Osaka - Final Thoughts

I am going to try something a bit different this time.  I have waited so long to blog and there is so much to say that I am going to post this in smaller bits.

I need to wrap up our time in Osaka, talk about our time in Seoul, our cruise, and then maybe talk about my overall thoughts looking back on the trip as a whole, the latter with, maybe, some superlatives (favorite/least favorite, most/least scenic, cleanest/dirtiest, etc.).  Let’s not forget the time in Alaska to come!

If there is anything you want to know about, let me know and I can include it in a future blog.

Thoughts on Osaka

We only spent three weeks in Osaka but could have easily spent three more, we liked it that much.  I am not sure what it is about Osaka.  Maybe it is Japan, in general, but we really loved it there.  I don’t think it is that Osaka is incredibly aesthetically pleasing.  It has beautiful parts, with its parks and gardens, and the cherry blossoms the first week we were there sent it over-the-top amazing.

One last view of the cherry blossoms

The architecture is not that memorable. It’s not gritty like Hanoi or cosmopolitan-feeling like Kuala Lumpur or as diverse as Bangkok.  And there was not as much English spoken there as other places we have been. But there was something about it.  The people were kind.  The streets were crazy clean.  And the society there, in general, is orderly. Except I really don’t understand why they drive on the left but go up escalators and stairs on the right. I think that leads to confusion when walking.  That problem is only in Osaka.  Everywhere else in Japan, everything happens on the left.  The right-side thing in Osaka makes no sense.

Escalator in Osaka (and the back of my head). You stand on the right so people can walk up on the left if they are in a rush.

All the streets have ample sidewalks where you are not dodging parked motorcycles, cafe seating, and potholes.

Every place we went seemed fairly accessible by train and a few minutes of walking without a bunch of transfers.  But I think that was in part due to our location near Osaka Castle.  The nearest train station was about a 7 - 10 minute walk which really didn’t even seem that long because it was straight down the street.

While we were looking forward to Seoul, we were sad to leave Osaka.  We are already talking about returning, if not to Osaka, to other places in Japan.  They don’t speak much English there but that really didn’t detract from the experience or keep us from doing things we needed or wanted to do.

Although, when trying to find a place to get my hair color, cut, and style, one salon turned me down because I did not speak Japanese.  They were afraid the language barrier would be a problem in figuring out what I wanted done.  This was ascertained from Google Translate.  It all worked out because I found an English speaking place to get my hair done and it is the best it has looked in months.

They love their dogs in Osaka.  They love them small,clean, and not stray.  We saw several people clean their dogs' butts after they pooped.  The white dogs were crazy white they were so clean.

We got used to the vending machines for drinks.  They were everywhere and cheap.  We got so used to it that when we got to Seoul, it was a convenience that we truly missed.

But most drink machines did not have plain bottled water since the tap water in Osaka is super clean and as a result, everyone drinks it.  This was the first place since we left Osaka the first time back in October, where we were able to drink the water from the faucet.  AND it tasted like bottled water.  I had no taste issues with it at all.

The Japanese do love their automation, from the money machines when you pay for things at stores to the website ordering in restaurants to the mall police robot.

Automation Example #1:  Carvana-style parking lot

Automation Example #2:  I like to call this a lazy Susan for cars.  You find them in some tight parking lots.  You pull your car onto it and it rotates so you can easily drive out of the parking lot.  Genius!

Restaurants

The restaurant ordering was weird to me.  You had a waitperson but you had to use a QR code to order your food.  They would give you a physical menu but when it was time to order, you scanned the QR code to place your order.  The waitstaff would then just show up with your drink and food.  BUT, you didn’t pay with the QR code.  Usually, you would go to the cash register near the hostess stand and pay there, dumping your money in the machine which would automatically spit out your change.  I am sure I drove some people nuts because it took me several iterations to figure out, you didn’t have to feed your bills and coins one by one.  Just dump your change in the bin like you are dumping coins in a CoinStar and it sucks them in and counts them for you.  Same with the bills - just feed your stack of bills and the machine takes care of the rest.

There were some street vendors and carts where you did not order directly from the vendor.  They had a machine off to the side with pictures of the items they sell on individual buttons that corresponded to the menu.  You press the buttons of the things you want to order and then pay the machine.  When you are done, you stand there and wait for your food.

One thing you absolutely cannot do in Osaka is customize your food.  You take it as they prepare it.  It is considered extremely rude to request changes to what you order - asking for things on the side or without something or with something additional.  If it’s not on the menu the way you want it, you don’t get it the way you want it.  You get it the way the chef wants you to have it.  So if you are one of those people that routinely specializes menu items at restaurants, you are screwed in Japan.

Bakeries

Osaka’s bakeries rival Paris.  Not quite the fanciness of a Paris patisserie but the taste is on par. Had we not been walking so much, weight would have been gained.

One of the things the Japanese bakeries are known for is “salt bread.”  It looks similar to a croissant, without the flakiness.  It is crispy and buttery on the bottom with a touch of coarse salt sprinkled on top.  Salt bread is delicious and if you like bread, I highly recommend it!

Bathrooms

The bathrooms in Japan are amazing!  They are plentiful and clean.  Every garden and every park had public restrooms.  They were always clean. Every time.

The women’s and men’s restrooms both had little urinals for little boys.  Most stalls in the women’s restrooms had little pull down seats for the little ones.  Some even had a separate place for the kiddos to go to the bathroom within the women’s restrooms.  These places consisted of low walls so the parents could watch from the outside with a little urinal and little low-to-the-ground toilet.

The nursing rooms were palatial.

Most restrooms had the fancy toilets with various types of integrated bidets, with music and/or water noise (“for privacy”).  My favorites were the ones that assumed you wanted the noise as soon as you locked the stall door.

Music Makes Everything Better

We noticed that if there was an unpleasant or rudimentary activity, there was some sort of pleasing music to go along with it.  The trash trucks would play music as they made their rounds.  Oftentimes, it was Camptown Races (which by the way, is an American folk song from the 1850's) or some sort of nursery song.  Some convenience stores would play classical music as you opened their doors.  They would play music as a train would arrive.  I wish I could remember all the examples but it was always some sort of campy electronicy music.

Big Regret

Our one regret for Osaka and Seoul is that we thought about going to a baseball game too late.  We tried but the games were sold out.  How fun would it have been to experience a game in a place other than the US where baseball is just as beloved as it is at home?! Yet another reason to return.  We will be sure next time to buy tickets long before we ever get there.  Being huge baseball fans, we both still want to do this.

On April 24, we sadly left Osaka, Japan and headed for Seoul, South Korea, our last stop before we got on the cruise ship and headed back to North America, specifically Alaska.

I think this is a great stopping point.  My next one will talk about getting to Seoul, South Korea and our time there.  Hopefully, the time between blogs this time will only be a few days, if not tomorrow.