Oh Yeah Osaka!

I just love Osaka. Tokyo has its interests for sure, but for me, it's all about the smaller cities in Japan and Osaka has a lot to offer. It's smaller, less uptight, more child friendly, and definitely foody. So when we fly into Osaka, it's mostly menu that we're thinking about.

First off, it's the home of Takoyaki, octopus balls! It's a kind of batter fried in a special pan (like a poffertje pan), each ball about the size of a ping pong ball, and each with a bit of octopus in it. Morning noon or night, you get 6-9 of them depending on the joint and toothpicks as forks. They're drizzled in mayo, brown sauce, bonito flakes and powdered seaweed. They're like molten lava when you get them so you have to time it just right- too quick, bye bye tastebuds, too slow and they lose pizazz. And really no one wants a tepid ball in their mouth.

Osaka is also home to certain varieties of Okonomiaki, or Japanese stuffed pancake. I've waxed lyrical about them before, they are effen great and we have our favorite spot that we've now hit on 3 separate trips, Suke Okonomiaki. I'm not sure it's the 'best in town' or anything, but it's a small place with a great relaxed vibe and always the same woman manning the teppan table. She also makes a winter stew that is to die for and serves the other usual suspects of snacky foods, yakisoba, gyoza, edamame, etc. It's in a part of town that we always forget exactly where it is so we have to fan out and shout in the cross streets when someone finds it. And somehow, the sidewalk out front has like a kid vortex or something, both times Hopper has been there he's had an intense fascination with the nearby doors, plants, and signs. Hm?

We stayed on the main road at Shinsaibashi across from the subway station, so we were super close to food, shopping, and transport. Since we were really only there for a day, our plan was to check out a couple favorite kids stores, wander around the cute shopping streets and grab a few handy things at Tokyu Hands like a drinking bottle for Hopper (since he lost his at the train station) and a sesame grinder for soups and so. (And can I just say that I looove Tokyu Hands. They have everything! It's like a spiffy amped up Target type of shopping- it's very easy to walk out with 100 bucks of stuff not on your list.)

And of course we had to visit the kids park in Americamura, only to find that it was full of blooming sakura trees! Oh the joy!

Quick stop, on the bus, hop, off to Kamiyama! Hai!

Our spot! Lucky to sit outside after the day's rain showers

Happy man with belly full of okonomiaki!!

The people opposite Hopper inside the doors had a toddler boy with them, they played a lot of games through the glass and then shunned each other face to face outside

Tuckered out little dude! (This is considered an "apartment". What you see here is almost half the space. The rest is econo-kitchen with small dining table and separate shower/toilet area. Tiny!

Had to go back to Dotombori to show H the big crab (sorry, photo was a bit of an afterthought, but there it is)

For some reason, this canal makes Hopper buzz out. He's had melt downs both times he's been here. This is recovery mode discussing how the turtle wasn't going to wait for him to stop crying at the top of the stairs. So he pretends not to care. And we walk on hoping we haven't "lost face" as parents.

The Howl and Sakura!

a slide revisit 1 1/2 years later. still fun!

just chillin in the park while the kids play

Our Last Hurrah Kamiyama/Osaka Style

After an emotional goodbye, and a very hasty cleaning and precision packing (sorry Keiko et al for the mess we had no intention of leaving), we were on the bus to Osaka to lavish our last few days in one of Japan's best cities. We chose a nice hotel near the America-mura to be near the action and enjoy some great food.

We mostly did some shopping around to collect last minute necessities like the lens cap I dropped in the indigo vat (which we never found), winter shoes and clothes for Hopper (since he outgrew everything whilst there), and a few odds and ends that we had spotted at the beginning of our trip. We had also wanted to eat okonomiaki (Japanese stuffed pancakes) and squid balls and stock up on some food items that would be impossible to find in Holland. (We also threw sudachi limes into our suitcase and hoped the sniffer dogs wouldn't find them!)

The rest of our plan was to meet up with the lovely guys we met at Ikumi beach, Takeshi, Daisuke and Fumio. We chose a cafe near our hotel that had a fab vibe and proceeded to eat and drink and have general merriment playing with Hopper and sharing stories from our stay. Such sweet guys, a real pleasure to have made their friendship, and the creators of our first true family portrait. Thanks guys for your hospitality, comradery and generous prints.

