Jo Does Japan Part 1

A last minute booking meant my plans were all very last minute, I wasn’t even able to buy a travel book. Unfortunately, since it was the holiday period I couldn’t find a hostel online in Tokyo, so instead I went to Osaka and Kyoto. It just means (when I have lots of money) I will have to go back to Japan, so it’s not all bad.

Because my flight was at 9:45 in the morning on 27th December I had to spend the night before in a motel in Seoul. For around £15 I got a gorgeous room all to myself, complete with en suite, a computer with access to the internet and a massive plasma screen television, oh and of course it had ondol (under floor heating). For around £15 a night in Osaka I got a tiny room, a TV with no English shows, a foot heater in a room with single glazing (see above)….oh and the website said shared bathroom-I didn’t realise it meant with the rest of the neighbourhood, I mean hostel. It is fairly safe to say that Korean Love Motels (free condoms and bad porn channels anyone!) have slowly destroyed the backpacker in me!

Osaka. 27th December

There are three things you should know about me when I travel. First, I like to plan, or at least have a vague idea of where I am going. This is very difficult without a guide book or in the case of Kyoto when the tourist information centre is closed for the holidays. Second, I don’t like asking strangers to take my picture. It only reinforces the fact I am alone. Third, I don’t like eating out alone. It’s a feeling I am slowly conquering, and if I have a book to read –see the first point-it’s easier to deal with. There probably are other factors too, such as if I can’t sleep I fidget, and I have a tendency to babble if I have been alone for too long. Oh, and I hate asking for directions and I get agitated if I screw up when I am the leader. But hey, no one is perfect.

I had hoped to find a guide book in Osaka so I wasted half a day looking for a book shop (I managed to find a guide book for Germany in Spanish, but nothing relevant for this trip.) When I went back to my hostel that evening there was actually a copy of the Lonely Planet guide there. So I spent the evening copying out the bits I needed into my notebook. I pretty much winged Osaka, which is definitely a new experience for me on the travel front.

After giving up on the quest to find a travel book I hopped on the subway to Osaka Castle (picture above). Like all good castles it had a moat, so I was impressed. Originally built by Hideyoshi Toyotomi, it’s safe to say the castle has been rebuilt a number of times following fire, natural disasters, and the bombings during World War Two. Not as impregnable as he first envisioned I am guessing. There was an interesting museum inside with the obligatory miniatures of “what the castle looked like, probably.” But the real treat was the 8th floor viewing deck where you can see the grounds and the sprawling nature of Osaka, as well as the surrounding mountains. Oh, and a Giant Ferris Wheel. I spent the evening walking in Tenjinbashi-suji, the longest shopping arcade in Japan at 2.6km. I just soaked in the atmosphere and window shopped.

Osaka. 28th December.

My first stop was Tennoji Zoo. In my entry that day I wrote in my journal that “I think I hate zoos.” Although I have to admit I did like the one in Taipei. What can I say, I am a walking paradox. While I appreciate that zoos are often vital in ensuring the survival of many species of animals, I just hate seeing wild animals in tiny, lifeless enclosures being forced to move around for spoilt children and their parents who tap impatiently on the glass. At this zoo one pig had more space than the polar bear, I know the ice caps are melting but that’s doesn’t mean enclosures have to replicate reality (it’s not as if real ice is made of plastic).


My next stop was the park next to the zoo which had an abandoned feel to it in the cold. I saw my first of many Japanese Gardens, and I was very impressed. It was extremely well kept and felt serene and peaceful. The Lonely Planet guide had mentioned when things were closed over the holiday period, so to avoid disappointment I skipped over those entries. Unfortunately, it didn’t mention that the Open Air Museum of Ancient Japanese Farmhouses (hey, I like old things!) was closed, a fact I would have also found out if I had been more observant at the subway station. I guess it was all good exercise though.

I ended the day at the Umeda Sky Building, which has been dubbed a “space age version of the Arc de Triomphe.” It was definitely the highlight of Osaka for me, particularly as I arrived in time for the sunset over the city. There is definitely more individuality in Japanese architecture than in Korea. Plus, spending a couple of hours on the subway made it very apparent that Japanese fashion is a lot more interesting and edgier than Korean fashion-at least in my eyes.

Next stop was Kyoto, as you'll see in Part Two.