lubu lubu osaka

the worst has happened. i knew it would. i fell in love . . . . . . . with osaka. it. was. so. much. fun. the weekend snuck up behind me, and before i knew it, it was thursday. i had to hurry to pack after work to catch the train to toyama, a neighboring prefecture, the pick up location for our overnight bus.

osaka is incredibly user friendly. looking back, the city just seemed magical. perhaps it was because i was with my best gals, tiff and carrie. perhaps it was because it seemed like we had so much time when we set off into the city friday morning after arriving at 6:30. perhaps because we had two days off from work – friday the 7th and monday the 10th , a national holiday. perhaps it was because it was my birthday trip. but undisputedly, it was. magical that is. the city itself is beautiful; while tokyo seems unattractive in comparison. now, reflecting on tokyo, i think it’s because that in tokyo, everyone is rushing rushing rushing in all directions to get somewhere – work, bars, home, appointments, shops, drug dens, i haven’t any idea. tokyo seems uptight and more closed off. the architecture seems univiting. i do have a place in my heart for tokyo of course, having been there to play on numerous occasions, i relatively know where things are and how to get to the party. it’s fun; it’s crazy – don’t get me wrong.

but osaka, man, osaka. that’s where it’s at. it’s the luxury of having a big city – i say luxury because, for me, i can’t imagine my life down the road without me imagining me living in a big – so it’s the luxury of having a big city with the ease, the comfortableness, and the slow-going life. of course this is generalizing – there did exist rushed, fast-paced, rude denizens.

still working out my thoughts and feelings about the trip and the city itself, i guess the conclusion i’ve come to as yet is this: i love japan, and that inclination is as strong as ever. i have completely fallen in love with the people, the landscapes, the customs, and the country. but while i still love japan, my roots twist back to america and western culture. the things we westerners do that make the japanese shocked are still within me – the volume of our voices and exclamations, our extroverted and exorbitant movements, our unabashed freedom and selfishness for our own lives. osaka is still japan, and while it’s still japanese in every essence, i bet it’s as western as you're going to get here. i’ve been internally contemplating the reconciliation of my two lives. my western, home-life, and my life in japan. i hadn’t figured it out. but oh my, osaka is cutting it close. almost too close for comfort. it’s hard for me to be here in back-country joetsu, knowing that extravagant city, where my dual citizenship will seemingly play out, is a few short hours away.

the city itself seems wider and more modern than other places i’ve visited in japan. there’s ease and accessibility everywhere. the city is actually pretty – the design and buildings are beautiful. it just seems like a vacation city – the dazzle, the night after night of packed venues for events, the outdoor dining. it all just seems so romantic. sometimes i get frustrated because japanese people sometime seem so withdrawn, stiff, nervous, and hard to get to know. but in osaka, they’re wide open – day and night – they were talkative, interested, and easy-going.

since we arrived at 6:30, we decided to load up on caffeine in order to keep our weary eyes open until later that afternoon when we could check in our hotel and nap before the evenings activites. afterwards, we headed downtown to shinsaibashi where all the rocker people and shops were


we roamed the city stopping for pictures and cool clothes seen in window fronts. well, the buildings aren't too pretty here, but others were fantastic


one of many - let me stress many - love hotels, undoubtedly filled most nights of the week


this is one of the hundreds of restaurants. take note of the rib roast


we hit the area of downtown of hostess bar upon hostess bar - for men


and women. this is more rare, although you'll find a surprising amount in the bigger cities. you pick the man you want to hang out with and talk to for your expensive short time together. we thought about doing it just for kicks and ended up not having time to fufill our curiosity. they'd be so nervous, those boys wouldn't know what to do with us . . .


after we snuck into the hotel separately (we only paid for 2 people - the cost for 3 people was extravagant, and besides, we don't mind cramping up together in a tiny room), we got dolled up and hit the city in dire need of food


we decided after scoping out some restaurants we wanted yakiniku. yakiniku is fabulous!!! i was never a big beef eater, nor meat eater for that matter, before coming to japan. but that's all changed. yakiniku makes my mouth water just thinking about it. we try to get out to eat it about once a month. it's where you grill your own meat at the table. of course, it doesn't exactly hit the spot without a bowl of rice and draft beers. we do it up! you can choose between various cuts and meats - pork and beef usually. tongue, stomach, roast, ribs, and other scary sounding parts are offered. we like to order the garlic sauce drenched beef that's frequently offered. cooking it on the fire the shortest time possible, we grab with our chopsticks dripping, mouth-burning morsels off the grill for the perfect bite of rice and meat. assorted vegetables are also a staple on the menu, and a must for us. ahhh, just typing this out . . . this restaurant was decent, but we'd had much better


