It wouldn’t be my blog if I didn’t share the fun details of my favorite time of the year: my birthday! Let me warn you… it’s a long one, so grab some coffee/tea, maybe a snack and enjoy 🙂
MARCH 30
True to form, I started celebrating my birthday a little early this year. I went to dinner with some work girlfriends: Chanel, Mai and Ubumi. Prior to dinner, we took some fun “Purikura” pictures… this is something I’ve been wanting to do in Japan for awhile, but I wasn’t going to do it by myself. And it’s good thing I didn’t because it was much more complicated than I anticipated! Think: American mall photo booth on steroids. I say on steroids because there are several vanity mirrors outside the photo booths with flat/curling irons to use for free as well as costumes for rent at a minimal cost. The process goes as such: first, we went into a booth to take the pictures. There were props and signs, much like you see at wedding photo booths. Then, we stepped into another booth with a computer screen where we could edit, add and change the graphics on each picture. Once we finished editing, we printed the photos as well as sent to our emails, so we could have the large images. Honestly, the whole thing was such a Japanese experience, I’m so happy Chanel and I had some native women with us!
We went to dinner at a chic wine bar in Fushimi area that was all you can drink wine/champagne for $15. Needless to say, I had more than my moneys worth. We enjoyed salad, pizza and fondue! It was my first fondue experience with savory food (I mean I’ve definitely encountered a chocolate tower or two in my lifetime); this fondue pot consisted of a bean-like [thick] liquid substance and we added cheese to it. This may sound like a horrible description, but trust me: it was delectable! We dipped shrimp, pork, veggies and fish in the fondue pot. After dinner, the ladies arranged multiple desserts to come to the table as they all sung “Happy Birthday.” (These people know my style!) We headed to a club afterwards and danced most the night away! I had a great night celebrating my pre-birthday with some girlfriends.
MARCH 31 and APRIL 1
Work and work. Though on the 31st I got a huge ice cream cone from Baskin Robbins (they call it “Ice Cream 31” over here) for $4 because of their discount day on any month that ends in 31!
The night of the first, I went to my friend’s wine bar with my old housemate, Stephen (he’s the Irishman). My friend, Kayo (she owns the wine bar), had a cute card, gift and dessert waiting for me! Stephen and I shut the bar down, then headed to another because of course, I wasn’t going home just an hour prior to midnight. Luckily, the bartender heard quickly that it was my birthday, so I got discounted drinks all night 🙂 Stephen and I stayed up all night having political discussions, which in my mind is a step up from my usual blackout-ness…
APRIL 2!!
I slept about 4 hours and then caught the bullet train (Shinkansen) from Nagoya to Osaka. It should go without saying, but the train ride was rough! I went from [still] drunk to hungover in a matter of minutes, and my motion sickness was in full swing. The decision not to sleep hit me hard, but it was my birthday, and those of you that know me, know that I am determined that this day of all days will be great! So I pressed on…
I found my hostel, got settled in, then took a walk around the neighborhood. I stayed in Umeda, which is the north side of the city. The Umeda Sky Building is a major attraction in this area and was only a 10 minute walk from my hostel. I found this building, took some pictures, explored some of the eateries in the area, the headed back to my hostel for the “party.” Mr. Yano, the owner of the hostel, regularly has parties for/with his guests on particular nights of the week. Sunday night is the “Izakiya party night,” in which those who attended enjoy Japanese drinks and bar food for 300 yen each (approximately $3). I was a little nervous walking to the izakiya with Mr. Yano because it was only us and I quickly realized he spoke minimal English. The two of us arrived to a huge table and top-notch service (like I said, he does this party every week, so we can all assume he is a preferred customer!). Although I appreciated the time I spent with Mr. Yano practicing my broken Japanese, I was relieved when another hostel mate (who is a current Med student in VA) joined us. Shortly after, it comes out that it’s my birthday and the Med student encourages us to drink some sake. It was pretty much a coke can’s worth of sake only 3 bucks AND it was my 28th birthday; how could I say no!? Sake was flowing and 3 more hostel mates joined (2 from Australia and 1 from Cali). Just in time! Mr. Yano eventually makes his way home, but not before snapping some pictures. (This actually reminds me to check Facebook for these pictures!) It was so awesome to laugh with new friends. We all got to know each other, talked about our various travels and attempted to make friends with almost everyone in the izakiya. [Naturally] I, myself, befriended a mother and her two adolescent children on my way back to the table from the restroom. Haha I guess some things never change. I would have to say the epitome of the evening was when “Happy Birthday” started playing (in English) over the sound system and the whole izakiya sang “Happy Birthday” to me. What a way to spend my first birthday in Japan! Some details may be a little blurry, but I had an unforgettable night with fellow world travelers and some of Osaka’s finest locals.
