Osaka Aquarium

As part of our recent trip to Osaka, we made our way over to the Osaka aquarium. Living in Kyoto is absolutely amazing, and the only way it could be any better is if it was on the ocean. Thankfully living on an island nation, we are able to access the ocean within 30 minutes by train.

Having never been to a Japanese aquarium we just sort of expected it to be identical to aquariums in the states. Boy were we wrong! I apologize now to anyone who has not been to an aquarium in the states and is reading this, because the difference may not make sense. With that said, the biggest difference between the two is the layout. If you are familiar with aquariums in the states, you know you can walk around as if it was a museum, a little bit of time here, a bit here, basically just walk around as you please.

The Osaka aquarium is a different story entirely. You purchase your tickets outside, and then enter on the first floor. You then take an escalator up seven stories and begin your decent, along with the 200 other people who have decided to visit the aquarium on a late Saturday afternoon.

You then wind your way down the floors, still with the 200 other people, all packed in together with little ventilation or room to move. As you descend through the floors, you walk through a series of areas of the world, “Japanese rain forest”, “Monterey,” and “Antarctica” to name a few.  As you walk, you really just see the same tanks, only lower and lower into the tank’s depths (so you see the same fish, seals, and other sea-life over and over). It’s sort of amazing and depressing all at the same time.

The Antarctica exhibit where, if the seals wanted there was nothing in between you and them...

Your eyes are not deceiving you, that sting ray is leopard print!

Giant sea crabs

Full size shark in the tank...

dinner...

Another classic English shirt

Regardless, there were some really amazing areas, where you could pet sting rays and small sharks, and even a few fish we had never see before. You could also get really close to penguins, and as the station is unmanned you could probably get away with reaching out and touching one….terrifying as that sounds.

Amerikamura: Osaka's version of America

We woke up last Saturday a little late. After an evening of drinking and quiet Kyoto-style debauchery, there was no way we were going to do anything too early. Instead, we chose to make our way over to Osaka around 1:00pm, with plans to visit Amerikamura (Osaka’s obscure version of America).

On the way over, we debated making it all the way to Kobe instead to see a baseball game. Thankfully, we made the wise decision to not spend what was left of our late-start day on the train, and just went to Osaka instead.

Osaka is an interesting place, or at least what we saw of it. Keep in mind that it was a poorly planned trip, where we just sort of got on and off the train, but Osaka is not our favorite city. A bit dirty, and really big, the city is polar opposite of Kyoto.

Osaka is also a much more liberal city than Kyoto. In Kyoto you will almost never see anyone wearing anything risqué and I (Meg) have gotten several dirty looks for wearing shirts that are cut remotely low (keep in mind that I don’t wear much in the way of risqué clothing, nothing see-through, no short skirts or shorts, and nothing low-cut by American standards –I dress like your typical androgynous college kid…even though I’m no longer in college or a kid). Anyways, in Osaka anything apparently goes clothing-wise. They even have an American Apparel…I mean porn store…I mean American Apparel…Hard to tell the difference sometimes. So it was shocking going from a month in conservative Kyoto to a day in wild Osaka. We saw more peek-a-boo butt cheeks and mid-drift tummies than I have seen in my lifetime.

Kev and Turfy the racehorse made a great pair

Entrance to a hotel...we are not sure why

Kitschy hotel in Osaka. Apparently for as tacky as this place looks, this style of cutesy hotel is actually pretty decent. 

Another classic English shirt..I mean I guess this wasn't isn't actually that bad "speaking-wise" it's really just the fact that it's like "Hey fatty, fatty, 2-by-4...go back to the kitchen"

The trademark of Amerikamura, the mini-statue of liberty

The streets here are also amazingly dirty in comparison to Kyoto (again this may have just been the areas we went to). We have heard from several people that Osaka is considered the dirty city of the three major cities (Tokyo and Kyoto being the other two). But between the disgusted facial expressions and not nice things to say, everyone seems to have been to Osaka at some point, so we took their warnings with a grain of salt.

We made our way over to Amerikamura to check it out, and it is definitely an experience. We aren’t completely sure what we experienced, as it is nothing like actual America, but it was worth checking out as you walk through to other more interesting things in Osaka.

We also tried conveyor belt sushi for the first time, and it was ok. We have definitely had way better sushi, but in a pinch this made for a decent lunch. 

Hornet Sighting, Nightmares Do Come True

The mythical Japanese Hornet has been sighted. On our recent weekend adventure to Kurama and Kibune, the large beast was spotted on the lower portion of the trail. It looked tenacious and fierce, proud of its notorious reputation. I'm almost certain that it smelled the fear emanating out of my body (or maybe that was just the sweat from the 90+ degree heat). Either way, he gave us a dance that clearly said "stay away" and we obliged. One thing we've learned, don't mess with the Juju in Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. This guy was left well enough alone.

Update: We've come across these hornets on other hikes. They appear to live in the woodland hills around Kyoto.  No stings yet, but we'll post on the damage if it occurs.

A Bungalow of Sweet, Sweet Craft Beer Love

So having put up with Nama Biru for the last 6 weeks, save for two visits to Tagd's in Kyoto, we finally decided to venture out to a new craft beer bar in Kyoto called Bungalow. Located at the corner of Shijo and Horikawa, it is conveniently located close to downtown.

