with taking pictures from the window.

Dinnertime was then spent in Hep FIVE, a shopping complex in Umeda. I had Katsudon –rice with pork slices and egg. It was superb but costs 900 yen which was quite a lot for some rice and pork. *sigh* It sucks when myour money is puny.

Since Joypolis Sega is also conveniently located in the same building, we gave it a peek after dinner. It’s actually a theme park of sorts, with arcades and a ferris wheel. Though it sounded interesting, reading off wikitravel, it was only two floors of arcades and some spookhouses. So, for the sake of doing something, I wasted a few hundred yens trying to grab a penguin with a hook.

By the time we got out of the arcade, wanting to look around the shops in the building, all of them were closed and walkways were barred. It was only 8 p.m!! I was beginning to hate their punctualness.

So, with nowhere else to go, we headed home. Braving through the cold night with my shorts. Not fun at all.

Pictures:

Non-too-impressive Sakura Trees in Tennoji Park