New Year, New Places: Osaka

I woke up on my last day in Kyoto somewhat reluctantly. I knew there was still so much left to see in the city, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to leave. My hotel in Osaka was already booked though, so ready or not, it was time to go. 

I had planned to check out, leave my suitcase in the hotel lobby, grab some breakfast, then check out Nijō Castle. The first 3 steps went according to my grand plan, but unfortunately, this is where things fell apart. I waited at the bus stop for about a half hour, but the bus I was supposed to take never came. 

I debated internally almost the whole wait. Should I just give up and press on to Osaka? Finally suck it up and ask the staff member at the bus stop what the deal was in my limited Japanese? Continue to wait and just assume this fabled bus would eventually materialize? 

Eventually, I just gave up. I figured this would be top of my list if I come back to Kyoto, and I should just go get settled in my new hotel in Osaka. I grabbed my suitcase, wheeled it over to Kyoto station, and hopped on a train to Osaka. 

It was a pretty quick train ride, just about 45 minutes long. It felt surprising that these two big tourist destinations in Japan were so close together, but I certainly wasn’t complaining. I decided to stay in the Kita ward of Osaka, it seemed like a nice central location near the train, which was perfect, because at this point I wasn’t even sure what I really wanted to see in the city. 

If I went to Kyoto a little unprepared, I was going to Osaka empty handed. I just knew that although fatigue was starting to set in, I wasn’t ready to head home just yet. I was sure I could find plenty of fun things to do in a new city one way or another. 

I got to my hotel a little early, so I wasn’t able to check in right away. I left my suitcase there, and decided to wander around the area a little. I found a nice ramen shop and stopped in for lunch. Then I went to a shrine I had seen signs for near the station. The shrine was quite nice, but after the incredible shrines in Kyoto it wasn’t quite as impressive. 

I returned to my hotel and finished my check in. I headed up to my room, unpacked a little, and then lounged around my room for a bit. I’d heard the nightlife in Osaka was pretty nice, so I started doing some research on good places for a drink. There seemed to be some nice bars not too far from me, so I got ready and headed out. 

I stopped at a little Indian restaurant on my way over. Living in Surrey back home I had access to great Indian food anytime I wanted, so I was curious to see what Indian food was like here in Japan. There was a big group of businessmen, likely having a drink together after the work week. I was the only one who wasn’t part of that group, so I had a little seat in the back of the restaurant. 

The food was pretty great. I went for a classic combo of naan and butter chicken, always a safe bet. I assumed it came with rice as well, but instead I was greeted with tasty looking curry and the biggest piece of naan I’d seen. I happily tore off pieces and dipped it in the curry. It was a little different than butter chicken back home, but still just as good. Satisfied with my dinner, I paid and continued on. 

I don’t have a great sense of Osaka as a city, it seems a lot more laid back than Tokyo and Kyoto, but I’d probably need to spend more time there to really nail down the feeling of the city. Tokyo and Kyoto had such strong identities that really jumped out at me, but Osaka felt a little more relaxed. 

It felt a little more like I could tackle the city at my own pace, relax, and really enjoy myself as I liked. It was kind of nice compared to the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, and the important sense of culture in Kyoto. 

Then again, these are still just quick impressions from a foreigner after spending just a few days in each city. I spent years going to Vancouver and still have trouble articulating the culture and vibe of a city I know so well. 

The bar that I ended up at was small, in typical Japanese fashion, but it was colorful and bright. The owner of the bar asked me where I was from and directed me over to a table of strangers after I bought a drink. I do appreciate that at these smaller style bars the owner or bartend will do their best to facilitate conversations with other patrons. It gives me a nice ice breaker, and forces me to try and get to know people I would otherwise like to approach, but would be too nervous to do so on my own. 

I was also surprised at this being the first cashless bar I’ve encountered. Adding to the surprise was the fact the owner was a foreigner from Australia. I would end up stopping in at this bar every night here in Osaka, so over time I got to know his name and a little bit about him. He had a somewhat crude sense of humor that probably got more groans than laughs, but he was charming and created a bar with my favorite atmosphere so far. 

It was an atmosphere I was more familiar with. This bar had lots of foreign patrons, people visiting from all over the world, so there was lots of English being spoken. The conversations had topics I was familiar with, and I didn’t have to work to be understood. It’s a feeling you only really notice after you’ve gone without it for a while. 

While I was having a great time chatting with other people at the bar, eventually I got curious and wanted to check out some other bars in the area. They were all just a few minutes away, so I grabbed my stuff and ventured out. 

I spent maybe a minute or two in these other bars before eventually returning to my starting point. One bar was pretty empty, with only other Japanese patrons, so I sheepishly ducked out and tried another. The next bar was packed pretty full, but had a similar vibe to the first bar I went to. Here there was a constant buzz of chatter, and no one really acknowledged me when I went inside. It seemed like a fun place, but being similar to where I started, I decided to head back. I had already learned a few names, and here I would be starting from scratch. 

When I went back to that first bar I wasn’t quite sure what reaction I might get, I’d only been gone maybe 15 minutes. To my delight, I got a few happy cheers and sat back down and recounted my quick little bar crawl. I asked the owner about the other bars, wondering if there was any place more dance oriented in the area. 

The first bar I my little tour seemed to be more of an event space, and got pretty busy/dancy when there were big events. I was in luck, since there would be an event there tomorrow night as fate would have it. 

After getting the contact info of some of the other customers, and the night growing late, I decided to head back to my room. It was a great first day in Osaka, and I was glad to have found a bar that reminded me of home, but still kept the unique small bar culture here in Japan. 

I liked the vibe here in Osaka, and while I wasn’t sure exactly how I would spend my day tomorrow, I was glad I had decided to continue my trip. Having just a taste of different cities only makes me want to come back in the future. I adored Kyoto, and I want to go back and see more of the city, but I want to see as much of Japan as I can. Having been to only 3 cities I could see the differences in the culture and communities between each of them. 

Back home, it really just felt like Vancouver and the suburbs of Vancouver. Each suburb had a slightly different flavor, sure, but the differences didn’t feel as striking compared to my experiences here in Japan. Then again, maybe it’s easier to see the differences when everything is so new. When things become so familiar, like back home, everything begins to blur together and feel somewhat samey. 

I’ve probably harped on it a lot already, but I’ve been so grateful for this opportunity to experience a country and culture so different from the west. I hope it’s been broadening my perspective, and giving me space away from home to really examine things I just accepted, because that was all I’ve ever known. 

I had two more days here in Osaka, and while I had no idea what sorts of things I would be doing for the rest of my time, I knew they would be new adventures to cherish.