Hello, everyone! I write to you from Osaka, during my last full day here. It has been such an adventure in Japan so far and I’m really, really loving it. From downtown Osaka, with places like Dotonbori, to day trips in Nara and Kyoto… Japan has certainly lived up to the hype to me so far. I’m so glad I still have another ten days here!

P.S. This is going to be a long blog post. SO many pictures… and we have a lot to catch up on.

Because there is a lot of text, I want to just mention a few things so it doesn’t get lost.

1) I have started a podcast on Spotify. Please check it out! I’m going to try to add new episodes every two weeks or so.
2) If you’re interested in my art, have a look at my merchandise on RedBubble!
3) I am nearly finished with my newest novel, The Death of Duncan Lee, but if you haven’t read it already, the link to my first book, Eclipse Me can be found here.

Dotonbori

I didn’t intend to do much on my day of arrival. I don’t know why, but the whole “get to the airport, do all the errands, get to hostel” feels so much more of a pain than it ever has before. Getting to Taiwan was fine, but the days of commuting to Korea and Japan were just gnarly for some reason. My mom claims it’s because MERCURY IS IN RETROGRADE. Let’s go with that.

So, as a bit of backstory… the day Jasper left, I checked in to a “party hostel”. I had to be up at 4am to head to the airport, so I figured I might as well just stay at a hostel where people are likely out partying anyway. And, to my surprise, they actually were! So I didn’t really have to bother a room full of people as I gathered my things early in the morning. Yay!

The main challenge of the day was getting to Osaka without phone data. My data plan had since run out (it was only a 20 day package), so I had to navigate to and from the airport without data, or at least on Wi-Fi when it was available. ANYWAY. It’s 4am, and I’m walking to the train station, which is only a ten minute walk. I arrive and… the shutter gates are closed. WHAT? But when I have looked up the navigation, it said there were trains at 4am even?!?! What was going on?

I thought, well, maybe it’s just this one entrance. Crossed the street, it looked more promising. Nope. Gates still closed. Okay, I thought to myself, I’ve been in that subway station before. The airport line is down that way… let me walk a little bit and see if there’s a separate entrance line. I ended up seeing a man waiting for an elevator. Alright, this looks promising. I tried pushing the button, but he said to me, “Soon.” At 4.30am, the elevator turned on and we went into the subway platform. But then when I arrived, I realized the trains don’t start running until 5.30am. Which would mean I would be arriving later to the airport than I originally had planned. And I’ve heard the lines at Incheon International Airport can be treacherous.

Luckily, I had Wi-Fi in the subway station, so I was able to look it up again online. I quickly discovered the error of my ways. It wasn’t a subway train at all that was running at 4am, but rather a bus right next to the station. I hustled out to make it to the bus. I even jaywalked across the street (whoops) to get to it in time before it departed. Annnnnnd the bus was full. Damn it! The next one was scheduled in 15min. Guess what? That one was full, too. The driver told us the next one was only 4min away. Okay, okay. I was able to make it onto the next one, but then I was met with the fee which was 17,000 won. WHAT? It was so much more expensive than the subway, and I only had enough cash to cover the subway train. It was already 5.15am at this point, so I said fuck it and just went back to the subway. I should have just stayed there to begin with.

Once I’d arrived at the airport, I had to check my bags. There was a self-check in bag drop that I got in line for, but then my brain started spiraling. What if self check-in isn’t as reliable? What if it gets sent to the wrong destination? I decided to just wait in the regular line. It was a little longer, and I was already worried about time, but I just had a FEELING, okay? Anyway, I made it to my gate with more than enough time to spare. Phew. I’d already heard horror stories online and also from Dan and Maisie. They were stuck at the airport for 9+ hours after missing their flight.

The plane ride to Osaka was easy-peasy. I think it was all of an hour haha. Next mission: get my cash converted, withdraw more cash, get to my hostel without an ATM, and buy a SIM card. The way the airport was organized wasn’t the most convenient – I had to go one spot to convert my cash, another to withdraw more… and then when it came time to take the train, I was a bit lost. There was so much going on. But I got there in the end. I ended up hopping on a train that said it was Osaka bound lol. And I made it! Somehow.