And a special arigato to all of Japan for giving us such lasting memories and the sense of home. We shall return!!!

hard to say goodbye to that spectacular view

Nik being interviewed for a newspaper at our local Kamiyama eatery

cleaning the car

we tried to teach him wax on/ wax off

saying goodbye on our last night proved difficult for one little boy

farewell dinner with a group of superb people

just a casual dinner in! mmm mmm delicious!

Nik signing the prints of his colossal work

dropping like flies

full belly, saki, long day at the wood mill

day of departure, farewell meet-up at the farmers' market

last little fun with Keiko

touching, these lovely faces came to say goodbye and brought parting gifts!

tears were shed at the bus station

and we zonked out on the bus to Osaka

Osaka has great parks

our favorite okonomiaki spot first found in 2010

another okonomiaki spot where your table top IS the hot plate

just stuff it in

one of the many covered shopping strips with lots o food

and people

yay more food!

Hopper was so excited to see these guys...

Takeshi, Daisuke, & Fumio

they had so much fun

and knew all the toddler slapstick

love these guys

with our portrait from the beach (my disc drive doesn't work so can't upload the photos! will work on it)
Thanks guys!

street shenanigans with the Osaka soccer/football team noise makers

Nankai line to the airport

1 hour of peace & quiet on the 11 hr flight home

back at home, exhausted

"Mama, I want to go back to Japan. On the shinkansen high speed train. Can we go?"

Back to Osaka, Aquarium Kaiyukan Day

The aquarium in Osaka is one of the largest in the world and was a no-brainer to visit. We of course thought it perfect toddler fare and would also be cool for us. Apparently a multitude of other people had the same thought. Good god I felt like we went to Disney, and despite the Japanese having quite the code of manners, they certainly did not apply in an en masse setting. (Which also just made it a fairly normal crowd experience.)

Although anything where animals are kept in any sort of cages gives me pangs of guilt, it was in fact super cool. The exhibits are superbly put together as you spiral down around the main tank, viewing it from different angles, to see animals from around the world. 

The design concept is called "Ring of Fire", the ring of volcanoes stretching around the Pacific Ocean, so we saw everything from sea mammals to jellyfish, from the Antarctic to the jungles of Equador, and a quite a few specifically Japanese realms. Of course the main attraction is the massive nearly 1.5 million gallon tank that holds sharks, rays, tuna and among many other fish, a whale shark!!!! 

Hopper was not nearly as excited as we hoped/expected. I think the crowd overwhelmed him, he was pretty clingy and to be honest, not many people there seemed to care if he could see anything or not. So we spent some sweaty time needling our way toward the glass while still trying to be enthusiastic about the animals inside. Once I accepted that we were not going to get a private tour, it was much more enjoyable.

Hopper's favorite exhibit seemed to be the massive crabs from the deep waters of Japan. I was excited to see Moonfish up close and personal as well as the many jellyfish specimens, and the octopi we saw were just so intriguing. I found myself talking to the guy above, saying hello through the glass and squinting my eyes waiting for a response. They definitely appear to have an inkling as to what's going on. Never trust an octopus.

After spending nearly 3 hours inside, we got what I call museum sydrome, where you start to feel like you've been a room without oxygen and your stomach begs for food. So we went to the adjoining shopping center for lunch, where the ice cream advertisements sent one little boy into antsy-pants hysterics, wriggling side to side, twisting and tensing, all anxious. He was a good boy eating his fried rice and noodles, so he got his ice-shun.

Then it was of course back to the playground and the next day to the bus station! Kamiyamaaaaaa Hai!

Some photo gluttony...

waiting for the subway

Osaka harbor with pirate boat

otters with the masses

this guy, he knows something

a little apprehensive

Hammerhead!

Spotted Ray

man this guy was fast

sees ice cream pics, can barely contain himself

but has to eat lunch first

but doesn't want anymore daddy!

ice-shuuuuun (his pronunciation play off of dutch "ijsje")

<sigh>

cleared for take-off

oh the glorious drink machines at every turn

new hat at okonomiyaki place (ps worst Japanese food we've ever had- so sad)

Japanese style futon, what many people do at home, then fold them up & away in the morning 

sleep till Kamiyama!