Back to big city life

Having left the great outdoors of Shikoku behind, our bullet-train rolled into Shin-Osaka station on Sunday 13th of april in the afternoon. This modern metropolis was quite the contrast from the distant lands of Iya Valley we'd left only hours earlier. Osaka had been described to us by other travelers as quite an uninteresting city and, though not fully believing it, we didn't have soaring expectations - surely, no Japanese city could compare to Tokyo's splendor. The city, as we would soon learn, resembled Tokyo only at first glance. The ever-present, tantalizing neon lights, and busy streets with people of all shapes and fashions, quickly gave way to other realizations.

Plenty of lovely food to be had here - enjoying some tomato
 sauce-covered okonomiyaki

Not an uncommon sight in Dontombori - doing the tennis dance for
a commercial of some sorts.

First and foremost, Osaka is all about food! "Why, isn't Tokyo all about food as well?" you might ask in confusion. Well, let me tell you - Minami, the main entertainment district, literally has at least one restaurant in every building. Either while walking down the streets of the Americanized Ame-mura (with its own miniature statue of liberty), or while going people-watching on the crowded Dontombori you are sure to find a delightful meal at a reasonable price. A party for your palate - cheap sushi, okonomiyaki-pancakes in tomato sauce, set meals straight from the grill, even succulent yakitori-skewers to go with your beer - your stomach will be full long before your eyes end their feast.

You can even make your own food replica here! Taking a shot at sampuru (sample). 

Delicious squidballs? Nope, they're made of wax!

Osaka is generally a lot cheaper than Tokyo,  and we quickly found a capsule-hotel (no more manga kissas for now), all complete with its own hot spring spa, or onsen, in the basement. Japan is situated in a volcanic zone on the Pacific Ring of Fire. As a result, the country is littered with thermal hot springs, and bathing in them is probably the favourite pastime activity of the Japanese. When we first came, we didn't quite understand what all the fuss was about, but we have really been caught in the onsen's whirlpool, and find ourselves visiting it ever so often - it's really got out of control. Also, a cold draft beer never tastes as good as after a bath in this hot-water heroin.

A no-show lunch date with a hungover Japanese we'd met earlier ("very so so sorry, i slept too much"), led us to a thrifty district, quite different from the busy Minami and Umeda. We explored second hand stores and artsy cafés hidden in quiet alleys, but it was soon time to leave for Tokyo - we had unfinished business to attend to.

Plenty of alternative fashion and pop-culture to be had,
 like the winding alleyways with thrift shops... 

...and vintage rock and punk record shops.

Tokyo part II would prove to be quite different from part I. While heading to Ueno park I heard someone shout "Alex". Behind me stood a typical "salaryman" in a black business suit, and as he removed his sanitary mask, I saw a familiar face beaming back at me. It was Akio, our Japanese friend, who had crossed the Nepali border with us, and accompanied us in Pokhara! A coincidence? Don't be silly. We had contacted Akio beforehand, and he offered to let us stay at his apartment near Ueno park. This we did, and we got a great show of Japanese hospitality. We have been told that it is quite rare for a Japanese person to invite you to stay with them, but if they do, you're in for a treat! Akio shared his one-room flat with us, showed us everyday life at the local bars and public baths, and we even joined for a cliché Japanese morning exercise session in Ueno park. Sure to say, our perspective of Tokyo shifted drastically. Suddenly, we were no longer spectators, but participants in everyday life, and we are so grateful for this opportunity, and the unending hospitality Akio showed us the two nights we stayed there.

Our Japanese friend even treated us to a sushi-go-round dinner,
and let me tell you, it was a feast!

Of course, we hadn't completely become residents of Tokyo. Like many Tokyans, Akio had a long work day, and in daytime we explored more of this captivating city, adding a few districts to our ever-expanding list. Ginza gave us the imperial palace, at least the gardens with old ruins - all that's left open for visitors. Harajuku, Tokyo's fashion district, ranged from Gucci and Dior to second hand stores, extravagant art galleries filled with girls in "Lolita" outfits and other alternative eye-catchers. 

Not sure if palace guard or Japanese tour group. It was a regiment of them!

Harajuku's Takeshita-dori was packed with japanese alt-culture and,
of course, tourists seeing what all the fuzz is about.

Stray a little from Harajuku's main road and find cool art galleries like this one.

A scenic monorail-trip took us to Tokyo Bay, complete with beach promenades, skywalks, theme parks (even an onsen-themed one), and the obligatory ferris wheel. You wouldn't believe you were only a short distance from a hectic city - truly a district made for leisure.

I mean, who would have thought they have beaches in Tokyo?
No, wait, they have everything in Tokyo. 

Also, they really have a thing for big statutes here. Like this huge Gundam
replica outside DiverCity (don't ask, it's a shopping mall)

On our last day in Tokyo, we visited Yasukuni-jinja. Now, we have put a lot of thought into trying to understand this place. The jinja itself is a shrine honoring the spirits of all the soldiers fallen in Japan's various modern wars. Here's what we can't grasp, though: over 1600 class A, B and C war criminals are enshrined and honored here. Many government officials even pay official visits to the shrine.  Next to the shrine is Yushukan museum - a confusing effort of honoring dead soldiers, and making excuses (not apologies) for past war atrocities, with some Japanese history in between. How a modern, civilized, and peaceful country like Japan can deny and excuse its terrible history with nationalist propaganda like that is really unfathomable, and has left a big stain on my otherwise great impression of this strange country.

Ouside Yasukuni-jinja - a place subject to much international "controversy"
(nothing controversial about it, really - I'm sorry, it's just plain wrong.)

Is really an exhibition of WWII weapons and boasting about glorious
 battles the best way to honor the fallen soldiers?

To finish off - one of the main reasons we came back to Tokyo. One place caught our attention as a place we didn't want to leave Japan without, but it was fully booked two weeks in advance! As we finally made it to the Ghibli museum we could see why. For the uninitiated, Ghibli is the animation studio behind magical movies such as My Neighbour Totoro and Spirited Away. We are both fans of Hayao Miazaki, the brains behind the movie studio, and felt perfectly at home in the mysterious house. With no set route to follow and many rooms to explore and get lost in, we did just that. Hours were spent marveling the fascinating exhibitions, containing artwork and creative displays with themes from the movies. We had a wonderful experience, but time had come to leave Tokyo once more. Our next destination would be the far north, the barren island of Hokkaido!

Outside Ghibli museum - the overgrown house gives you
that mysterious tingle from the very start!

Aand obligatory pose in front of the giant from Laputa,
I told you they have a thing for big statues!