The last problem of the day was finding a SIM card. I checked convenience store after convenience store, but none of them seemed to have it. Eventually, I ended up just buying an eSIM. Good to know I can do that for the future!

SIGH.

What an adventure. I’ve already shared so much information with you guys, and I haven’t even started writing about Japan!

That day, I was a bit exhausted. My only plan was to go out for food and otherwise just relax.

My brother had recommended I go to Ichiran ramen that first night and since I can easily feel overwhelmed by dining options, I decided to just go for it. There was, unsurprisingly, a queue to get in. I waited maybe 20min to get a seat. But it was well worth it.

My first REAL Japanese ramen experience, and it was a damn good one. When it was my turn to be seated, I was walked down a narrow corridor, where people were seated on stools. Everyone had their own individual booth, with walls to either side. It basically looked like a private voting booth. In front of me, there was a bamboo shade drawn. Once I was ready to order, I pressed a button and a hand lifted the shade to take my written order. What the hell?!

Later, a hand delivered a hard-boiled egg and a side of pork. When my ramen came, they actually lifted the shade completely, the server said something in Japanese and took a deep bow before closing the shade again. OKAY, loving the privacy!!!

And the ramen was… top-notch. It was the perfect introduction to Japanese food. Much like Korea (and Taiwan, for that matter), I haven’t yet had a bad meal.

Once I’d finished eating, I realized I had enough energy to explore for at least a little while. The area I was in, at the edge of Dotonbori, was electrifying. It was sort of everything I’d envisioned Tokyo to be, but not Osaka – the huge electronic billboards, with all sorts of advertisements. Tour boats cruised through the canal. Restaurants all over the place, with each building decorated completely differently from the next. And… people. Lots and lots of people. Not being the biggest fan of crowds, I was worried I might not like Osaka (and Tokyo). But I was wrong. I love the energy and the vibes. Is the amount of people annoying sometimes? Absolutely. But everything else makes up for it.

I was immediately smitten by Osaka. I didn’t have any expectations of the city because, frankly, I didn’t know much about it. But I was eager to explore more. I felt my head was on a swivel – there was so much to see!

I called it quits early that night, but was excited to see what Osaka had to offer the next day.

Exploring Osaka

In an effort to avoid crowds, I was trying to get adjusted to early mornings. I set an alarm and got up around 8am to head to Sumiyoshi shrine.

It was beautiful, and was my first introduction to the more traditional vibes of Japan. I witnessed some locals walking up to the shrines, tossing in a coin, followed by: a deep bow, two claps, a silent prayer, and then one final bow. After a quick search, I’ve learned Sumiyoshi enshrines the Shintō gods that protect travelers, fishermen, and sailors at sea.

A quick briefing on Shintō (from Google): this is a religion that “revolves around supernatural entities called kami. They are believed to inhabit all things, including forces of nature and prominent landscape locations.”

Sumiyoshi Shrine was also the first place I saw a torii gate, which is a structure marking the entrance to a sacred place. I’ve since seen a LOT of torii gates.

I was also taken with the bridge at Sumiyoshi. It was formed in a nearly perfect arc. Where a normal bridge is flat or maybe has a slight curve to it, this one was almost a perfect half-circle while walking across. Very cool! At one point, I went to another bridge across the way to get a picture of it. A Japanese man asked if I’d like my photo taken. I declined, but we ended up having a conversation for a while. He mentioned how the shrine has gotten much busier in recents years (tourism), how I’m liking Japan, etc. It was nice to chat with a local stranger. I’ve had a couple of more random encounters like that, too. Maybe an hour later, I grabbed a quick bite of udon noodles at some random hole in the wall. There was only one other man eating there. As he was leaving, he came over to me and asked, “Do you speak English?” Mm-hmm. “Where are you from?” It was a super brief encounter, and then he left. Random, but it was nice.

