Sept. 6-9, 2007

I awoke at 5:54 in the morning at Koyasan to attend the morning service. It consisted of a monk chanting along with a woman (surprising!) in a beautifully adorned room full of golden lotuses and what I believe were urns of previous Shojoshin-in monks. It was refreshing and nice, as was the light breakfast that followed.

With rain drizzling, we decided just to head to Osaka, the last stop on my journey. We rode the bus, then the steep cable car, and finally a long train to Osaka. After getting utterly lost and confused in the underground mazes of shopping malls that surround the Osaka station (and most others in Japan), we finally found our hotel, which was actually very close! Before checking in, though, we simply dropped off our bags and then headed up to Kyoto, where I had been storing two more big bags! It is simply ridiculous how much stuff we have amassed. I feel so sorry for the hotel clerks, often tiny young women, who check your bags in. One insisted on taking even the heaviest of them!

We have now been staying here for three days, and it has been nice not to lug around our massive bags. Osaka is a very large city, and feels much like a smaller version of Tokyo. Near our hotel are winding little back streets full of cabaret clubs, restaurants, and “shot bars” which are very small, sometimes standing room only.

On Friday, we set out for the Osaka Aquarium, which is said to be one of the best in the world. They weren’t joking – it was amazing. They have a whale shark, which is very exciting since it’s the largest fish in the world, along with dolphins, a mini coral reef setup, huge crabs, and the coolest jelly fish collection. One of the tanks in the middle of the place is the largest holding tank in the world, and houses the baby whale shark, manta rays, nurse sharks, barracuda, and many other fish, big and small. It was nice to see a contained environment wherein the animals seem happy. This comes in contrast with, say, the Ueno Park Zoo.

Other than the animals, we had lots of fun eating soft cream while looking out over the Osaka bay and listening to uncensored Wu Tang Clan. I’m not sure who put it on, but there were lots of curse words despite the area being populated by families with small children!! Of course they couldn’t understand it, but we thought it was outrageous!

After the aquarium, we walked to the adjacent shopping market, which was cheesy and lame in my opinion, and then took a ride on the world’s largest giant wheel! The Japanese obviously enjoy the “world’s largest” claim to fame, right? It was spectacular, though, with a diameter of over 100 meters (that’s 300 feet!). It was a great view of the area, and the sun was just about setting.

That night, we set out to find a good restaurant in the crowded outdoor area next to our hotel. Now, in Japan, it is common for restaurants and bars to have recruiters outside the doors, yelling “Irasshaimase!” and trying their very best to get you to go inside. This made finding a restaurant difficult, but entertaining. We settled on a place that had a variety of dishes, and ended up eating a yakiniku plate of chicken and vegetables, crab tempura, and a bbq spare rib of all things. It was excellent. We concluded the evening with a whiskey drink at a tiny shot bar called Club Instinct that could hold no more than 15 people and was playing “Happy Feet” on the wall and reggae music on the record player.

Saturday we decided to go to Nara, which I was very excited about. Nara is city about 45 minutes away by train that is home to the most World Heritage sights (read: really old and amazing Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines) in one place in Japan. We headed straight to Nara Park, famous for deer and many famous Buddhist sites. The deer were literally everywhere! It is quite a sight to see such domesticated animals. I am convinced they live on nothing but ice cream, and they aren’t afraid to come right up to you, nuzzle your legs, or even take a nip at you (both of which happened to me that day). Deer aside, highlights were the Kasuga Taisha shrine, which dates back to the 8^th century and has a complex of vermillion buildings, which are beautiful as they offset the surrounding greenery. There were lots and lots of tourists there, which made it difficult, but I am very happy we went nonetheless.

The skies changed from light and white to dark and gray, with thunder rumbling in the distance. We ate flavored ice bowls and watched the storm come in. Of course I had forgotten umbrellas. We made a beeline for Todaiji, hoping to get there before it poured. On the way, though, we bought some “deer cookies” from a vendor, which seemed like a good idea at the outset, but came to fruition as a bad mistake. The deer are very wise to knowing who has food. Two eyed me as I made the purchase and began tailing me. Not long after, I had a small herd of deer literally chasing me, desperate for the cookies. One started nipping at me. I, of course, screamed, and threw the cookies to Dan. He was chased and nipped until the cookies were all gone. Quite the rush.

Todaiji is one of the coolest and most unique places in the world. It is home to the world’s largest wooden structure and also the world’s largest bronze Buddha, measuring over 50 feet high. It was simply magnificent, both the outer building and the Buddha (and the Nyoirin Kannon and the other gilded figures that flanked it). No words nor pictures can do it justice.

By the time we were ready to go, it had started pouring. That didn’t stop us from doing a little bit of shopping. Dan really wanted a Japanese sword, a katana, and we have been sort of browsing for a while. We found a nice little vending shop with beautiful swords (completely dull – just for decoration) and we picked up a set.

The ride back to Osaka went by in a blink; I dozed and Dan gameboy’ed. That evening, we ate dinner on the 28^th floor of the Hankyu Grand Building that overlooks the northern side of Osaka. We ate a nice Japanese dinner and were served by a very kind woman wearing a kimono. We pondered riding another huge ferris wheel that sits atop the adjacent HEP 5 building, but ended up calling it a night.

Today was my last day in Japan. We did some last minute shopping and then met my JASC friends Toki and Itsumi. Toki lives in Osaka and he took us to a great little Mexican restaurant of all places. We were suspicious at first, but were very pleased with our dinner. The place was very small and cozy and had a very authentic Mexican feel. A Pilipino guitar singer serenaded us with the Beatles, Elton John, Eric Clapton, and the 4 Non-Blondes. Then we walked around the Shinsaibashi neighborhood, which is a very happening part of town full to the brim with shopping, takoyaki (dough-octopus balls for which Osaka is famous. I have been wanting to eat some from here, which are supposed to be the best, but I was too full from dinner!), super nice cars, and bar/restaurant/strip club street recruiters.

I am both sad to leave and very excited to come home. This trip has been amazing, but I have been traveling around day-to-day with lots of bags for close to 2 months now – I’m tired!!! My arrival in Tokyo feels like forever ago. I have learned so much, but I feel as if I have only scratched on the surface of what Japan has to offer. I am most definitely coming back. Sayonara, Nihon!