Day 51: Japan Day 1 (Osaka)

My flight left Incheon International Airport (the same airport I flew into from Canada) at 2:30pm. I was packed and out the door by 10:30 since it took just over an hour and half to get to the airport and I needed to be there two hours before. It was so nice to be travelling without my huge suitcase but I packed so much into my carry on bag that it was super heavy to carry on one shoulder. At least, the subway ride there was very straightforward and easy. It was pretty full so I didn't get a seat but I just leaned against the side and played the BTS game on my phone (I hold a few world records in the game now, if you'd like an idea of how much time I spend on it while getting to and from places... haha yikes).

Incheon airport is huge and super awesome!!! Everything is so big and bright and it all looks brand new. They are even adding an MR experience park inside the airport. The sign advertising the MR park had faces for the avengers and guardians of the galaxy on it which was cool.

I got a little lost trying to find my terminal. There was one point where I was standing in a hallway with three possible routes to get to different parts of terminal one and I couldn't figure out which one I was supposed to take. Fortunately I found a screen that listed the airlines and the corresponding 'bridge' to take. However, the screen kept changing to ads and I couldn't read the Korean fast enough to figure out which one I had to go to on my first try. I ended up standing in front of these screens for a few minutes laughing at myself and the situation while also trying to figure out where the heck to go.

I checked in and made it through security without any problems. I always get worried that I'm going to have something in my carry-on that I'm not allowed and then I'll have to unpack it and give up whatever it is. This happened one time when my family was going on vacation and I stupidly packed a huge bottle of my favourite body spray so it isn't a random concern! After I made it past security without losing any of my belongings I had to take a shuttle train to the right terminal area.

While taking the shuttle I realized just how huge this place was! I even found a big Christmas display set up in the middle of one of the walking areas with huge trees and a stage. When I arrived at my terminal I got a chicken caesar salad at a restaurant near my gate and grabbed a bun to snack on later. Later ended up being about 30 seconds after I bought it since I have no self control. I found a seat near an outlet and charged both my phones while playing more of my BTS game.

The flight went smoothly and we landed around 4:30 pm (there's no time change between Seoul and Osaka). I was surprised by how dark it already was outside (I later learned that it gets dark really early in this area of Osaka). Everyone had to take a short train to get to customs and it was cool to be able to look outside right after landing. The first language I heard when I got on the train was Korean and I was immediately relieved to know that at least there would be one language here that I understood a little.

When everyone first got off the shuttle we had to line up to get our finger prints scanned and pictures taken (feels a bit like big brother/the USA with how much information I was handing over but I won't comment further on that...). Customs took almost two hours to get through because there were lots of people and they were super slow.

Kansai airport is cool, not as awesome as Incheon, but some of the pathways had beautiful lanterns hanging above them and it seemed to be huge.

I bought my transportation card (called an ICOCA card) from a machine at the airport, which was super convenient and easy.

My next stop, was a post office near my airbnb for the week where I needed to pick up a pocket wifi device that I would be using here. I had to use the airport wifi to set up the route to the post office on my phone because I had no other service until I got the pocket wifi. It would probably have been a better idea to have it shipped to me next time so I can set it up and have it working right when I land in Japan, things to think about for next time.

Then it was back to being confused by a new transportation system just like the first day in Korea... I asked one of the train help people (I can't remember what the actual job name is) and the guy told me to go through the gates he was standing up. Unfortunately, not the right advice haha. I went inside, down the stairs, and discovered that none of the lines were the same colour as the one I was supposed to get on. I went back upstairs and tried to leave the terminal but the turn machine started beeping at me because it was just as confused as I was. So I had to go to the office by the entrance and get them to take off the last two swipes on my card and let me through (off to a great start).

I went into the station on the other side and this one ended up being the right one! The train ride took about 50 minutes and then I got off and walked into what has to be the biggest and most confusing station I have ever been to. There were so many floors and signs in a language I definitely did not understand. There were no maps and I didn't have wifi to figure out where I was. Plus I was underground so google maps wasn't registering where I was on the map (Kakao Map doesn't work well in Japan so I am back to Google Maps). It took me a frustrating 10 minutes just to find a way out of the station and then I had to wait for my map to pick up where the heck I was. Fortunately I wasn't too far from the exit I was supposed to have gone out.

Once I actually figured out where I was supposed to go I started walking and was blown away by how cool the city was. By this time it was almost 8 pm and it was pretty dark out. The station was surrounded by places decorated with Christmas lights and it looked so beautiful! The further I walked the more amazing the city became. It had a very futuristic/dystopian feel to it and it totally looked like a setting from a movie. I tried to take pictures but none of them seem to capture how amazing it was. I wish I was better with words so I could describe it perfectly!

The buildings looked a little run down, the streets were lined with bicycles, and the dark sky gave everything a very dystopian feeling. There were huge apartment buildings and also tons of roadways above ground, 'in the sky'. A lot of the railways for trains were raised above the ground and the city feel like it was something from the future. I was so happy that I arrived at night because it was unbelievably awesome to see the city like this. I think my mom would love it because there are bikes everywhere. The roads are lined with rails that have bikes leaning on them and there are so many people winding in and out of the streets on them.