From Sumiyoshi, I could have just taken the train to another area, but instead, I decided to walk through the neighborhoods to get a better sense of where I was.

I walked from Sumiyoshi to Shinsekai region, to a park near the zoo. I continued walking to Shitenno-ji Temple, which was home to a multi-story pagoda. It was a beautiful area.

One spot had a small pond with a wooden ramp that had dozens of turtles on it. A few steps away, there was a woman submerging prayer tags in the water. The tags, or “ema,” are submerged in an effort to have the prayers purified and basically released into the natural world. (No photos were allowed, or I would share!)

After walking around the area for some time, I decided to make my way back to the hostel. I passed through a large cemetery with all sorts of tombstones, stacked so closely together and at varying heights, it looked like a miniature landscape of rolling hills. It juxtaposed nicely with the tall buildings behind them. A mix of old and new – living and dead. I am finding that is a theme in Japan. There is a unique blend of the old world and the new, and there is a certain harmony to it. A great example is a little spot right near the accommodation I’ve been staying at the last few days. Amidst all the busy-ness and tall buildings, there is a small shrine with a cherry blossom tree on the corner of the street.

Once I’d had a nap, I went out to Dotonbori again. The area continued to galvanize and was just as busy as the night prior. I had ramen (again) at Oretachino-curry ya. There was a small wait, but it was 100% worth it. The curry ramen was so incredible!

Knowing I had an early morning the following day, I retired early.

Minoo National Park

I woke up much earlier than I would have ordinarily liked to. SIX AM. My mission? See some macaque monkeys at Minoo Park. I had searched online for spots in Japan to see unique wildlife, and the snow monkeys were one of them. Minoo Park was only about an hour and a half away from my accommodation, but the best time to see them was in the early morning, before most of the tourists arrived. Off I went.

One of the main attractions of Minoo Park was, aptly named Minoo Falls. There is a tree just next to the waterfall and depending on the season, the leaves on the tree make for a beautiful sight. Unfortunately, spring has only just begun here in Japan, so there were hardly any leaves to be seen. Autumn is, I think the best time, where the leaves turn a reddish color. Have a look online if you’re inclined! The walk to the falls was really beautiful. Surrounded by trees, birdsong, and a winding river.

But… no monkeys. There were certainly signs of monkey activity. Along the way, I saw a trash bag that had been torn open overnight. Physical signs cautioning people to not approach or feed the monkeys. But no monkeys in sight! I was not ready to give up just yet. I had a quick look online and saw some people had “continued the hike up through one of the trails” and saw some monkeys. Alright, that’s what I would do.

I had been hearing some noise, which I now know to be birdsong, that I thought was maybe the monkeys conversing. I tried to follow the noise to my best ability. I was following the path to get to another waterfall, but then I saw a trail off to my left. For some reason, it felt promising. I walked up, up, UP a ton of stairs. When scanning the area, I ended up seeing a beautiful sight. A macaque monkey seated in the early light of the rising sun, on a fallen tree. SUCCESS!

I took some photos and decided to continue along, thinking maybe there would be more monkeys nearby. As I walked, I realized a monkey had been mere feet away from me. It ended up moving along before I could manage a good picture.

I enjoyed the trail, but was worried those would be my only (fleeting) monkey encounters. I walked through the forest, made it to a ridge in the mountain, and noticed the trail was beginning to descend. It felt like the wrong move somehow, so I decided to walk back to where I’d first seen the monkeys. And I’m so glad I did!

Once I’d arrived, I stayed still, scanning the area. I heard rustling as some monkeys climbed up into trees, finding the perfect leaves to munch on. One by one, they came down the mountainside, climbing up trees, jumping from tree to tree. Some of them sat down and soaked up the bits of filtered morning sunlight.

None of them got incredibly close to me (which is probably a good thing). They were certainly aware of my existence, but didn’t seem to feel threatened by me.

