O, Osaka, Osaka!
We got back to Kyoto in time to catch the Shinkansen for the brief ride to Osaka. The journey, which would have taken over an hour by car, lasted 15 minutes to the second. I had called ahead to the St Regis, Osaka for a transfer from the station to the hotel. We were met on the train platform, Downton Abbey style, by a hotel representative and a driver. Lolo seemed pleased. This is the standard of service to which she had been accustomed.
On the drive to the hotel, we were a bit surprised, not sure why, as to how well developed, modern, and Western, Osaka seemed. Gleaming skyscrapers, and as we approached the city centre, Christmas lights. It was, after all, November 18th. I for one had been very happy to have left the Christmas fuss several time zones behind and was pleased that there had been only the slightest acknowledgment of this Western craze in Tokyo and Kyoto.
Check in was smooth and we were quickly taken to our room – “a Grand Room with Skyline View”. It had a chaise lounge right up against the window which shouted, “Picturesque relaxation point!”
It was already late so we quickly went down to see if we could catch any restaurant or bar before they all closed for the night. The lobby bar was open with a cabaret singer in live performance. All Western songs, including Christmas songs, but she sounded good.
The other entertainment was the female mixologist at the bar. With delightful exaggeration she mixed, poured, shook and/or stirred each cocktail. Ours certainly justified the exalted performance.
The bar had the most Western feel of anywhere we had been in Japan. In fact, there was nothing distinctly Japanese about it, except the service staff, who served with the usual Japanese penchant for excellence.
We had nothing planned for the following day – Sunday, and decided to have an easy walk around the area surrounding the hotel. We ventured out without a destination or a plan and walked in a loop which would take us back to the hotel.
We continued to notice how Western Osaka was. For one, like a number of European cities, bicycles seemed to be a favoured form of transport. Except, unlike said European cities, the cyclists tend to ride on the pedestrian sidewalk. They seem to come from all over, sometimes at speed. And they did not always wait for the traffic signals to change to green. How un-Japan like?
Our walk took us to a busy shopping area. We knew we needed another suitcase for example, as our pretense of being able to travel with one large suitcase plus a backpack each had been shattered by our repeated (and reluctant on my part) purchases so far. Plus, Lolo had still not found an adequate pair of hiking shoes, which would be especially needed when we got to Vietnam.
Back at the hotel, we went through the list of suggestions provided by the stylish mixologist who, the night before, had gone around, greeted and chatted with everyone in the bar at the time. We had pre-planned a driving tour around the city for Tuesday, so we wanted to see what other options there were, from a local perspective.
Osaka Castle was prominent on the list. As was the famous and historic Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Street. Plus, the inevitable shrines and temples.
On Monday the 20th, we decided to take another walk, particularly to check out the famous shopping area. We first walked in the direction opposite to where we walked on Sunday. We continued along the route now entering an area we had not previously been. We walked and walked. The road went on and on. Shops and more shops. High-end international brands blended with the small local stores. This was indeed the Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Street. We had only just missed it on our Sunday walk. We thought we might walk to the end. Except there was no end in sight, so we turned back, retracing our steps to the hotel, stopping for lunch on the way. A quiet, relaxing afternoon was just what the doctor ordered. We did not resist the urge.
Tuesday 21 November was our scheduled driving tour of Osaka. We had been told the driver would not be a tour guide, but spoke English.
The first statement was correct. As for the second, well… After some discussion with the driver, we decided we would first visit Osaka Castle which had come up in almost every conversation as one of the places to visit.
On reaching the entrance to the tower we immediately realised the wisdom of pre-booking guided tours, as we had done in Tokyo and Kyoto. As we walked to what we considered the back of the queue, we noted it kept going and going. The back was, yes, a long way back.
Trying to see if we could shorten our wait, we went online to see if there were still “skip the line” tickets available. We were more hopeful than expecting. We were still searching when we passed the section marked “15 minute wait.” Shortly after, we abandoned the online search as the queue had moved much faster than we expected.
There was much to see within the Castle. It is also of tremendous historical significance. Built by Shogun Toyotoma Hideyoshi in the 16th Century, its purpose was mainly defensive (I read the inscriptions). For the tour, visitors were required to go by elevator to the highest floor you wished to see and then walk down the stairs, touring each floor in sequence. Each floor had displays of artwork and charts depicting the history of a particular era. The tours we undertook in Tokyo and Kyoto had given us no hint whatsoever that Osaka had played such a critical role in Japanese history.
Touring was hungry work, so we both blurted, “Lunch,” when the driver asked what we would like to do next. We told him we wanted to have an authentic Japanese meal since that would be our last day in Japan.
He took us back to the heart of the Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Street, exactly where we had been the previous day. We were left to our own devices in choosing a restaurant, so we started out on our well-practised game of hit and miss.
Shortly after we started out, we decided to walk into one of the side streets we had passed, but had not entered, the day before. Not far up that street, we saw a sign saying, “Kobe beef,” but no clear indication as to where you might locate that offering. We walked towards what looked like a small shopping plaza, set back slightly from the busy streets we were leaving behind. Still no sign of a restaurant. It was one of those situations where you are at the very point of turning back, but having invested so much, you decide to push on just a bit further.
Eventually, There! We wondered why it was so inconspicuously located. We had to go down one floor, where we saw the restaurant called Steak Sakura. When we got to the door, we thought it was closed, as there was no one in sight. Whilst we pondered our next move, an attendant approached, ushered us in and gave us a seat. Let me say, we had the place to ourselves.
Given my previous experience eating Kobe beef was memorable for my disappointment, I decided to have another go. This time it was Lolo who went for the Kobe Beef Shabu Shabu. Only this time, it was prepared for her by the attendant, at our table. Now I got to see precisely how it was supposed to be done. Everything was placed in the pot in the correct order, with nothing overdone. Lolo was delighted throughout.
So was I with my pre-cooked Kobe, tender and succulent as it was. Wow, a delightful way to cap off our Japanese culinary exploits. And I was really glad we did not give up on our search for this hidden gem of a restaurant.
The rest of the day was remarkable for how unremarkable it was. The driver asked if we would like to take the local barge over the Yodo River. Lolo and I looked at each other. Seeing that it was so much more difficult through the language barrier to have the driver explain the highlights, we decided it was easier just to find out by experiencing.
We duly joined a queue, mainly of people standing beside their bicycles. When the ferry came, we boarded and headed off for what I thought was a journey of sightseeing. Five minutes later, I noted the boat was pulling up to a dock. I said to myself, this is quite a start and stop journey. Then I noticed everyone disembarking, including Lolo. Hang on. Is this it? We had literally crossed from one side of the river to the other. And there was our driver smilingly waiting for us beside the car. When we got in, I noticed he drove over a bridge, then right past where we boarded the boat, which was when I realised that the ferry was used by cyclists to avoid riding across the bridge. Oh well, just another tiny thing to ponder as our very pleasant and enjoyable stay in Osaka and Japan came to a close.
What a great beginning to our Asian tour. But wait for the adventures to come in Vietnam.
Sabbatical Odyssey 
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