We rode over to this place after our dinner at Kerala Indian Restaurant (our favorite Indian food here). The decor of Bungalow is very industrial/hipster... similar to a lot of the beer bars and breweries we were so fond of in San Diego. Based on their Facebook page, it seemed that they had about 10 rotating drafts, none of which was the normal run-of-the-mill Kirin/Sapporo/Yebisu garbage rice beer. We're talking beer with body, hop aromas, fruity esters, etc. I'm sure my pallet was on sensory overload as I started on the beer journey that took me from the mountains of Tottori (Daisen G Weizen by Kumezakura Daisen Brewery) to the sea at Osaka (Minoh W-IPA(double IPA) by A.J.I. Beer Inc.). Neither of these were cheap by US standards (~$9 for a 15oz pour), but were totally worth it.Meg tried a few chisai (schooner size glass) beers- Belgian White and a Belgian Stout, both of which were also delicious. We ordered a fine piece of cheesecake and ice cream to finish our night and thought were good to go...

... Until an overly friendly Japanese gentleman came into Bungalow by himself and asked to sit down at our table. Not knowing too many people in Kyoto, we kindly welcomed him in. Having joined our table, he insisted on an order of pickles (his treat) for us to share. I'm not a huge fan of pickles in general, but pickles after Indian food and cheesecake really didn't hit the spot. And we couldn't refuse- this is Japan, you eat what you are given whether it's plant or animal, cooked or raw, alive or dead, etc. After talking with him for a bit, we were able to conclude that he was an ex-employee of Panasonic and is now working for the Kyoto Chamber of Commerce. Since my background and current employment is in the same field he was in for ~40 years, we found an instant connection. I don't think he was too thrilled about his new gig, (and who would?), having worked at Panasonic for 40 years and now at the Chamber of Commerce. I'm not sure what events led up to his departure, but he didn't seem too positive about it. We exchanged contact information, as is tradition in Japan, and then we went on our separate ways.

Overall, Bungalow is a must-visit for anyone deprived of good beer. It's got great atmosphere, an awesome, fairly priced beer selection, and delicious food. On the SE corner of Shijo and Horikawa- don't forget it.  See the pictures below to get a feel for the bar and beer list.

An accidental trip to Kiyomizu Temple

On a recent trip to a market on Matsubara Dori that ended up a total bust, we stumbled upon Kiyomizu Temple (Kiyomizu-Ji). If you know anything about Kyoto temples, this is one of the most famous.  The fact that we came by it by mistake is a little ironic. Sadly, a main portion of the temple is closed for restoration, so most of our pictures are of the crazy view from the walking path of Kiyomizu Temple.

We managed to time it just right so that we hit a rainstorm in the streets of Kyoto as we tried to make it up to Kiyomizu Temple. If you are unfamiliar with Kyoto terrain, the trek to Kiyomizu is uphill (keep this in mind if you are biking). There is bike parking for 200yen (about $2.00 USD) about ¼ mile from the temple entrance, look for the tour bus parking and you have found the bike parking.

There isn’t much to say about these photos, but here is a little taste of Kiyomizu Temple:

Rainstorm walk up to the temple

Kiyomizu Temple

We are not sure if the wooden markers are grave sites or for the trees, but the whole area was blocked off. 

Kiyomizu Temple balcony

Kyoto Tower from Kiyomizu Temple

There was a whole area dedicated to "luck" at the temple, with this tree and two rocks that walking in a straight line between would bring you good luck in love. 

It was really rainy the day we went...

photo bomb...

Tanabata, Japan's Star Festival

A little known cultural event that happens in Japan is Tanabata, or “event on the seventh of the seventh” or “star festival”. The event originated in Chinese folklore, but was picked up by the Japanese a long, long time ago. The tale's main premise is the meeting of a prince and princess, who are separated by a celestial river, everyday of the year except for the night of July 7^th (lunar calendar, August 7th in the real calendar), due to the princess’s jealous father (of her time weaving, not sexual prowess). One night a year he lets the couple meet. It's a really romantic story if you end up Googling your way to Wikipedia to check it out. 

In Kyoto, the festival is celebrated for a series of nights, with the big night being on August 3^rd (in 2013).

Although Googling “Tanabta festival” in English brings up a series of information that is not especially helpful, unless you read Japanese, the festival is actually really simple to figure out.

Understanding Tanabata in Kyoto:

-       It takes place in two main areas: Kamo River (Kamogawa) between Shijo and Sanjo street, and Nijo Castle (Nijo Jo). This second area is also referred to as the “Horikawa area”.

-       The big event is mainly celebrated at Kamogawa, with the more arts and culture piece happening near/in Nijo.

-   On the day of the big event (in 2013 this was Saturday, August 3rd), the walking path that borders the west side of the Kamo river is packed with food vendors and live entertainment (of varying quality). Also, although we did not see them, we heard there were even geishas who make an appearance as performers.

-       For the rest of the nights/days (the 3rd – 12^th in Kyoto), there are a variety of events related to the stars and arts/culture.

-       Definitely recommend checking the dates as the festival lasts longer than just the 7^th, even though in the story this is the big night. The best option for this is learning the characters for month, day, and time and the looking at Japanese sites for pictures and dates/times.

-       Unless you are super into absorbing every bit of Japanese culture, the main event and heading to Nijo Castle any day of the festival will provide you with enough cultural exposure give you a great experience.

-       For more information regarding Tanabata (and hopefully next year’s event plan) here is a link to their site: http://www.kyoto-tanabata.jp/index.html

Here are a few photos we took of the Tanabata festival, both at the Horikawa site (aka Nijo Castle) and at the Kamo Rive site:

The classic symbol of Kyoto Tanabata is these wooden candle balls. They can be found to the North of the entrance to the Tanabata main festival. 

Japanese babies can sleep ANYWHERE! It was unbelievable loud, and yet we saw multiple children totally passed out.

Another classic Tanabata decoration, these mini-bamboo trees are brought in and decorated with lights, wishes and prayers, both written on small slips of paper.