I was pleased to see them clearly with my eyes, but also through my camera lens. The yellow coloring on their chin, the pink of their faces. Such cute creatures! I couldn’t believe I was able to spend so much time observing them.

After a while, the monkeys began to make their way down the mountain and crossed to another mountain across the way. There were a couple of stragglers that were grooming one another on the initial fallen tree where I’d seen my first monkey. I was able to watch them groom one another for maybe half an hour, before they finally retreated to the other side of the mountain.

Sweet success! I’m so glad I was able to get this incredible wildlife sighting. That is 100% my happy place, watching animals in their natural habitat.

I went back to the Falls, exercised, and then hiked up to a viewpoint which showed city views in the distance. It was nice, but I was kind of exhausted after that point. Time to head back to the hostel! So that’s what I did.

I couldn’t believe that I’d already been in Japan for three days and STILL hadn’t eaten sushi yet. That was my main goal for the evening. My Queenstown friend Haruka – from Japan – had mentioned a few sushi-train spots, so I looked it up and went to one of them near me. My first proper Japanese sushi! Oh, boy, was it GOOD. I love, love, love sushi! I think I ordered twelve plates of sushi (most of them had 1-2 pieces, but very filling) and it was probably $10 USD. Such a departure from sushi in the States.

YUM!

Gene’s Arrival

The next day was a cruisy one. I hardly did much of anything, since I had to check out of my hostel at 10am and couldn’t check in to the accommodation I would be staying at with Gene until 4pm. I went for a walk in the morning to try to find a knife for my brother. He loves Japanese steel and when he was in Japan, he went to over 30 shops trying to find a Shigefusa knife. They are in very high demand and aren’t made very frequently since it takes time to procure such a fine piece of steel, apparently.

Afterwards, I went back to the hostel and worked on a drawing for a couple of hours (which you’ll see below!) I finished my drawing at 3pm and decided to just walk to the new accommodation. It was 40min away and it was a bit grueling with my backpack, but I was listening to music which makes everything better. Plus, I was able to arrive exactly at 4pm, and didn’t have to wait at all.

I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing, having a shower, and enjoying private accommodation for a moment.

Gene arrived late, a little after 8pm. He had been sharing his location with me and when he got close, I went outside to wait for him. I met Gene while I was staying in Cairns for about a month and we met up a number of times. We went on a scary leech-infested hike at Babinda Boulders, went camping at Murray Falls, and otherwise hung out in Cairns. I hadn’t seen him in two years so it was cool to be reunited after all this time in a different country.

After Gene settled in, we went out to find some food. I had been waiting to eat dinner until he got in. We went to Kura Sushi, which seemed like a fitting first meal in Japan. Unfortunately, the amount of seaweed in Gene’s udon was unsettling to him haha but the sushi was excellent. I kept trying all this sushi, and I didn’t even know what it was. Some of the flavors were super off-putting to me. It’s not that the sushi itself was bad, it just that some of the pieces had a very unfamiliar, odd taste.

Osaka Castle Park

The next morning, Gene and I went to get okonomiyaki, a Japanese savory pancake, from Chitose Okonomiyaki. My brother recommended it and said it was definitely worth the wait. Luckily, we were the only ones in line when we arrived and were seated within maybe ten minutes. By the time we left, there were maybe twelve people waiting. The okonomiyaki was SO. GOOD. We got the pork/beef ones. I guess it was sort of like an omelette with veggies and meat, drizzled in delicious sauces. We were seated at a counter and watched the chefs cook it up right in front of us. A total experience. Again, no photos allowed. It was a very small venue, with maybe only five seats at the counter and two tables otherwise. And it’s only open from 11.30am to 2.30pm… so I’m glad we were able to get in. YUM!

We then took the train to Osaka Castle Park. I’d heard great things about the castle and it was pretty great. The castle is surrounded by a huge moat. I was so tickled by the moat! I don’t think I’d ever seen one in real life before, and it was massive, surrounding the entire grounds of the castle.

