(no subject)
I started writing this a few days ago, and have been adding to it since then. Now that we've found some reliable net access...
***
No one should have to get up *that* damn early in the morning for an international flight.
What's more, you really shouldn't need to get up *that* damn early in the morning just for the privilege of waiting around Gold Coast airport for four hours before you can finally hop a flgiht to Japan.
But hey, that's cheap tickets for you. Plus, we're here now, and all sins are forgiven.
Osaka - our first destination - is an interesting town, thriving on the back of fishing and heavy industry. We passed more trawlers than I have ever seen in one spot, and huge expanses of fuel refineries and steelworks, on the way to our Ryokan. In fact, once we left the shore behind, it was like something out of a cyberpunk fever dream. That impression was only re-inforced once we got into the center of Osaka proper, and twisted our way along the raised overpasses threading their way through the tall buildings and bright avenues of garish light on the street level down below.
After dropping off our bags we had a brief wander around the maze of bars and bars-with-cute-japanese-hostesses that made up the area we were staying in. We were tired after the flight, so bedded down reasonably early. This was when I realised we were really living in Bladerunner land.
The sounds of any Japanese city are the sounds of future LA. The sirens, the tone of streetlights telling you to cross or not cross... it's weird to suddenly find yourself surrounded by these amazingly strong audio signifiers. Combined with the hordes of bicycle-riding citizens, and the strange kiosk-culture that the Japanese seem to love so much, it's very easy to imagine the possibility that you've not only travelled in distance but in time.
Gnnuh. Sleep now.
DAY TWO
Liz and I are fish nuts, so the Osaka Aquarium is a must see. It's an amazing glass and steel structure, abstract and garish like a lot of modern Japanese structures, but very cleverly designed. It's eight stories, too, and consists of a central spiralling ramp that curves around a huge central tank. Many of the exhibits extend over two or more levels, so you pass different depths of the one tank multiple times. The main attraction of the aquarium are the two whale sharks in the central tank, and they are truly impressive creatures. There's a manta ray, too; that's one huge ray! But the beasties that really caught our eye were the otters, which had some of the best enclosures in the place.
Little hands!
After the aquarium we wandered back into central Osaka. Even on a Tuesday night the streets are packed; it takes a while for it to sink in, but the population density is just incredible. Case in point is the excellent disabled access just about everywhere we've been - each footpath has different textured pavers for where to walk and stop; everything, from buses to steps leading down into the subway, talks to you; brail is everywhere.
Then there's the public transport! So many overlapping train lines - each run by a different company - both above and below ground, plus vast amounts of buses and taxis, and there's still hundreds of bicycles zooming by. But it also means that once you master the subway routes, Japanese cities are some of the easiest to get around in the world.
Another plus of such highly populated cities is the excellent opportunity for some quality people watching. Fashion very definitely beats style in Osaka, and the current uniform for the fashion-elite is torn and worn jeans (tailored to fit of course), faux-hiking boots with undone laces and protruding tongue, and puffy, almost bomber-style jackets. And frosted tips on elegantly dishevelled hair.
It's basically high-fashion lumberjacks.
No school-girls, cat-girls or EGLs yet, but Kyoto and Tokyo are yet to come. I have high hopes.
***
No one should have to get up *that* damn early in the morning for an international flight.
What's more, you really shouldn't need to get up *that* damn early in the morning just for the privilege of waiting around Gold Coast airport for four hours before you can finally hop a flgiht to Japan.
But hey, that's cheap tickets for you. Plus, we're here now, and all sins are forgiven.
Osaka - our first destination - is an interesting town, thriving on the back of fishing and heavy industry. We passed more trawlers than I have ever seen in one spot, and huge expanses of fuel refineries and steelworks, on the way to our Ryokan. In fact, once we left the shore behind, it was like something out of a cyberpunk fever dream. That impression was only re-inforced once we got into the center of Osaka proper, and twisted our way along the raised overpasses threading their way through the tall buildings and bright avenues of garish light on the street level down below.
After dropping off our bags we had a brief wander around the maze of bars and bars-with-cute-japanese-hostesses that made up the area we were staying in. We were tired after the flight, so bedded down reasonably early. This was when I realised we were really living in Bladerunner land.
The sounds of any Japanese city are the sounds of future LA. The sirens, the tone of streetlights telling you to cross or not cross... it's weird to suddenly find yourself surrounded by these amazingly strong audio signifiers. Combined with the hordes of bicycle-riding citizens, and the strange kiosk-culture that the Japanese seem to love so much, it's very easy to imagine the possibility that you've not only travelled in distance but in time.
Gnnuh. Sleep now.
DAY TWO
Liz and I are fish nuts, so the Osaka Aquarium is a must see. It's an amazing glass and steel structure, abstract and garish like a lot of modern Japanese structures, but very cleverly designed. It's eight stories, too, and consists of a central spiralling ramp that curves around a huge central tank. Many of the exhibits extend over two or more levels, so you pass different depths of the one tank multiple times. The main attraction of the aquarium are the two whale sharks in the central tank, and they are truly impressive creatures. There's a manta ray, too; that's one huge ray! But the beasties that really caught our eye were the otters, which had some of the best enclosures in the place.
Little hands!
After the aquarium we wandered back into central Osaka. Even on a Tuesday night the streets are packed; it takes a while for it to sink in, but the population density is just incredible. Case in point is the excellent disabled access just about everywhere we've been - each footpath has different textured pavers for where to walk and stop; everything, from buses to steps leading down into the subway, talks to you; brail is everywhere.
Then there's the public transport! So many overlapping train lines - each run by a different company - both above and below ground, plus vast amounts of buses and taxis, and there's still hundreds of bicycles zooming by. But it also means that once you master the subway routes, Japanese cities are some of the easiest to get around in the world.
Another plus of such highly populated cities is the excellent opportunity for some quality people watching. Fashion very definitely beats style in Osaka, and the current uniform for the fashion-elite is torn and worn jeans (tailored to fit of course), faux-hiking boots with undone laces and protruding tongue, and puffy, almost bomber-style jackets. And frosted tips on elegantly dishevelled hair.
It's basically high-fashion lumberjacks.
No school-girls, cat-girls or EGLs yet, but Kyoto and Tokyo are yet to come. I have high hopes.