Ōsaka Heiya

We all agreed that Dotonburi was like Osaka's New York Times Square, or Tokyo's Shinjuku. It was full of neon lights. According to a magazine article, Osaka is Japan's kitchen, and one must try to eat until you are either bankrupt or too full to continue. That's our kind of challenge.

So we had some Takoyaki (whose shop played a very catchy tune while we queued) and later on some sticky rice balls. These were enveloped with sweet soy sauce and coated with either roasted rice powder or matcha powder. My preference was absolute--the roasted rice powder coating elevated this delicacy above the rest. We also saw plenty of quirky signs in the establishments' attempts to catch the interest of passing visitors.

We decided to take the train home. As we neared our accommodation, I thought I caught a scent that reminded me of woodfire or burning charcoal - something that reminded me of Lola Soteng. It was an out of place aroma in a highly urbanised area where everything was electronic. So I knew that she was watching over us on this trip.

We enjoyed our evening cuppa whilst debriefing before turning in for the night. Turns out we clocked in about 16000 steps this day.Read more