The area was teeming with people, but we still enjoyed ourselves. It was nice to be catching up and enjoying the excitement of a new country together. We saw the occasional cherry blossom and also plum trees which arguably are maybe even prettier with their vibrant pink color.

And then we’d arrived at the castle, which was definitely a piece of art. It was just sooooo crowded. We opted out of going inside the castle, thinking the grounds were beautiful enough. We strolled around for some time. A light rain started and so we ducked inside somewhere nearby so Gene could have a coffee, and to escape the rain.

The castle is apparently one of Japan’s biggest historical landmarks. It was originally built in 1583 but was damaged a number of times and has been rebuilt a bunch. The latest reconstruction was in 1931.

Once the rain subsided, we returned outside and found a quiet spot tucked away from the busy-ness of the crowds. It had a pretty pond with zen garden vibes, and a cute view of the castle in the background. So lovely! We sat there for a while, talking, people-watching, and enjoying the scenery.

While walking around, we did see something very unsettling, which was… I kid you not… a macaque monkey in a kimono, on a leash. I was slightly distraught, after having seen these monkeys in the wild only days prior. Like Gene suggested, I hope this monkey has a great life, is well fed and cared for, but I just really take issue with captive animals that should be living their lives in the wild. I was honestly too stunned by the sight to take a picture. My brain couldn’t fully process what I was seeing until the monkey had already left the area. Wild.

After the castle, we returned back to our accommodation (?) and had a nap. In the early evening, we continued our adventure. I walked Gene through some of the areas I’d explored prior to his arrival – Den Den Town, Namba, Dotonbori. Dotonbori was to be the grand finale since it was SUCH a hotspot for tourists. Incredibly crowded.

Den Den Town is an area with lots of anime stores – playing cards, figurines, etc. But on top of it, electronics, old gaming consoles like Sega Genesis, vintage video games. The latter is up Gene’s alley, so he enjoyed walking in those random shops and checking out their wares. I’m glad for it, too, because sometimes I just walk around and don’t really go into any stores lol. Similar to Jasper and his makeup interests, I was able to see a side of Osaka that I probably wouldn’t have had I not been with Gene.

I’m not 100% sure but I think Namba is kind of the wider district that encompasses Den Den Town, Dotonbori, etc. But anyway, more food, more souvenir shops, random storefronts, etc. Lots going on, lots of people, and very busy. But very cool. Gene was like me in my early days – snapping all the pictures.

In the evening, we got more ramen and also a strawberry waffle dessert. Japan is constantly teasing me because I am a sucker for strawberry-anything and all these damn dessert stores have strawberry concoctions up the wazoo. Constant temptation, and I am definitely giving in.

After a long day, we returned to our accommodation to chill out and get some rest.

Nara

Nara is a place I’ve heard of for years, due to its massive population of wild sika deer. I was a little on the fence about going, only because I’ve read that it is overcrowded. And… they’re deer. I like deer, everyone likes deer, but I’ve seen plenty in my life. So, was it worth it? But Gene mentioned it was a place he wanted to check out, so that sold it for me.

We took the train(s) out to Nara and almost immediately upon leaving the station, were met with our first deer experiences.

One thing I hadn’t known (or forgotten?) that makes the deer in Nara special is that they actually BOW to people. People can buy small snacks for the deer, so throughout the day we saw people with snacks in their hand. They would bow, then the deer would bow in response, and then the people would hand the deer the snack. CUTE! So cute!

Similarly to the leashed monkey, I had a bad taste in my mouth, because so many of the deer had their antlers shaved down. Gene ended up doing a little research and told me that the Japanese have been shaving down the antlers for centuries, because they tend to get aggressive during mating season. There is an annual ritual where they shave the antlers, and it is to prevent the bucks from hurting both people AND each other. Alright. That put me a little bit more at ease about the situation.

We walked through the grounds of the park, admired the blooming cherry and plum trees. There was a famously photographed pavilion at a pond. In the water were a few turtles. At one point, I was snapping some pictures of one turtle… and then a baby turtle came up to it. And then another baby! So cute!

