Osaka - This is really the limit - Day 2

Your friend and helper

Rob, Friederike and I have arranged to take a walk through the city, starting with breakfast. Breakfast is not common here, especially not in the Western style.
Before we even leave the hostel, we have our first experience. Two policemen come in with a man. At first, I think the third guy somehow belongs to them. They all seem nice, relaxed. The man asks at the reception where he can buy coffee for the policemen. Both the receptionist and the policemen look surprised. The policemen politely accompany the man to the elevator. Apparently, he is supposed to get his ID. We will probably never know what happened to him. We go out, joking about the friendliness of the police. If we end up in jail here, they would surely ask us about all the amenities. Care for some tea?

We pass by a Kōban right next door. Kōbans are small police stations with minimal staff. Whenever you see a small, often standalone house, it is probably a Kōban. Here, it serves more as a friend and helper in the neighborhood than an omnipresent state authority.

Shopping

After breakfast, we take the nice route along the river towards the shopping district. Well, towards a shopping district. Osaka is a bit bigger after all. The city itself has over 2.6 million inhabitants. The population density is about 12,000 inhabitants per square kilometer. Düsseldorf has only 2,800.

There is so much to see. To smell. To hear. We enjoy the hustle and bustle. When we arrive at a store, I wait outside within hearing range with my Starbucks concoction. In this country, music is playing, a classic. Rob can hear it. I can hear it. It's the beginning of 'The Who - My Generation'. Rob can see me. I can see him. We start singing along enthusiastically.

At some point, we continue on, out of the shopping district towards our next destination. On the way there, we encounter all sorts of things. And once again, we pass by older, uniformed men standing at an entrance, waving friendly as we go by. They make sure that no accident happens here.

Thoughts and prayers

We keep going, intentionally turning into a side street. Surprises always await there. Just like this time. Out of nowhere, a small temple complex with a shrine appears in front of us.

We bow before the first torii, respectfully enter the complex. That magical atmosphere again. Grounded, revered, sanctified. I go to the shrine, this time I also take out a 50 yen coin. Every coin with a hole is welcome. I ground myself, take a breath, and flick the coin into the designated box. It clinks as the coin touches the container and lands on the other coins.
I bow twice, clap my hands twice. This is supposed to ensure that the gods pay attention to my prayers. I wish for health and healing. Not for myself, I am fortunately taken care of. I spend a moment, letting it sink in. It feels good. It feels right. It's worth repeating. I end the prayer with a bow. We leave the complex.

High in the sky

After visiting more hidden and curious shops, we reach our next destination. The Tsūtenkaku Tower. We decide to go up. I already know that it won't be pleasant because of my fear of heights. But hey, I won't die from it, thousands of others have survived before me. It's only 85 meters. And since it has been standing since 1956, it will probably still be standing for another day. 😅

And the journey continues

After surviving the tower indeed, we continue. We hike and hike and hike. We see and experience a lot here and there. We pass by a retro arcade hall. Outside, there is a Whack-A-Mole machine. 6 crocodiles randomly pop out and wait to be whacked with a mallet. I put in 200 yen, take on the guys. Half of the crocodile heads are damaged, some are missing their snouts. Doesn't matter, Thomas Klopp, it's a lot of fun.

Rike and Rob each get a cola from the vending machine afterwards. I want to toast, so I get a can of milk tea from the vending machine for 100 yen (= 0.70 €). I am amazed. The can is not only lukewarm, it's almost hot. And the tea tastes really good.

After a while, we enter crowded areas again. On a bridge, we see a young man playing the electric guitar. I listen to it for 5 seconds and think to myself, 'This rocks!' Rob and I pay tribute to the man by going up steeply for a while, and as a final gesture, we throw coins into his hat. Paying tribute doesn't fill empty stomachs.

Wacken in Japanese

In the evening during dinner, we meet Steven again, among others. He was at a small festival, sort of the Japanese Wacken. He was there for SlipKnot. He tells us a snippet from the evening that astonishes us but doesn't surprise us. He saw people holding up power banks and credit cards in the air after the mosh pit until the owners came to pick them up again. Wow, I still get goosebumps from that.

Night Life

Sitting in the restaurant, we think to ourselves, 'Oh yeah, classy here. Well, it's the last evening after all.'
Looking at the prices, we think to ourselves, 'Oh yeah, classy here. Well, it's the last evening after all.'
Seeing the portions, I think to myself, 'What the fuck? But it's the last evening!'

Yes, it's super delicious, including the best meat that has ever entered my mouth. So I've heard. I wait and wait for my food. Of course, the slowest person already gets their food last. It takes them a really long time for everyone here. I wait. We chat.
The topic of alpacas comes up. Leaf looks at me with shining eyes and says, 'That's your spirit animal!' That could also fit, I like the idea. It's not final. According to Judith, there are also companion animals. Wolf, meerkat, alpaca. All three? None of them?

An hour after placing the order, the disappointment; they forgot about me. Miho apologizes endlessly and beyond. I hear my name from the right. Alex and Ali look at me. Their portions were too small, so they want to go to McDonald's. I immediately agree. That was also still on my list. After we are all done, we set off. Karaoke, 30 minutes. Ali, Alex, and I turn off, go to the nearby Maces. Yeah, you can eat there. And it was also much cheaper. 😅

After eating, we make our way to the karaoke. They are already expecting us. The group in a good mood, Miho with a pizza. She apologizes again. I thank her, assure her for the 283rd time that everything is okay. I eat the small pizza and realize that there is a universe-wide difference between a top restaurant and a McDonald's. And that this difference also exists below McDonald's.

We celebrate joyfully. The 30 minutes of karaoke turn into 2 hours. A beautiful ending.