New Year, New Places: The Inevitable End

After taking in the nightlife of Osaka, I wasn’t moving very quickly the next morning. I was struggling to decide how I wanted to spend my day, my body was telling me just to stay in bed all day. After going back and forth for what felt like ages, I decided to check out Den Den Town. 

Den Den Town was supposed to be Osaka’s equivalent of Akihabara in Tokyo, which was a district I really enjoyed. Mustering up whatever strength I had left, I set out. Having missed breakfast by now, I loaded up on some ramen before hopping on the train. 

After a fairly quick ride, a hop skip and a jump from the train station, I seemed to arrive in Den Den Town. It almost perfectly matched the description I’d formed in my head, it was similar to Akihabara, but a little less dense and overwhelming. I strolled along the streets, ducking into stores and browsing the various anime figures and merchandise. 

I stumbled across a larger store that had all kinds of Gundams from the many different anime series. I’ve only seen maybe two series in the very large Gundam universe, and I wouldn’t dare try to make my own, but I can certainly appreciate them. 

Eventually, I began making my way over to Dotonbori, an entertainment district of Osaka that was nice and close to Den Den Town. I grabbed a quick coffee, and strolled along endless rows of shops, bars, and all kinds of interesting looking places. 

While I really enjoyed both of these areas, I hadn’t gone with any real purpose in my mind. I had gone because I wanted to see more of the city, and these seemed like fun, interesting areas. I don’t think every moment of your travel needs to have some greater purpose, it’s plenty of fun just to wander around and see where your feet take you. 

Though, the consequences of this is that I don’t have as many specific memories of my time in Osaka. I was pretty tired after being on my feet and walking for hours the last four days, so my battery was rather low by this time. After strolling around a little longer, I decided to head back to the hotel. 

This was probably the shortest excursion I’d taken while traveling, and I certainly had mixed feelings about that. I told myself I was trying to save up some energy for that event I had heard about last night. 

It was supposed to be a fairly large event, and it was supposed to go all the way until 5AM. Most events back home went until 3AM at the latest, so 5AM seemed pretty extreme. The cover charge was around $45, so if I was going I was definitely going to be making the most of it.

When I got back to my room, I lounged around for a while. Played some games on my switch, munched on a few snacks I had grabbed from the convenience store, and took a nap. Once I woke up I got dressed and did a little bit of makeup before heading out. 

I was going to stop in at that same lovely bar from last night while I decided if I really wanted to check out that event. I don’t like paying even $20 for cover, let alone $45! Even if I got a drink ticket or two with my entry fee (something we definitely should adapt back home), that’s still pretty steep. 

I didn’t have to pay a dime to enjoy the other bar, and they had a nintendo switch and even karaoke, for free! 

I continued going back and forth as I stopped by that same Indian restaurant. I had a similar order, switching up the curry for another similar, but slightly different curry. I also made sure to order a side of rice this time. I was definitely going to miss this little restaurant when I left. 

If you haven’t already picked up on it by now, I’m quite the creature of habit. I try to be somewhat adventurous, but if I find a restaurant, a spot, or a meal I like, I’m more than happy to just continue going there time and time again. I don’t mind doing the same thing over and over again as long as it scratches whatever itch I may have. 

For example, in my city there’s only a handful of restaurants that I’ve been to. Of those that I have gone to, if I’ve gone more than once, odds are I go around once a week. I’ve been enjoying traveling since it forces me away from my creature comforts. I have to be adventurous because everything is new. 

I’ve been teased for being a picky eater pretty much my whole life. I won’t try and debate it, I really am. I like what I like, and if I don’t like something I don’t want to eat it. I used to be really bad about even trying new foods. Thankfully, I got better about that. Though, many of the foods I didn’t want to try because I thought I wouldn’t like them, turns out I didn’t like them after I tried them. Sometimes when you know, you know, ya know? 

Tangents aside, I returned to my familiar watering hole, greeted by the same friendly owner, and a brand new group of patrons. I didn’t quite get plopped into a new group this time like I had yesterday. So instead, I grabbed the switch controllers and started setting up a few games of Super Smash Bros. This was a pretty universal party game, and sure enough, after a match or two against the computer, a few people joined in. 

The games were pretty fun, even against strangers everyone tends to get excited playing Smash Bros, exclaiming when you landed a good hit or were sent flying off the stage. After a while, one of the people I got to know came back to the bar. They had gone to Kyoto today, and like me, had been to the Fushimi Inari Shrine. 