I’ve seen turtles a lot since being in Asia, but this was the first time I’ve seen them since having my proper camera on me, so I was quite pleased.

Gene and I didn’t necessarily have a set agenda, so we just kind of got lost, followed some signposts, and eventually ended up at one of my favorite areas in Japan so far, which was the Kasugataisha Shrine. We walked along the path, covered on either side by forest. Lining the pathway were stone lanterns… and deer. Gene and I were constantly bowing to the deer, but they were smart. They saw that we didn’t have food and so a lot of them wouldn’t bow back LOL. Or they would at least be disappointed when they would bow and wouldn’t be rewarded with food. I apologized to them, telling them I didn’t have food, but that they were so cute!

There was one deer that really stole the show. It was standing on an elevated platform with two lanterns on either side of it, and it just consistently bowed at every single person that stood near it. I was completely in awe. I kept saying to Gene, “THAT is a spirit animal. That’s a spirit animal!!! LOOK AT IT!” It felt so unreal.

We wandered along the area for some time, following the track this way and that. We saw some people praying at the shrines, sort of swaying their bodies while doing so.

The lanterns were endless, and deer would seemingly appear out of nowhere amongst them.

There was also an area where a blooming cherry tree was growing next to the lanterns. A very cool view.

And for lunch? RAMEN! We have not only been eating ramen… but yeah, we’ve been eating a lot of ramen. I love ramen.

They all have such varying flavors and are excellent in their own way. I always ask Gene if I can try his broth so I can get a taste for just how different they are.

Lounging Around Town

The following day was more of a chill day. There were a lot of electronics shops Gene wanted to check out, so we just kind of perused through Den Den, Namba, and ended our night near Dotonbori once again.

Gene treated me to a delicious steak dinner. He got wagyu and I got kobe beef. We were situated along the riverfront as people passed by.

We were in a heated enclosure, so had a brief reprieve from the cold weather. While it has been really nice, slightly cool temperatures in Osaka, there were a couple days where it was windy and brutal. The coldest day was Kyoto by far. And I think (actually for real now), that will be the last cold day I have in a long time.

Kyoto

Gene and I woke up around 9am to head to Kyoto. It was about an hour and a half away to get to our first stop, but it had a number of train and bus transfers. I haven’t yet mentioned this because the trains are pretty good, but the public transit is… kind of confusing in Japan? I feel like their signage just doesn’t make everything super clear. So anyway, at one point we hopped on the wrong train, had to transfer to another, etc. The busses in Kyoto were especially horrible. Super crowded, and it felt unclear at times which bus we were supposed to take, even with the help of GoogleMaps. We didn’t get to our first place until about noon.

The Golden Pavilion was something Gene suggested, and a place I’d forgotten was based in Japan. Back when I was in university, I actually learned about the Golden Pavilion while taking my Buddhism class. The space is known for being a Zen temple and the pavilion itself is covered in pure gold leaf, making it a visually striking piece of architecture. The grounds decorated around the pavilion are beautiful and very zen-y as well.

Despite it being a cloudy day, the gold on the pavilion still shone brightly. I joked with Gene about how silly it is that so many people crowd around to take pictures of a building – and what would the building be thinking if it was anthropomorphic?

The grounds had some other cool spots, too. There were some small buddha stone carvings where people would throw coins and make prayers.

Small waterfalls, nice viewpoints and perspectives of the pavilion and the nature surrounding it. It was a good spot and I’m happy we went.

Afterwards, we stopped for… yes. Ramen. Mine camed in a gold-leaf colored bowl and had the golden pavilion cut into seaweed, with “Kyoto” embossed in the seaweed. Cute! Apparently that dish was limited edition and they only make 10 a day.