we hit up a dance club that night - it was great fun. many times we'll enter a club that's more a playground for boys and girls to mingle than for brushing up on dance moves. however this club, in particular, was not. the dancers were there to do just that - dance. the dancing was stopped twice for short performances by groups of dancers. they're always fascinating for me because i love to dance myself - so i spend this time critiquing and gathering tips. most of the groups encompass either breakdancing - which is endless entertainment - or background dancing type stints. on our way stumbling home, we found this foursome sitting on a stoop outside a convenience store, drinking zimas. my mind is fuzzy as to why i decided this group in particular needed a photograph, but alas, here we are



the next day, after sleeping in and eating subway - hey, i'll take any sub sandwich i can get my hands on - we decided to hit up a


and yes, you guessed it. a little nervous, we walked inside to the smells of body odor and cigarette smoke. one customer was getting work done hidden behind a curtain, while a goth girl and other girl waited. belly flopping, we made an appointment for an hour and a half later. don't be mistaken - that's leftover ink, not leftover grub from the last night's dancing


and us three, you can't see mine too well. of course we asked the proper questions about sanitation and safety - were they honest? let's hope so! just kidding, i saw them prepare my setup fresh from a new, sealed pack. the pain wasn't as horrible as i remember. we had decided beforehand carrie would go first, it being her first tatoo. she vocalized needs for us to hold her hand all the while shouting out moral support. i volunteered second to get the butterflies out faster. but, when we showed up for our tatoos - we soon found out there were 3 tables and 3 tatoo artists. together we went


this is my artist. he was friendly and a little shy. as you can see under my arms, i was sweaty nervous


that night, after hurriedly prepping, we hung out with our boy friends we met this year at fuji rock festival at naeba ski resort. this is a picture we took of them at the festival - i stole this from tiffany - thanks tiff! uma, nori, and nobu


we went to eat at an izakaya - a bar type restaurant offering small dishes for sharing. uma, nobu, nori


so cute, little nori!


the group after dinner


we gave uma some extra love to send him on home. briefly before, over dinner, uma informed us that he was getting married to a girl he'd known for an extremely short time. she's pregnant. ugh!!!! we didn't convey that particular sentiment of course, and simply wished him luck. precious, precious uma


after recouping throughout the next day, we headed out for the evening


in search of the mexican restaurant we'd seen before, we discovered an outdoor bar; it was beach reminiscent. at this point, i was sad because i knew we'd be straggling to the train station after checkout the next morning to head home. but, i was oh so happy due to the fact that in just about 6 short hours, it would be my 25th birthday


and mexican we did eat; jeez, i felt like i was going to burst. we started with mouth-burning, fried, cream cheese jalapeno poppers. one for each of us, eaten with homemade, chunky red salsa. my favorite. we also devoured 3 pitchers of margeritas and plate upon plate of sloppy, cheesy, saucy mexican food. i had a burrito and enchilada combination - the beef kind. it was to die for - i can't really compare it to anything because it's been months since i been able to taste proper mexican


we donned the hats that adorned the walls for decoration in honor of my birthday. one would shoot, while the other kept a lookout for our waiter coming up the stairs. we didn't ask for permission - they tricked me into thinking he was coming. i look like a frightened child caught with her hand in the cookie jar


we dolled up for another night of dancing. wading through the district of bars, clubs, and youth, we happened upon this pimp ride. we were admiring, halfway joking, when the owner, a young hot japanese boy walked up. of course, we asked to get inside for a picture. he was incredibly friendly - and did i mention hot?


later, at the club. they played great, booty-shaking, birthday songs for me to work off that night's meal - it was a blast


being my birthday, that night ended very, very late. literally throwing everything in my bag the next morning, extremely groggy, we headed to our departure at osaka station. needless to say, i slept as best i could on the bumpy, uncomfortable ride home. we ended up going out for ramen that night, the japanese hungover food, and beers for dinner to commemorate the trip and my birthday one last time.

romantic enough for me. magical enough for me. enough for me to have fallen in love . . . .