Thursday meant Osaka, a quick jaunt from Kyoto to the grittier, more urban neighbour to Kyoto’s quieter grace. We caught up with a friend of mine from back in the day who had not seemed to have changed a bit after the passage of 14 years.
We kicked things off with a visit to the city’s port, which is a bit of a playground area, marked by a substantial Ferris wheel and other amenities which included, for this youngster a Lego Land. I’m not sure if it was as large scale as other Lego Lands in the world, but it offered a bit of immersion in the realm of Danish plastics and it featured an outstanding large scale creation of several of the landmarks of Osaka, including its castle, the Umeda Sky Building, the historic baseball stadium at Koshien and a pop of Godzilla ready to glower death at all and any. Nearby was a substantial aquarium, one of many throughout the country, but one highlighted by a whale shark that was in its central tank. We did not get to that as we favoured moving through the downtown core of the city, to sate my son’s appetite for all things related to his favorite anime.
While engaged in that, I got a reminder of how the grit of the city has persisted. Most of the neighborhood shopping streets feel like they have the same merchants they did decades ago and have not gone in the the contemporary brands that have emerged from Japan and gradually gain franchise presence beyond home base. There are signs of gentrification and emerging diversity as more immigrants move in to start their lives in Osaka, but today featured the typical bustle Osaka has always had and no more.
My son got his fill of manga related stores, though his favorite characters were in short supply. He blended in easily and got a few items that satisfied him despite the challenges with supply. With that we headed to a small Star Wars themed bar that was decorated with a plethora of Star Wars memorabilia, including a Han Solo in carbonate sculpture and a washroom made out to resemble Vader’s isolation chamber. It was just the break the lad needed after my more cultural pursuits the day before.