APRIL 3
It was a beautiful, sunny day to be out and about in the city. I went to Osaka Castle, which was similar to Nagoya Castle, but distinct in its own right. The line to get inside was ridiculous, so I opted out of that, but the weather was so nice to explore the grounds around the castle I really didn’t mind. The biggest struggle of traveling alone is definitely asking people to take your picture with the particular attraction. Luckily, I’m in Japan and no one is going to run off with my iPhone, though as expected, there are foreigners from all over the world at these touristy attractions. (And even more so now because of the cherry blossom blooming season.) The first woman I approached quickly shut me down because I said “su mi ma sen” (Japanese for “excuse me”) and she waved her hand no and said “umm no, I’m Korean.” The next woman I asked had a small child with her, so you can see him in the background looking at his mom and probably wondering why the hell I asked his mom to take the picture. The final pictures I got, I asked a young [Asian] girl to take them and I approached in Japanese. She responded in Japanese, took the pictures, asked if they were “Okay?” and I responded “Yes, thank you very much” (in Japanese). She responded in English saying, “I’m actually Taiwanese.” I apologized profusely and she assured me it was fine, then wished me safe travels. Imagine the struggle! Haha at least the last girl was friendly enough to accept my apology.
I then made my way to Dotombori area, which is a major tourist destination in Osaka. One attraction of this area is the Glico Man, which is a digital billboard of a runner crossing a finish line. There are several shops, cafes, restaurants and night clubs along this canal area. On my way to find dinner, a tall man (obviously not Japanese) said “Hello” in passing. I said “hello” back and then he invited me to a club, at which he was DJ-ing. I’m open to new experiences, so of course I said “okay.” Turns out this Jamaican man has been living in Osaka for 5+ years and in Japan for 8+ years, so he had friends and connections. When we got to the club, there was a [FREE!] all-you-can eat fruit and dessert bar. I didn’t even have to say it was my birthday! I was taken care of all night, did not pay for one drink and was safely put in a taxi when I was ready to go back home. I’m surely apprehensive to go to a club alone, but surprisingly, this proved to be a very fun and successful night!
APRIL 4
Since I’ve come to Japan, I’ve been wanting to see Kyoto because it’s known to be more traditional. There are many shrines, temples and men and women in kimonos. Luckily, it’s only a 40-minute train ride from Osaka, so I could not pass it up. My ultimate goal was to see the Fushimi Inari Taisha, which is the head shrine of Inari. The shrine sits at the base of a mountain and includes trails up the mountain to many other shrines spanning over approximately 2.5 miles. There were literally people from all over the world, and as I walked up and down the mountain, I played “name that language” (with myself). There were several languages that I could identify: Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, Japanese, Chinese, English (and the different dialects: English, Australian, etc.), however there were several I could not identify. The whole experience was really surreal. In this case, it was definitely a little easier to ask people to take my picture. Also, there were several other solo travelers there, so I often asked someone if they wanted a picture and then they naturally would ask if I wanted a picture taken too. The sun was shining all day and the air was fresh and crisp; it was truly breathtaking to spend the day at this shrine.
I made my way back to Osaka later in the evening, then met some new hostel mates. Mr. Yano was having another party, but at that point, I could not drink and stay out another night! I quickly vibed with a young British woman on a long trip back home from Australia. I told her my goal for dinner that night was “Okonomiyaki,” which is a Japanese cabbage-like pancake dish and it’s known to be the best in Osaka. She was super interested (and hungry!), so we found a small, family-owned izakiya down the street from our hostel. Really, it was a hole-in-the-wall type spot, but the okonomiyaki was BOMB. I already knew I liked okonomiyaki because I’ve had it a couple of times in Nagoya as well as Tokyo, but Osaka really has the best! We shared 2 patties, one beef and the other pork, and we left with full bellies 🙂
APRIL 5
My last day in Osaka consisted of eating and walking around a major shopping area. Also, to kill some time, I sat by the river, enjoyed a beer and people watched. During cherry blossom blooming season, many people will set-up picnics under the trees and enjoy the warm weather, an event called “Hanami.” Once it was time to go, I made my way to the hostel, grabbed my things and headed back to the Shinkansen… this time with a reserved seat! The bullet train reserved area is pretty fancy with ample leg room and a reclining seat. The best part of my trip: no one sat beside me! Overall the commute only took about 50 minutes, but it was a nice finishing cap to an awesome birthday celebration.
Now it’s back to the grind. The Japanese school year starts in April, so classes have changed, students have moved up in age levels and there has been a lot of stress! Yesterday, I had one of the worst preschool classes I’ve ever experienced: 5 of 8 students spent the majority of the time screaming and crying for their parents. Luckily, the JT and I have a great working relationship, so we were able to laugh after the class, but damn, did I sure crave a glass of wine at the end of the day! Each day is still very much a learning process, so I am taking notes and working to make each day a little better.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned until next time… !
PRECIOUS TRAVELS 