From there, we went to Ryōan-ji Zen garden, per Gene’s interest. I’d looked up ChatGPT where we could go that was near the pavilion, and so a Zen garden it was! It was a beautiful spot. We were able to walk through some areas that had cherry trees, an old Buddha statue, and… a Zen rock garden! The rock garden is a UNESCO heritage site and apparently one of Japan’s most famous Zen gardens. It was pretty but honestly a little underwhelming. Five big boulders tucked into a small rectangular area. In the building next to the garden, the walls were painted with a story of a dragon in various stages of his life. That was pretty cool!

By this point, it was already mid afternoon and we still had an hour to travel to our next spot, and my main reason for even coming to Osaka/Kyoto was… the Fushimi Inari Shrine. It sounds silly to decide to go somewhere based on one single place, but I remembered seeing pictures of it when Dan and Maisie went and I was like… whoa, that looks SO cool.

We took, I think, three busses to get to the shrine. It was supposed to be just one bus, but we kept getting lost lol. On one of the busses, it was incredibly crowded. We made it to our stop and tried to get off through the front, but people weren’t moving out of the way. I ducked out the side entrance, as did Gene, and we rushed back up to the front to pay. The bus driver was having a hard time understanding us and was telling us to wait for the next bus. I was like, “But we were just on here… we’re trying to pay!” But he wasn’t having it. Eventually, Gene pulled me away and said, “If he doesn’t want us to pay, he doesn’t want us to pay” or something like that haha. OKAY, FINE! We also had had to pay for the wrong bus earlier in the day, so it came out in the wash.

ANYWAY. Finally, we made it to the shrine. And… it was crowded. People, people, people. But a lot of them were leaving since it was almost sunset.

The area was bigger than I’d anticipated. I didn’t realize it would have a lot of shrines, temples, etc. in the area. I kind of just thought it was a hike that had a bunch of torii gates leading up along the mountainside.

Because there were so many people, we made a little detour down a less-frequented path. There were bamboo trees lining either side of us. Eventually, we made it to a shrine that was home to lots of mini torii gates, lanterns, and stone carvings.

I decided I wanted to get back to the main torii gates before it got dark out. I really wanted a picture of these gates WITH NO PEOPLE, damn it! Everywhere we go, people, people, people. And with this being such a hotspot, I was wondering if I would be able to get it. Well, success, eventually I was. (Side note: with that said re: people, despite being very crowded.. a lot of Osaka doesn’t feel super saturated aside from tourist hotspots, which is nice. There are people, yes, but it’s also not very difficult to get away from them. And also, the trains are New York-style large, which means you’re not super crammed in.)

Gene and I ended up hiking to the top of the mountain. I’d heard it could be a grueling hike, and it sounded like some people were complaining of hurt ankles on the way down, but it was a piece of cake.

Before reaching the top, we made it to an observation point for sunset. It was cool to see the city down below, the fading light of the sun along the horizon.

Twenty minutes later, we had summited Mount Inari. At the top, there was a shrine with even more torii gates, stone fox statues, lanterns, etc. It was dark at this time, and all the torii gates were illuminated by lights. Gene commented how he wished they were lit by candles and I agree. It would have been a really cool atmosphere.

All in all, the visit to Fushimi Inari surpassed what I had hoped for. The gates were mesmerizing, beautiful, and awesome. I was in awe of the fact that somebody went through to effort to build torii gate after torii gate after torii gate. The area is called “Senbon Torii” or Thousand Torii Gates. And there definitely were a thousand. Maybe even more. (Fun fact: when walking through the gates, you’re not supposed to walk through the center of the path. You have to leave room for the spirits!)

Gene and I were cold at this point. Hell, we’d been cold all day. It was the coldest day since I’d been in Japan, and it was windy, too. Time to call it.

We descended the mountain and went for a dinner of udon and soba noodles. The restaurant was beautiful, the food was great. And served with tea! We still had to commute for a little over an hour to get back to our accommodation, so that’s what we did. The day went FAST. Because it took so long to commute everywhere, it felt like we weren’t able to see as much as we would have liked. I think having a couple more days in Kyoto (or a week!) would be much more to my liking. Things to look forward to if I ever get back to Japan, which I hope I do. We can’t see everything. I’m happy with what we did see, though. The Golden Pavilion and the Fushimi Inari Shrine were both excellent. Yay!

