Japan trip
Day 9 - 14th June - Osaka (Part 1)

I left Kyoto for Osaka, and my only single room of the trip. For some reason there were no hostels there, and anyway some privacy was good. IIRC, the room rate was 2,000 Yen, which was cheaper than some hostels. Ah, business cities!

My online reservation had gotten me a Western-style room, but when I arrived I noticed there were Japanese-style rooms as well. I asked the receptionist what the difference was, and she let me look at both types of rooms:


Japanese-style


Western-style

You will see, as I did, why the rate was so low. The rooms were holes in the wall, but that was alright: I just needed a place to sleep, and I'd be sleeping in a coffin later anyway.

I chose the Japanese-style room, because there was more room to lounge.

The hotel was also curiously divided into 2 bits: Hotel Raizan North and Hotel Raizan South (I was in South, which was slightly more expensive at Y100 more a day). I asked what the difference was and got this pamphlet:


Not much product differentiation, but it matters to some I guess.

[Addendum:

Someone: "we have floor for exclusive use of a woman"?????

wah it could be intepreted very differently
especially by dirty-minded gaijin haha

e english sounds really weird
no wonder they need so many pple for JET]


Spa World promo: "One of the largest spa leisure complexes on earth", 24 hours too
"Admission Fee: dwarf(under 12 years old) 1,300 yen - 1,500 yen"


Each room had a TV and a VCR, and the reception had free rent of VHS tapes (gah, path dependence)
Notice the "An adult vi..." label

There was a "Maishima Sludge Center". Uhh. I found a picture online (I didn't visit) and it was curiously decorated:



This day, 14th June, was National Bunraku Day (puppet theatre), and there was a special event/performance. I would've gone except for my having other stuff to do, and it being in Jap.

Festivalgate, an amusement park which Lonely Planet gushed about it, was right next to my hotel.


Festivalgate

I was wondering why there were no roller coasters running.

When I went in, it was a scene of desolation.


The perfect setting for a zombie shoot 'em up.




The sole open shop was a gelateria. I tried to ask why the place was closed, but the woman said 'close' and a lot of Jap, so I had a scoop of cheesecake gelato.




The place when it was open

From Wikipedia:

"Festivalgate was an amusement park in Osaka, Japan, just beside the Shinimamiya Station of the Osaka Loop Line of Nishinihon Japan Railway and Nankai Railway.

It opened in 1997. The city of Osaka is invested in the park, but the theme park was originally managed by a private company which went bankrupt in 2004, and has since been managed by the municipal government of Osaka. In 2007, the local authorities decided to put the property up for sale.

Festivalgate is now closed - including the roller coaster."

Considering Lonely Planet was dated October 2006, the information was then 2 years out of date as of the date f publication (another Wikipedia article: "in February 2004, a joint-venture behind the operation went into bankruptcy, effectively shutting down the complex for the most part"(. Bah.

I then popped over to Spa World next door.


Entrance to Spa World, with pseudo-classical sculpture


Some of their spas


House rules. Those with permanent/temporary tattoos are excluded (to keep Yakuza out). Progressives can go kick up a fuss about that and then, when Yakuza are allowed in, get murdered in the Micronesian spa.


More of their spas


"I'm declining an entry to the tattoo (A sticker and paint are included.) at this palace!"
More discrimination against tattooed individuals. I wonder if henna counts, and if these would pass muster:



Not wishing to pay Y2,700, even if the spas were spectacular, I headed off into Shinsekai, a shopping area next door.


Shinsekai. Apparently it's Osaka's most dangerous neighborhood.


"Billiken Things-As-They"
It's not originally Japanese, but given how wth it is, it's no surprise it's been adopted by them.


Brown Dog (looks like a poodle)

I was feeling hungry, and although I had a matsuri to catch I stopped at a place that looked quick. I'd miss a bit of the festival, but it sounded like the one at Fushimi Inari (this was about "Inari" also), and would probably start late as well.


Lunch representation (Kushikatsu)


Restaurant interior


Frying my lunch


Lunch (the tray at the top is dipping sauce).
Bottom row: Chicken (not for dipping), scallop-shaped vegetable (it was almost like onion, but there was no onion flavour), eggplant
Top row: Fish, beef, hard-boiled egg
The pickles were quite unique too. I know I've never seen the cucumber pickles; the other I'm not so sure.

It was alright, but I saw why this wasn't a type of Japanese food known all around the world.


An innocuous-looking shop. I had my suspicions, though, especially with the 'love talk' banner (I'd recognise this later in Hiroshima). I went in,and 10% of the goods were VHS movies, 80% adult movies and 10% adult toys.


Escargot Housing Complex (?!)


A hotel even cheaper than mine (Y1200), which didn't advertise online (at least not that I could find). Then again, this was probably the Lemons problem - maybe there was no aircon (another place was the same price, but had its aircon rooms advertised prominently).


Osaka had what might be the cheapest vending machines in Japan. Probably had something to do with it being a business city (explaining also the cheap hotels), but I can't draw the link somehow. These were generic brands, but still.


There are no homeless, destitute or starving people in Japan. Poverty has been eradicated.


Middle-aged men chilling in a void deck (?) on a Saturday afternoon.

[Addendum: After looking at some photographs online, I realise this was probably the Kamagasaki/Airin area of Osaka - a slum]


"Ginza since 1963. Exciting Pachinko & Slot. History has a lot to teach us about the future"
Yeah, like not wasting money on Pachinko.


At first I thought this advertised an adult shop but later I realised it was a coming-of-age photography promo