Today began with what most considered, a disappointing trip to Osaka castle. The one redeeming part for me was old samurai armor that was on display. Other than that, I think my 600 yen could have been put to better use. By the time I came out of the museum the group had gone their separate ways so I decided to blindly head out on my own to see what I could find. I wandered down the street the castle was on and followed my ears to a drum circle played by some teenage boys. Though repetitive, it was really cool to hear the interesting instruments and rhythms they were playing. I soon was driven by hunger to continue my wander in search of food. Amazingly, I was able to find a ramen restaurant that had meals for under 700 yen! Quite an unusual event in such an expensive country. However, my excitement quickly dwindled when I remembered I had NO money at all. The post office is closed on Sundays and I had left myself with only enough for the castle. I was left to simply gurgle and growl my way around Osaka in search of the much needed 7 Eleven.
I had heard from Dr. Velikova that there was a Panasonic showroom in Osaka so I decided to jump on the subway and check that out. When I got off at the stop I asked the information desk where to find building but was only answered by a bland stare. After a few minutes of asking the same question over and over she finally pointed me in a direction. Unfortunately, she told me where the Panasonic offices were not the showroom so instead of a sleak layout of all the latest gadgets, I ran into a closed door and dark room since the offices are closed on Sundays. Being a little disappointed with the start of my day in Osaka I decided to hop back on the subway and just get off wherever it looked interesting.
I am still not sure what the name of stop was but after walking a few blocks I ran right into Universal Studios. It looked straight out of California and as gimmicky as Gatlinburg. I still did not have any money so I did not go inside but I had a good time walking the grounds and seeing all the attractions. I continued my walk and started passing through warehouse parking lots and neighborhoods. And then… there it was those beautiful green and orange lights that were my ticket to a satisfied stomach, 7 ELEVEN! I ran in and stocked up on money and convenient store sushi before continuing my walk.
After leaving the 7 Eleven I walked for about five more minutes before getting to a body of water with a sign in front saying “free ferry.” I decided to jump on sice I saw a ferris wheel and lots of people on the other side. As soon as I got off, I realized I had ended up at the Osaka Aquarium. I was still on the fence about dropping 2000 yen to get in, until I saw a sign saying that they had whale sharks. That’s all I needed to hear so I quickly ran up the stairs and bought a ticket. While standing, mesmerized by the odd Japanese river otters, I felt a tap on my shoulder and whirled around to see Dr. Velikova and Aaron. Happy to have some company, the three of us stayed together as we explored the rest of the exhibits. Besides TWO whale sharks the highlights were also the king penguins, tiger sharks, manta ray, spider crabs and jellyfish. All in all the aquarium was certainly worth my $20.
Outside was a ramen shop that I stopped in before taking the subway and JR line back to Otsu.