Japan Trip - Part 3: Osaka

Oli doing his set.

This guy was awesome too!

So my time in Tokyo was up, and time to move onto the next biggest city in Japan - Osaka. My last night in Tokyo was spent with my mate Oli at the Ruby Room in Shibuyu. It was Open Mic night, and Oli played a great set, including an old favourite of mine "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash, and there were also a few other guys playing that did really well, and helped make my last night a little special. As I watched the bands playing, I though "I'm in Tokyo, in some tiny, brick-walled, red-velvet sofed bar, watching locals get up and hammer out songs in English, alongside an Englishman singing an American Country and Western song. It was a little strange, but fantastic as well - a great night out!

I've always liked a 'strong' nose.

I didn't know much about the city before getting there, so I didn't have anything really to get my hopes and expectations up. That's a good thing, as I was not impressed. I won't bore you with why it was such a let-down, as I would much rather concentrate on the good things - there are a few!

The cleaners dutifully lining up to clean the train before departure.

Downtown Osaka.

Teaching the new generation.

The first cool thing was, of course, the Shinkansen trip! The Bullet Train, which celebrated it's 50th birthday this year (yes it is incredible!), is something that needs to be done whilst in Japan. A marvel of engineering, the first train was built and ran in 1964 between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka (the same line as I took), and has since taken nearly the world's population around the country - with a total ridership of 5.3 billion. In the 60s, the trip took 4 hours (which is the time taken from home to Bondi Beach on a hot Sunday afternoon), and has been shortened to 2.5 hours with the new faster trains that run at 270kms/hr and carry 140 million people a year - or 390,000 people A DAY! As the big-nosed, white bullet-thingy pulled up at the station, shivers ran down my spine. The excitement of getting on a train that is nothing like anything else, and then hurtling along so fast through the countryside, that I needed to use the loo straight away. Before boarding, the cleaners lined up in perfect unison, then got on and cleaned before we could board - everything is so efficient here, and we even has lines on the platform telling us where to stand. No advertising on this train, nor telelvisions, so it was quiet and relaxing - not even a sound from the rails - and of course a small smoking room for those that can't wait 2 hours to pollute their lungs. Although it was just a quick train trip, I was still impressed at how it all runs - and it runs every 20 mins!!

Fast food in Osaka - out of a combi!

A room with a view!

Cold floors - thing of the past!

I hit town, and then it hit me that I was alone in a huge city and unsure of where to go and what to do! I hadn't read about the city, booked accommodation, or have friends here. Exciting to some, a time worthy of a panic attack for others, but I took it in my stride, not stressing or jumping for joy, and headed to 7-11 for breakfast. I know what you are thinking, a convenience store for food, but here (like many, many things!) they are different! You can grab fresh, yummy (and salmonella-free) sushi and meat products, ready to eat and also cheap. Get this - you can buy a nori roll from 7-11 for Y150 ($1.50), and it is wrapped so that it stays fresh - you unwrap the plastic, and the seaweed is separate from the rest, then you re-wrap it with the seaweed... so yummy!! So, back to being lost in a city... yes, eat first then find a place to crash! So, I hailed a taxi, the door opened automatically for me (as they do), and I said "kapusuru hoteru, arigato gosaimasu!" and in 10 minutes and Y1000 later, I was in my very first Capsule Hotel (sometimes called a 'Coffin Hotel').

The 'rooms' of a Capsule Hotel.

Hot foot spa... on the street!

Traffic wardens in Osaka.

Now, let me tell you about this 'hotel.' Only men are allowed, you had to wear their branded pants and top around the place and you can't wear your shoes anywhere. By this stage, I was getting better at being able to take my shoes off, balancing my camera and bag, and keep the 'clean' area shoe-free. It's not easy for a Westerner to do this for some reason - it makes me feel so fat and uncoordinated! For Y3200 ($32) you get a 2m long x 1.5m wide 'room' that comes with a TV, radio and reading light. I had been looking forward to this since I heard about them, so when I finally crawled into my coffin (I mean room!), it just felt right. There was plenty of space, the bed was comfy, and let's face it - how much room do you need in a hotel - I mean, when travelling alone you only use them to sleep in after a night out on the town. The bathroom facilities were winderful - apart from naked men wandering around. Self-pasting toothbrushes, shavers, moisterising creams and aftershaves were all provided, everything a 'salary man' would need to get himself back in the corporate rat race after a boozy night out! The whole place had a weird feeling to it though - it seemed a place for lonely, single men to come and stay as they have nowhere else to go. It evcen had a 'relaxing' area upstairs, where you chill on a bed/sofa and watch TV with speakers fitted into your headrest, and a massage service. Strange!

The walls of Osaka Castle.

View from the top of the castle.

The largest stone in the castle - 59m2.

After a lovely sleep, I made my way to Osaka Castle. Construction started in 1583 and finished in 1597 - and was attacked and taken by Tokugawa in 1615, and he became the Shogan, or military ruler of Japan, and his family ruled for the next 250 years. In 1868, the castle fell during an attack, then became an army arsenal, then restored in 1928, then nearly completely destroyed during the Second World War. In 1995, the Japanese government decided to restore it to it's former beauty, and was finished in 1997. So although it is a concrete reconstruction, it is still very impressive, and looks like what it did all that time ago. 8 storeys high, it stands out from quite a distance, sitting on its hill amidst 15 hectares of land and huge stone walls and filled moats. Crossing the moats and seeing the huge angled walls, it is hard to imagine how anyone could capture this castle, even with gunpowder - sheer walls set with massive stone blocks (the biggest stone is 59m2 and 108t and about 6m tall!) and a 50m wide moat. After buying a ticket (from a machine of course), I entered the castle proper. 8 flights of stairs and 50,000 screaming children later, I reached the viewing platform at the top, and got a wonderful view of Osaka.

Osaka Castle.

The re-built Osaka Castle.

A battle scene.

Unfortunately there wasn't much else to see in Osaka from what I could tell. I met up with 2 friends from Australia, and they couldn't help me out either. I did have a wander around the city for a bit, but it was just all huge skyscrapers with large shopping centres inside. Feeling slightly annoyed by the lack of anything to do, I jumped on a train to Kyoto -  on Y400 ($4) and 1.5 hours away by local train. Sitting on the train, I thought about Osaka - although it was disappointing after Tokyo (how can you compare to that!), I had stayed in a capsule hotel, seen the castle, met up with friends, and done it all by myself - I call that a success! Kyoto on the other hand, was everything I had hoped it would be. But, you'll have to wait!

A battle scene from the taking of Osaka Castle in 1620.