Unlike me, they had decided to venture all the way to the top of the mountain. I applauded their enthusiasm, but you could tell they were paying the price. I talked with them about going to the event, they were certainly too tired to attend, but sometimes just talking through your problems out loud helps you realize how you really feel. 

I wanted to go, I was just scared. It was a new space, and seemed like a bigger event with a steeper entry cost. I reassured myself that if it really wasn’t for me, I could just duck out early and back to my hotel room. With my mind finally made up, I finished off my drink, said goodbye to my new friend, and walked to a nearby bar where the event was. 

Walking down the stairs, I peeked into the venue, it was filled with people. An intimidating first sight to be sure. I paid my cover and went inside. I grabbed a drink and tried to calm down a little. There were tons of people in a small venue, mostly congregated around a small stage near the bar. 

Rather than a play by play of my night out, I’ll just talk about the experience as a whole. In the end, I was glad I went! I actually did end up staying until 5AM when the venue closed. This was easily the latest I’d ever stayed out, but I wanted to get my money's worth. 

Unlike the other bar, this one was mostly filled with Japanese people. Also unlike the other bar, I really struggled to interact with the other patrons. I don’t look like I’d be able to speak any Japanese, and my Japanese ability is simple conversations at best, but it certainly didn’t feel great.

While certainly a larger topic easily meriting its own article, being a foreigner in Japan has its challenges. People either seem to show lots of interest in you, or are rather dismissive of your presence. In this case, it was definitely the latter. 

I tried not to let it bother me, and I’m still glad I went to this event. During the walk home though, I felt more alone than I had in a long time. I had felt so welcome in the other bar, filled with other foreigners and a familiar atmosphere. In another bar, just minutes away, I felt like such an outsider. Sticking out like a sore thumb. 

It’s not the fault of the other patrons any more than it’s my fault. It just seems like a side effect of the monoculture of Japan that I still have yet to really come to grips with.

I shook those feelings off as I went to bed. It was a great night, and I was glad I had this experience. These feelings of loneliness were temporary, and I hoped that eventually all I would remember was all the fun I had. 

Given that I probably didn’t fall asleep until around 6AM, I woke up in the late afternoon of my final day in Osaka. I didn’t do much of anything with my day, venturing out for food, but otherwise just relaxing in bed. 

This trip had been a whirlwind, and I was pretty content to spend my final day just unwinding and decompressing. I returned to the first bar one last time, hoping to forget those negative feelings from yesterday, and prepare myself for the inevitable departure. This was one of the places I felt most like myself here in Japan, and I hoped to find somewhere like in Tokyo. 

Eventually, my fatigue caught up with me, and I bid goodnight and farewell to this lovely safe haven I had found. I returned to my hotel, got my things in order, and for the last time of this trip, I drifted off to sleep. 

Returning home was much easier than getting here, since I had a passing knowledge of the shinkansen system, and knew which trains and buses would get me back to my apartment. After three trains and a bus, I was back. I’d never been so excited to return to my apartment, glad for the familiarity I had been without during my trip. 

I had seen two more major cities in Japan, seen important cultural and religious landmarks, experienced more of the night life, and had more unforgettable adventures. I wasn’t ready for work tomorrow, and would have loved another day to recover. But I wouldn’t have traded a day of my trip for the world. 

Kyoto was a magical, dare I say spiritual experience, allowing me to witness New Years customs first hand. The seriousness that Japanese people treat their religion and customs is so stark from the casualness that can accompany invoking religious aspects to serve as a means to an end. The architecture was beautiful, and the city has a serious, respectful tone. 

Osaka by comparison felt a lot more whimsical. It was more relaxing, allowing me to tackle the city at my own pace, exploring the nightlife and the various districts. Finding a bar that reminded me of home was a lovely treat, and while it made me miss home in some ways, it highlighted what I enjoy about Japanese nightlife. 

I’m becoming more and more comfortable traveling solo. It’s not easy, I have to make so many decisions, often with no right answer, all by myself. It’s easy to become fatigued, or overwhelmed. But I came to Japan to challenge myself, and traveling has done exactly that. 

I’ve been able to create memories, take some great photos, and have plenty to write about for this blog. This trip was really special to me, and I can’t wait to explore more of Japan, and get to know the cities, the people, and the culture more and more every day.