11 November 2023
One street to the right
Namba to Umeda in Osaka
I remember walking from Namba to Umeda on a previous visit. It is really not very far. I also remember eating a pizza in Umeda, and my joke then was 'umeda me a pizza!', classic stuff. I could have walked all the way there under the covered shopping street and become frustrated at the slow pace, but no, I decided to go one street to the right and check out what was happening on the exposed to the actual sky and elements streets.
This can also be frustrating due to the traffic lights where no cars ever go, and lack of jay walking, but tonight I am all in black like a ninja and wearing a face mask to avoid detection by the AI cameras trained only on Japanese faces anyway, so I jay walked. I lived to tell the tale.
Umeda, which is also where Osaka station is, is really the central part of Osaka, but I guess it is overtaken by Namba due to the tourist shopping areas as far as where people go. But do not worry, Umeda is huge and a lot of train lines criss cross everywhere and all the private rail companies have huge stores above and under ground and across the roads and floating in the sky etc.
Starting off in Namba by Dotonbori, still very busy.
Another boat (actually 2) on the hand dug ancient canal, so another photo. Looking in the opposite direction to last night.
Possible dinner option. All foreigners! I couldn't do it, but do not worry, I did almost the same later.
Example of one street over to the right from the main covered shopping street. Lots of nice restaurants along here, some fancy, some more my style.
Not everywhere is busy.
In a country that still has secret home toilet paper delivery services, they now have the ladies only pharmacy. What goes on in there? They have a xmas tree.
This is Osaka city hall. Pretty small really. Nearby they were handing out trophies for the Osaka city trials, which is the type of motorcycles they do parkour with over obstacles. There were a few food trucks but all the stalls were closing and someone on the stage burst into something resembling Ed Sheeran so I heckled and fled without collecting my trophy.
This is entering Umeda from the back streets. Actually a long street full of very fancy dining rooms (fancy invite only restaurants).
Also an actual red light district.
The Osaka station is enormous, despite not even being a bullet train station.
Have a bit more station.
Yodobashi Umeda is also enormous, I almost managed to get it all in frame, but not quite.
And here is my vegetarian but probably not vegan dinner, from one of my old favourites Soup Stock Tokyo. I chose the ratatouille and vegetable soup combo. I was the only male in the place. A hush came over the seating area as I carried in my tray. People took out their phones and made emergency appointments at the lady pharmacy.
And for my final pic of the 42,000 step day (surprisingly high), my former nemesis ferris wheel. I have actually ridden on this one!