It took me way too long to realize that people here drive on the opposite side of the street compared to Korea and Canada. I kept looking in the wrong direction when I went to cross the street and my brain couldn't figure out why something felt off.

I finally made it to the post office and picked up my pocket wifi. I booked it through Japan Wireless because I found a coupon code on one of the blogs I was reading when trying to plan where I wanted to go. I forgot to take a picture of the pocket wifi but it's a little rectangular thing that you turn on, connect your phone to through wifi, and then you have wifi almost anywhere. I felt much more comfortable once I had my wifi and I was able to look up how to get to my hostel.

The walk took me down a main street that had stores on each side with tons of flashing lights and bright signs! I noticed that there were a lot of adult stores with big signs saying no one under 18. It was weird to go from somewhere super conservative to a place that had porn shops everywhere with advertising for them out in the open. There were even adult magazines in the convenience stores, which I found hilarious.

I kept seeing super cute drink vending machines everywhere! They even lit up and the lights would keep moving around to each drink. At one point I stopped to take a picture of a cool railway crossing and three guy biked past and asked if I was an Instagrammer. I laughed and said that I wasn't.

My hostel is really cute. There's a big main entrance that I need a code to get into and then a little lobby area. The lobby has a fish tank, front desk, and a place where people can put their shoes. Everyone is asked to take their shoes off and grab a pair of slippers when they enter.

My room is on the 5th floor but there is fortunately an elevator. The room is tiny, but cute. It has a single bed, a mini fridge, and a desk area to put clothes and electronics. The floor is co-ed so there was a co-ed bathroom but the shower room on this floor is just for women. I'm glad I didn't have to go to a different floor to shower!

I was super hungry so I didn't bother unpacking and I just went back outside. I was about a 40 minute walk from a really famous street in Osaka called Dotonbori. I was also 10 minutes away from Tsutenkaku tower and Shinsekai market. I decided to walk through the market and look at the tower on the way to Dotonbori.

The market and tower were awesome! There were so many lights and people and I was so excited walking through it. I was standing on the road at the market trying to take a picture of the tower when a really kind couple came up to me and asked if I wanted them to take my picture with the tower. They were Japanese but they knew a bit of English. They were super friendly and kind and it made me really happy.

I passed this cool parking elevator thing where a car would drive in, the driver would get out, and then the elevator/spinny thing would rotate so there was a new empty parking spot for the next resident of the building. I also noticed lots of people drinking alcohol on the street. In both Korea and Japan it is legal to drink alcohol in public, while it's not legal in Canada. I found it strange at first to see people drinking beer out in the street or while sitting at a park when I was in Korea, but I've gotten used to it.

I made it to Dotonbori and was again amazed by all the lights! I had no idea where to eat so I wandered around until I found a ramen place. They had a machine outside where people had to pay, select what they wanted to eat, and then the machine would spit out a ticket (it required minimal human interaction to order so it was perfect for me haha). I picked the regular ramen with an egg and then went inside. The restaurant was small with the kitchen in the middle and a table winding around it. I sat down at the table and gave my ticket to one of the chefs. Then I sat and watched them make the ramen.

It was super cool to be able to watch them while they were cooking and to be sitting so close. When they were done the noodles they would take them out in a strainer and then do this flick thing with them and shake out the water right on the ground where they were standing. I don't know how they didn't burn themselves or wipe out.

The ramen was amazing, I don't think I will ever be able to eat ramen anywhere else again! It was super salty but all the flavours were so yummy. The egg had this really good seasoning on it and the noodles were delicious. I struggled to eat the noodles with chopsticks at first because they were really slippery but I eventually figured it out.

After eating I went back out to the main street to wander around and find the famous Glico sign. It's super old and really famous but I'm not sure why (I'll have to research that). There is a small river that runs through the middle of Dotonbori that is both a sight-seeing attraction and a place that people can ride a boat along. I found the sign by the river and took a picture of it before going back to exploring. I walked the entire street and then looped back around to walk home. Everything here is so colourful and bright and I love it!

I had read online that both Osaka and Tokyo are fairly crowded and, as a very introverted person who doesn't particularly love crowds, this initially made me a little hesitant to come. There are definitely more people than I am used to, particularly in Dotonbori, but it's not bad at all so far! The restaurant was very crowded, but I think the set up of it didn't make it feel as busy. I also think that all the people in Dotonbori added to the bustling night life atmosphere.

One of the streets I passed had trees on both sides of it that were covered in Christmas lights.

On the way out of Dotonbori I grabbed a white grapefruit drink at a healthy looking food stall.

I walked back home and passed a Japanese McDonalds and a cool cafe with a unicorn on the side of it.

I finally made it back to my room around 11 pm and I was about ready to pass out at this point.

I soon realized that I would not be sleeping too well here. The bed is fine but the walls are super thin. I could hear every time someone spoke, slammed a door, or got up to go to the washroom. I tried to blast my white noise music and I hid my head under a pile of my blankets to try and block out the noise but I finally just accepted that I wouldn't be sleeping much while I am here.

Hope everyone is doing well,

Emily

(November 15)

Distance walked: 16.5 km

P.S the next few posts may take a long time to load because they will have tons of photos. I took 300+ photos on some of the days (I won't be posting all of them of course, but there will be more than usual).