Miscellaneous

One evening, I was able to meet up with my friend Sylvia whom I had met in South Korea. We walked around town for a little over an hour, catching up on our travel adventures since we’d last seen each other a few weeks back in Gyeongju. She has a couple more weeks in Japan before she heads home to Italy and then to Spain.

One night before Gene arrived, I got propositioned by a woman to pay 6000 yen for a massage (with masturbation!). What a steal!

The morning I was leaving South Korea, there was a half moon in the sky. It felt fitting for my departure from Korea, since South Korea’s flag is inspired by a yin yang.

I really dig the fashion in Japan. Everyone has a different style. There will be girls in Lolita looks, guys in more alternative/punk/goth looks. Some are more hip, some are more classic. The style is very varied, especially when comparing it to Korea where everyone looks good but everyone also kind of looks the same.

When at a random supermarket looking for strawberries one day, I found a packet of… TIM TAMS! I haven’t had Tim Tams since leaving Aotearoa New Zealand and I had no idea when the next time I had them would be. It was so nice to be reunited with them LOL. And very random. There were no other international chocolates or brands around… just Timothy Tamathan, waiting to be eaten by me.

One phrase Gene has said a couple times which makes me laugh is, “We’re not in Cairns anymore, Toto.”

One evening, when out to eat… I accidentally ate a stock cube. We were given a tray of small appetizers, and one of them looked like a little candy wrapped in aluminum foil. Well, at the end of my meal, I ate one and it was definitely a bullion cube. LOL. Yikes.

Art of the Week

In honor of Sakura/cherry blossom season in Japan, I wanted to create a piece with their flowers as the main theme. And I’m super happy with how it turned out! I think I’m starting to learn how to surround my main focus (the human) with shapes that feel dynamic and fresh for me. While I always tend to stick to similar concepts (bald & naked women, floral elements like vines, bright colors), I get bored easily and have to find new things to add to the pieces. Sometimes I feel I’ll get in a groove thematically and by the time I sit down for my next piece, I find I already am “over it” and want to try something new. Which can… be frustrating because then in many ways I have to start all over again in exploring a new concept, which often feels like a miss in the early stages. I hope y’all enjoy this piece! I swear, I am overdue to upload quite a few designs to my RedBubble account.

(I’ve also titled this “Cherry Blossom Cho” because I had been talking with someone at the hostel while drawing this. He asked me what the character’s name was and I said I didn’t know. I asked his name and it was Cho, so I named it after him lol.)

I also am going to be putting out another podcast episode somewhat soon. In a few days, I’ll record an interview with Gene, edit it, and post it. Stay tuned for that! If you haven’t listened to my podcast with Jasper, refer to last week’s post. It’s cute!

Reflections

What a goddamn week! I have been seeing so much.

I really loved the monkeys of Minoo Park, the bowing deer of Nara, the Golden Pavilion and Fushimi Inari Shrine. And I’ve loved just being in the city of Osaka, which is new and unusual for me.

Today is my final day in Osaka. It is a bit of a chiller day since yesterday was so travel intensive. Later today, Gene and I are going to a park that is home to around 5,000 cherry blossoms. Hopefully, we’ll see a number of those in bloom, even if not fully. I think by the time we’re in Tokyo, they will be full bloom all over the place. I’m excited for that! (It’s also funny that cherry blossoms are such A THING. Perhaps overly sensationalized. But they are beautiful.)

Later, I am hoping to meet up with some Queenstown friends. Claire, my former coworker, is in town with her sister, and another former coworker, Lucie. We will maybe meet up for dinner or everyone else will have drinks while I drink some water lol. I’m looking forward to seeing them!

Tomorrow, we’ll be taking one of the bullet trains from Osaka to Tokyo, where I’ll spend the rest of my time in Japan. Just ten more days, but that’s a lot of time to enjoy the country.

Until next time, sending you all my love. x