Osaka - Japan’s Kitchen

Hello from Osaka. Mike and I arrived in Japan on Wednesday afternoon after an uneventful WestJet flight to Tokyo Narita. We wisely stayed overnight in Narita and carried on to Osaka on Thursday morning. Osaka is a large port city on the main Japanese island of Honshu. At almost 3 million people, it is 3rd more populated after Tokyo and Yokohama. The Meiji Period established in 1868 overthrew the feudal system (shoguns) and reestablished imperial rule (emperors) - under Emperor Meiji. During that time Japan rapidly industrialised and there were significant connections to western ideas and culture. Osaka was the industrial hub of Japan in the Meiji period and it continues to be known as the Manchester of the Orient. Osaka sits on a large bay with many rivers flowing through it and so as you move around the city you are always crossing bridges and waterways. Flying into Osaka we could see the extensive ports and industrial areas near by. Having been mostly flattened by bombs in the second world war much of the infrastructure and housing is relatively new although there are a few historic sites such as the Osaka Castle, which we took a look at. The climate here is “humid subtropical” and man o man have we been feeling the humidity! The temps are currently in the low 30s but feel much higher. Unfortunately, this wave of heat is continuing into the week which may make the hiking more challenging than expected as we start out.
On Thursday, right on schedule, Mike and I rendezvoused with our three travel/hiking buddies. My sister Helen - who had been in the country for a few days chasing down some architectural wonders - and Ian and Brenda. Unfortunately , Brenda’s luggage didn’t make it - darn Air Canada - but it showed up yesterday much to her relief. Our first dinner together was delightful as we happened across a little spot with only eight place settings – a tiny spot much smaller than my kitchen at home. The young chef made us a lovely meal, including a variety tasty starters and a variety of main dishes. We also tasted a few sakis ( I’m not sure if that is the plural for saki but we had more than 1). Mike and I are staying at the very fancy Imperial hotel overlooking the main river. The hotel has a lot of staff sporting white gloves who frequently bow deeply as you go by. (Mike thinks he deserves more of this kind behaviour from me at home.) We’ve managed to visit the Osaka castle - standard stuff with moats and gates. Mike I decided to hit the history museum yesterday to get out of the heat. So we got a bit of culture. The group all joined up again last night to see the Dotombori area which is the main entertainment district known for gaudy neon lights, huge signage, large plastic food models and crowds. Dotombori is also the hub for Osaka’s food culture “ kuidore” meaning eat til you drop. We didn’t do anything too wild and crazy and opted for a sukiyaki place where we cooked some very tender beef, noodles and veg hot pot style. It was a full participation meal.

My first impressions of Japan are very positive. This is an extremely orderly society. There is no graffiti anywhere and the very busy streets are clean. People actually obey the walk signals - although Mike doesn’t because he comes from a long line of jaywalkers on his Mother’s side. There are signs not to eat or drink on transit or talk on cell phones in public which people politely obey. There’s no garbage anywhere and interestingly, there are few garbage cans anywhere so one wonders where all the garbage goes. We carried ours around in backpacks until returning to the hotel. Oh, and toilets have more options than our new Rav 4 hybrid!! Today is Saturday and I reluctantly leave this beautiful hotel and my very nice kimono behind. We’re headed to Kyoto for a couple of nights before starting our hike. More from there.
Love Mom/ Heather/GrandmaLäs mer