Osaka & Kyoto 🇯🇵

I then continued further south, to Osaka. I had heard very different opinions about Osaka, both positive and negative, and was therefore quite curious to see what it was really like. I didn't arrive until late afternoon and was able to check into the hostel straight away. The first positive thing was that I drove from the rain into sunshine, at least when I got out. As soon as I got out, I noticed that the atmosphere here was different to the other cities I'd been to so far. However, I wasn't sure whether I liked it or not. In the evening, I went into town to get something to eat. Osaka is also known for Japanese cuisine and is therefore the perfect place to go out to eat. I strolled through several food markets and then picked out a pretty nice restaurant. In Japan, it's still really difficult to find something vegetarian and it often costs me a lot of nerves and time to find something proper. But here in Osaka, thank God, it wasn't that difficult this time. After eating, I strolled a bit through the brightly lit city center of Osaka. Then it was time for bed. The next day, I woke up with a rather hot voice and a stuffy nose. But hey, what did I expect when I'm in Japan where it's sometimes around zero degrees and my clothes are more or less only designed for warm weather. But thank God it's not that bad and it will get better. It's just annoying because you actually want to see something and who likes to be alone when you're not feeling well - but that's part of solo backpacking. Later that morning, I made my way into the city anyway because the weather was finally really nice again. I took the train to Osaka Castle and by chance watched my very first baseball game there. Even though I have no idea what it's about, it was really exciting to watch and it lifted my mood a lot. After I had looked at the castle, I had lunch and just lay down in the park with a view of the castle and spent my afternoon there enjoying the sun with a good book. The next day I went to Kyoto. I really liked Kyoto from the start. The houses and the city center are still very traditional and therefore look pretty nice. Even though it is actually quite crowded with tourists, I really enjoyed it there. Kyoto has quite a lot of temples and shrines to offer, it feels like there is a different one waiting for you around every corner. Of course I also looked at some famous temples and shrines. Then I strolled through the city and let myself be guided a bit by the crowds of tourists. But I also looked at one or two back streets, far away from tourists, apart from me. Kyoto really has a lot to offer. In the evening I went back to Osaka and there I had a direct comparison and really had to realize that Kyoto has a lot more character and is much more cozy. Every city or country has that one district or town where many immigrants live and the atmosphere is therefore completely different to the rest of the city or country. For example, Lehen in Salzburg or Ponau in Spittal. That's how it felt for me in Osaka in general. It shouldn't be negative at all, it's just a different vibe of the city, which is also quite pleasant in otherwise strict Japan. I then ended the evening in the hostel with a few nice people. The next day I took it easy and just walked a bit around the neighborhood and sat in a café and enjoyed the sun and the warmth for the first time in a long time. Then, quite unexpectedly, I spent the whole afternoon in the hostel having a really nice chat. Was able to learn quite a lot about Japanese culture, language and much more from a more or less local. Over time, there were more and more of us until the whole kitchen was full and we chatted until late in the evening. A rather rare experience in a hostel in Japan. The next morning I just spent packing my backpack and having breakfast in the hostel before moving on to my last stop in Japan. 🫶🏼