Matsuyabashi Shopping Street

Yesterday, I went to Matsuyabashi shopping street in Osaka. It's a very old shopping street that sells wholesale, but also opens its shops to the public. It seemed to be predominantly Christmas shops, doll shops and toy shops. As the shops sell to other shops and restaurants, the Christmas shops were sadly rather tacky...! It was a very interesting street though.

Random bits and bobs

Well, I'm about at the end of my time here, and so this post is a mixture of things that I noticed and didn't write down... I've added lots more photos to the link at the left too.

• People stand on the right side of the escalator in Osaka and the left in the rest of Japan. Apparently it's because of the Expo in 1970 when Osaka was trying to become more international...
• As I've often raved, throughout Japan trains and buses are incredibly punctual. My journey to the school north of Kobe takes just under 2 hours door to door, including waiting time. However the waiting time is at the start of the journey, never between the train and the bus. There was a 6 minute connection time between the train and the bus, and a 3-4 minute walk. I don't believe there is another country in the world (and certainly not Britain!) where you would be happy that you would make that connection!
• I always felt safe where I was living, but the area by the station wasn't the most salubrious! Lots of dodgy bars and clubs! For example, next to the 24 hour supermarket there was a sign depicting a smiley nurse with not a lot on for an establishment on the 7th floor of the next building. I don't think it was a hospital...
• Food is good and cheap in Osaka as per its reputation. Not necessarily better than anywhere else in the country, but the combination of price, quality and variety is good.
• I often saw groups of old people sitting outside their houses in the late afternoon, so that they could watch the world go by.
• There was a stretch of main road near my flat, where the old people gathered, that had been planted with beautiful smelling roses and night jasmine. It was lovely coming past there.
• Along the same stretch of road, there was a dear dog that I used to talk to and ruffle up. He was obviously well-loved, but needed a good groom.
• My local supermarket here sold delicious brown rice bread. However, take care... Brown rice bread catches fire very easily... I took my eye off it for a second the other afternoon and flames were coming out my cooker. Don't panic, don't panic! Luckily, I sorted it out before the smoke alarm had a chance to kick in. I really didn't want to be that foreigner who burnt the toast...
• Osaka has some really interesting areas, and is very well-placed for visiting the rest of Kansai. It also has a big airport close by which means that it's easy to get to the rest of Japan. Who knows, maybe I'll move to Osaka sometime?!
• Why don't any of the subway lines start at number 1? Did they start numbering later in the sequence in case they extend the line?
  

Probably more things that I've forgotten...

Organic Building, Shinsaibashi

A rather interesting office building... Plant pots are built into the surface wall.

Weihnachtsmarkt at Umeda Wondersquare

Today was the opening day of the German Christmas Market in Umeda, Osaka. The German Consulate are hosting it. It was a lovely atmosphere, and I'm sure I'll go back!

It was funny to listen to the opening speeches in Japanese and German. Some of the stalls were being run by Germans. With some of the Japanese owners even, I wasn't sure if they weren't in fact Japanese-German.

More photos at the left link.

CosmoTower, Osaka Bay WTCコズモタワー、大阪

It was a beautiful clear evening, with a full moon, so I decided to have a wander around the Osaka Bay area. I went up to the 55th floor of the Osaka World Trade Centre CosmoTower, and took this picture. And then I went down to the 51st floor which I had all to myself and phoned Mum and Dad. Phone call with a view!

On the way down from the 55th floor, the elevator was glass - strange feeling!

嵐山と嵯峨野 Arashiyama and Sagano

今日嵐山に行った。紅葉がすごく美しい。もっと写真が左リンクにある。

Today I went to Arashiyama. The autumn colours were absolutely beautiful. More photos at the left link.

Many of the pictures are of the landscape garden at Tenryuju Temple. The garden is known as the Sougenchi Garden, and is one of the oldest in Japan, retaining the same form as when it was designed by Musou Soseki in the 14th century. It was the first Special Historical Scenic Area named by the Japanese government, and was designated by the UN as a World Cultural Heritage site in 1994.

Sanda Shopping Mall

Just trying to show that this mall is in the middle of nowhere, but it doesn't give an indication of size, because there is not only a big 4 storey shopping mall, but also an outlet mall behind...

Not such a smart dog...

Really, it doesn't sound like such a smart dog if it meows...

早起き Getting up early

ああ、早起きがたいへんだよ！土日が早初めと長道程、だからちょっと疲れた！でも、三田の道程がとても美しい。仕事に行くがお休みのようだ！毎日山に葉がますます美しいなっている。

Oh, I'm telling you, it's tough getting up early! It's an early start and a long journey on Saturdays and Sundays, so I'm getting somewhat tired! But the trip to Sanda is absolutely beautiful, I might be going to work but it feels like a holiday! Every day, the autumn colours are becoming more and more beautiful in the mountains.

神戸 Kobe

今朝、神戸に行って、餃子レストランに定食をたべた。もっと写真が左リンクに有る。

This morning I went to Kobe and had a set lunch at a gyoza restaurant. More photos at the left link.

淀川 Yodo River

町に歩いて、日本語の試験本を買った。これは淀川。

I walked into town and bought a Japanese test book. This is Yodo River.

京都 Kyoto

今日、京都に行って錦市場と銀閣寺を見て哲学の道を歩いた。美しかった！
写真が左リンクに有る。

I went to Kyoto today, and looked round the food market at Nishiki, went to the Silver Pavilion, and walked along the Philosopher's Path. It was beautiful! More photos at the left link.

大日学校

This is the shopping mall that houses the Osaka Dainichi school. As you can see, the mall goes off the edge of the photo on both sides. It was very big, but actually smaller than the mall in Kobe Kita.

Wow!

Gosh, I'm working in a HUGE shopping centre!

First journey to Sanda

Today is my first day at work here. Sanda is the school north of Kobe, and a bit of a trek. Much of the journey was through whacking great tunnels - the Japanese attitude to building train lines is that if there's a mountain in the way, it's best to bore a hole through it...

In the respite between tunnels, the trees on the mountainside were starting to change colour, should be beautiful soon. At the foot of the mountains were rice fields. And of course, although the countryside, lots of houses still!

This being my first day at a far school, I left plenty of time. Good job as I just missed the half-hourly bus. Bit of a difference from Tokyo! Sanda seems to be a decent-sized town with a department store. I'm working at a school in an out-of-town shopping centre.

Now on the bus...

道頓堀 Doutombori

道頓堀が大阪の有名なレストラン通り。お昼においしお好み焼きを食べた！

Doutombori is Osaka's famous restaurant street. I had delicious okonomiyaki for lunch!

大阪のアパート Osaka flat

これは大阪アパートだ！私のアパートが４階に有る。ドアから梅田スカイビルを見れる。

This is my flat in Osaka! I'm on the 4th floor. I can see the Umeda Sky Building (two towers with a hole in the middle) from my door.

大阪の旅 Osaka trip

さて、今日新幹線で大阪に行っている。晴れから、ちょうどに富士山を見た！

Well now, today I'm on my way to Osaka by shinkansen. Because it's fine, I just saw Mount Fuji!