Yesterday I went to Osaka for fun and shenanigans! I made a day of it, and the weather was pretty warm (13C) so it was kind of nice. Still really really cold by Arizona standards, but nicer than what it's been lately, so I won't be complaining.
My first stop, to give you an idea of my personal priorities, was the Osaka Pokemon Center. It was on the 13th floor of the Daimaru Umeda Department Store, which happened to be right in Osaka Station; can't beat that for convenience! It was very crowded, but I loved it the moment I walked in and music from the games was broadcasting on the speakers. People of all ages were sitting around with their 3DS's playing Pokemon. It was awesome.
Of course, all I did was buy stamps with English sayings on them to use in the classroom... so I guess I've grown up a little bit?
Tempozan Mountain
Next, I took a 30-minute bus to the Tempozan area of Osaka. It was right on the ocean! (Though no beach, sadly, just wharves.) Tempozan is the smallest mountain in Japan, officially. It doesn't look that different from a hill, but it was an easy climb at least. I'll take this over trying to climb Mt. Fuji any day!
This really big windmill was the first thing you saw when you arrived at Tempozan. It was on top of the marketplace. However, for some reason it was closed. No idea when it'll open again, but I definitely won't be riding on it! (That whole fear-of-heights-thing of mine...)
The top of the staircase is the top of Tempozan Mountain. Easiest mountain I've ever "climbed!"
The view from the top of the smallest mountain in Japan!
That bridge is a highway! It was really really tall. Everything in Osaka (except Tempozan) was really really tall, actually.
Kaiyukan Aquarium
I visited Kaiyukan Aquarium next! It's somewhere I've always wanted to go, ever since I heard that they had Whale Sharks years ago. It was the whole reason I wanted to go to Osaka! (Besides the Pokemon Center, that is...) It was really neat! You took a very tall escalator to the top (about 6 or 7 floors, I think), and then slowly worked your way down to the bottom of the building. The first time you would see most of the exhibits, you would see them from the top first. And then as you worked your way down, you would get to see the underwater view of the same tank. This was neat for being able to see seals and otters and dolphins and penguins swimming in deep tanks!
Of course, the main tank was the one holding the Whale Sharks! It was probably 5 stories tall! The whale sharks were amazing to watch, as well as all of the different rays, sharks, and large fish sharing the exhibit.
Actually, I enjoyed just about everything, except for the crowds of people. However, I wasn't in much of a hurry, so eventually I could always work my way towards the front of an exhibit to get a look inside.
Photographing fish tanks was a bit more than my camera could handle, but I did take a few videos! Google's got a new set up for videos, which means I can upload them a bit faster (I think it sends things straight to Youtube), so we'll see if that makes any difference in quality.
I managed to visit quite a few exhibits during feeding time. This was a brief view of a dolphin demonstration (the only part in front of me). It was a different perspective than you would get for a similar showing at say, Sea World, since there was just a little bit of glass between us and the action.
A close up of one of the two Whale Sharks swimming past me! They were really really amazing.
This little seal kept trying to sleep floating in the water, but like a kitten, would keep suddenly opening his eyes as he was startled awake once more. It was adorable.
This penguin was checking me out with an odd expression on his face. "Where are your feathers?"
Also, this seal was amazing, and I can't believe I caught him on tape. He literally would not stop reacting to the hands of everyone. It was super cute!
Tempozan Marketplace
After the aquarium, I did a bit of wandering around and shopping in the Tempozan Marketplace. I figured why not, since it was right next door? I bought a few small things for myself, but there were some interesting stores inside. I ate lunch at a KFC, just because I missed eating chicken/American food. However, the portions were so small! That was just a small orange juice, a teeny little sandwich, and a pack of maybe 15 fries, for $6.40! But I was able to read the menu and order it in Japanese, so that's progress at least. The menu sure made it look bigger, though...
There were two areas with dogs: a raised one with some teeny dogs, like a Pomeranian, a Chihuahua, and an Italian Greyhound, and a large fenced one with some bigger dogs, like a Golden Retriever and a Spaniel, and a an energetic tortoise.
There was a llama pen, but I think the signs on the side of its exhibit said not to pet it. You could feed it, though. There were rabbit and guinea pig pens, too. Even a few areas with meerkats, who you could feed but not pet.
I enjoyed the "cat house," which was a closed off room with a bunch of cats in it, that you could pet for as long as you want. It was really nice. I saw one lady stay in there for over an hour, because a cat had fallen asleep on her lap, and she clearly didn't want to disturb it; she didn't even pet it, just sat there quietly staring at it. It was very sweet, but a little sad too.
There were lots of these "gacha" machines with animal food inside them. You'd just put in a 100en coin, or a dollar, and then you could feed an animal with the food. This particular machine had rabbit treats in it.
Oh yeah, that's a squirrel monkey named "Ginta," I think. The keeper started yelling in front of its cage saying something was about to start (my Japanese is bad, but I did recognize the vocabulary for "beginning."), so I wandered over, and suddenly the cage door was open and the monkey was standing a few inches away from me! The keeper made everyone stand in a circle, and put small seeds in our hands, and the monkey then proceeded to jump onto everyone's arms. The first time was really quick, but the next time around the keeper mentioned "facebook" and "camera," and everyone started whipping out their phones to get pictures of themselves holding the little monkey. This little guy was so quick, he was hard to photograph!
I definitely wasn't expecting to find something like this in a mall, or to get a chance to hold a squirrel monkey. It was a really amazing way to end a very fun day in Osaka!
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