July 10th // Arrive In Osaka, Japan

Kansai International Airport

Kansai International Airport

When we woke up today, we had landed in Osaka. I had to shake Rohan awake- he was using a sleep mask provided by the airline, and was out cold.  Once we were all fully awake, we unloaded our bags and stepped into Kansai International Airport.

The airport was sparsely populated, mostly with Japanese サラリーマン (sararīman, salaryman); these are the Japanese white-collar workers and businessmen, many of whom work ridiculously long hours and travel often.

Trying To Get Out Of Airport

Before we could leave, we had to go through Japanese customs. Tristen produced a written note that detailed all of our possessions, and we were through shortly. The officials were polite and seemed understanding of our exhaustion.

Osaka at night

After customs, we wandered the airport for a short time. It was odd, to see a place that would usually be full to the brim in this state of near abandonment. The airport, as a result, had an almost eerie air to it.While Malachi was hungry and wanted to get food from a restaurant in the airport, we thought it would be more prudent to eat later in another location. We caught a tram outside the airport and began the 40-minute ride to the Ark Hostel.

On the way, we caught some magnificent glances of Osaka; the view at night was incredible. Bright advertisement panes flashed by us as we traveled in the tram, and the cold night air made us shiver. Despite our jet lag, we couldn't help but feel excited as we passed the signs.

Ark Hostel

Our Suite

The Ark Hostel was a cozy place that had nice bedrooms and comfortable beds; Rohan demonstrated his appreciation of the latter of these two perks by flopping down on one of the bunk beds and promptly beginning to snore. The rest of us followed suit; we would all be doing the same as Rohan until late in the morning.

Lobby Of Ark Hostel

When a few of us had woken up around 10:00 later that morning, we roused the remaining members of our party and went downstairs to eat breakfast. Once we had finished, we went back up and began preparing for our day. We had plans to go to Tsūtenkaku before lunch, and prepared our personal items to do that.

Once we had packed everything up, we caught a cab to go to the tower. It came for us outside of the hostel, and we made some small talk with the driver on the way.

Tsūkenkaku

Outside of Tsūtenkaku

Tsūtenkaku is a tall tower in Osaka that is over 330 feet tall. It has stood as a landmark in Osaka since 1956 and has a tall observation deck from which tourists can view the city. When we arrived, we had to thread our way through a throng of awestruck tourists; they milled around the base of the tower, snapping pictures and gasping in wonder.
We ascended the tower in an elevator, quickly coming to a halt at the observation deck. Sirvaad shifted restlessly, anxious to see the view (and hopefully eat more food afterwards). Rohan was practically bouncing up and down from excitement, as it was his idea to come to Tsūtenkaku. Once the doors opened, we were able to step off into the windowed observation deck.
Rohan quickly pulled out a small camera and snapped some pictures of the view. As he did so, the rest of our group gaped at the sight of the city from such a height. It was amazing how the bustle of the city looked so small from here, like ants racing from one place to another.

Observation deck of Tsūtenkaku

Ichiran Dotonbori

Food at Ichiran Dotonbori

After Tsūtenkaku, we went to a restaurant called Ichiran Dotonbori, one of many in a chain of ramen shops. As we entered, we were greeted in a friendly manner and felt at home. We ordered our noodles and were served quickly- it was obvious, once we started eating, that the overwhelming amount of positive reviews weren't for nothing!

The ramen, as I mentioned, was delicious. The pork broth and rice noodles, combined with the atmosphere of the shop, made for a comforting experience that left us all feeling satisfied. We left the ramen shop with full stomachs and lighter wallets, ready for our next destination.

Dōtonbori

Advertisements in Dōtonbori

Dōtonbori is an entertainment section of Osaka that we thought would be interesting to visit. Bright signs and a sense of excitement struck us as we entered Dōtonbori; the former was what made Dōtonbori famous within Japan, and the latter was what caused us to remember it for the rest of our trip.

Flashing advertisements marked our path through Dōtonbori, and the cinema lights glowed with the names of upcoming features. Not wanting to stay long, we didn't partake in much of the entertainment life here; however, even passing through as mere tourists, we were able to catch a glimpse into the liveliness and excitement present in Dōtonbori.

We caught a cab and rode back to the Ark Hostel. On the way, we chatted with our driver about Dōtonbori, the ramen shop, and Tsūtenkaku. Hearing that we were tourists, he asked if we had any plans for dining that evening. When we realized that we hadn't planned that far, he suggested a sushi restaurant by the name of Harukoma.

Harukoma

After we rested back at the Hostel, we caught another cab to Harukoma. Harukoma is the fifth-highest rated restaurant in Osaka, and for good reason- its friendly atmosphere and fine dining make for an unforgettable experience.

Sushi at Harukoma

Rohan ordered a small plate of sashimi- finely sliced fish- while the rest of us opted for nigiri, which is fish sliced and served over small mounds of vinegar rice. It was, of course, delicious, prepared excellently by chefs that had been making sushi for many years.

Traditionally, in Japanese meals, one receives their food and says, "I gratefully receive." At the end of the meal, they say "Thank you for the meal." Tristen and I had familiarized ourselves with some basic Japanese table manners before embarking upon our trip, so we knew to do these things and shared the process with the others in our group.

Ark Hostel

After we had eaten, we went back to the Ark Hostel once more. It had been an extremely long day, and we were all understandable exhausted. Flopping down on one of the beds, I checked the schedule in my phone for the events of the next day. With a groan, I realized that we would need to wake up at 6:30 the next morning to go to Osaka castle. Determined to get as much rest as possible, I closed my eyes and tried to get some sleep.

However, no matter how hard I tried, I was too excited to sleep. Walking into the area of the room that our group all shared, I found Tristen and Malachi in a similar state of insomnia. Having little else to do, we pulled up some chairs around a table and played cards until well into the night.