Osaka, Himeji and Urban Chaos

The shinkansen to Osaka from Kyoto only takes a measly 15 minutes, a testement not only to the speed and efficiency of the Japanese railway system, but also to how short my traveling that day was. I had worried a little bit that there was no point in travelling to Osaka for any length of time seeing it was so close to Kyoto, and I had 4 nights to spend on the city. That, plus the fact that there didn’t seem to be the greatest range of activities to do there was also somewhat offputting, but by the time these thoughts had come to mind I had already booked my accomodation.

First impressions of Osaka are not fantastic. I was presented with a concrete jungle that seemingly stretched out for miles either way, with imposing buildings, bustling streets and a multitude of shopping centres and clothing stores. Understandable, really, when you consider that the city was bombed nearly entirely flat during WWII and had to reconstruct nearly everything. While it lacked the cosmopolitan flavour and character of Tokyo or even Kyoto, Osaka still oozed a certain charm about it that was almost appealing, except for the issue that it was the peak of the Japanese holidays.

The infamous Golden Week is an exciting prospect for Japanese citizens, as it means four public holidays within a week timeframe, perfect for taking some time off and travelling nationally. For international travellers however, Golden Week represents a backpackers worst nightmare; scarce accommodation if not pre-booked well ahead of time, sightseeing locations absolutely flooded with tourists, and cities seemingly more busy than usual, creating havoc for walking around. Osaka was well and truely another victim of the holidays, as my time there was the absolute definition of Urban Chaos.

Arriving just to late to make the morning check-in to the hostel I was staying at, I dumped my bags in the storage locker and headed out to the famed Osaka Aquarium. It’s pretty easy to forget that Osaka is in fact a port city, as much of the activity is located in the centre and away from the sea. However, one area of the port is a hive of activity, even when Golden Week is not in full swing.

A huge ferris wheel, the Suntory IMAX Theatre, along with a range of other interesting sights, shops and arcades line this area of the port, including, of course, the Osaka Aquarium.

As you enter and pay for your ticket, you eventually take a very long and very high esculator ride to the top of the Aquarium, before working your way down past the various marine life.

I’m pretty sure, however, that a sloth is not a marine animal.

The highlight and major drawing card of the Aquarium is the massive tank in the centre of the building that is home to, among other creatures, a whale shark. Admittedly, it’s a relatively small one, at least in comparison to the ones found of the West Australian coast, but it’s still an impressive sight.

It was also at the Aquarium that I found not only unique marine life, but also all of the primary school aged children in Japan. The entire Aquarium grounds were full to the brim with kids and their parents, all of whom darted around to each attraction with a reckless abandon only found in hyperactive kids with the attention spans of a gnat and the politeness of seagulls feasting on the viewing of sealife. It was one of the more frustrating events of my time in Japan, and came extremely close to spoiling the generally interesting displays in the Aquarium.

Returning to the hostel, I met Ron and Keli, Canada natives and friends who were travelling around Japan. Along with a few other people we had met, we headed out to central Osaka to see what the nightlife was like. What we found was a neon wonderland that was like something out of Blade Runner, albeit cleaner. After a long night of clubbing, we eventually found our way home.

The next day I took some time out to attempt to catch up with myself and to generally relax a little. Well, I tried to at least. Walking around Osaka was still an effort as the city was still heaving due to the holidays. I spent most of my time going through some shopping arcades, trying to no avail to get some new shoes, and topping it off with a couple of hours in a multi-storied amusement parlour, mostly playing Street Fighter 4. Fellow geeks would understand. Some shopping arcades certainly had some unique decor.

On Monday, I decided to brave the continuation of Golden Week to go Himeji, a small city most famous for Himeji Castle, argueably the most spectacular and impressive Castle in the whole of Japan. Built during the 14th Century, it was home to many Shoguns and Lords and expanded many times, surviving fire, earthquakes and bombings that littered Japanese History. It’s often regarded as a must-see experience of Japan, so like most other tourists, I decided that I must visit.

Apparently, about 1000 other tourists, both national and international, had thought the exact same thing. A long line snaked around the park outside the castle simply to enter the grounds, taking about 30 minutes to get inside.

Once inside the walls it was deceivingly quiet, which was all a farce, as after walking through the many defensive walls, you were confronted with the not so pleasant sight of a ridiculously long line of people waiting to enter the castle itself. Thank God for iPods, as the wait to well over an hour, in which I came very close to giving up and leaving after a extended period of time with no movement. Thankfully the line began to move, and before I knew it, I was shuffling my way inside.

The problem was that once you were able to make it inside, there were an number of displays and signage pointing out the various unique characters of the castle. However, as there was an indefinately long line of people who were all eager to scale the stairs to get higher, you never had a chance to fully appreciate the displays, containing everything from ancient Shogun scriptures to paintings and memorabilia from long ago. Standing for any longer than a second held up the line, and moving out of it gaurenteed you would not get back in anytime soon. Sadly, I shuffled my way along with the rest of the crowd to the top of the castle, feeling cheated that I had, unusually enough, more patience than the other tourists.

The top of Himeji Castle is fantastic for seeing over the city, but again the endless amount of tourists completely spoiled the proceedings.

Interestingly enough, there was a small temple at the top for people to pray at, providing they could fine the time and space to do so. I like this photo, as it pretty much summed up the day in Himeji; finding some remnant of peace and calm within the chaos.

Decending the very steep stairs back outside, I found the grounds within the walls of Himeji Castle to be much more interesting and slightly more relaxing in comparison to the insanity inside. It was also a great oppertunity to take some photos of the Castle itself, and was one of the few proper chances I had to revel in the beauty and size of the impressive building. Sometimes nicknamed The White Herron, it’s understandable as to why it gained such a name.

After a long time (mostly queing) at the castle, I desperately made my way back to Osaka to unwind.

My final day in Osaka was again largely spent catching up with myself and trying not to get crushed by the city and the people that either lived there or were visiting. On this last slightly rainy day, I ended up going to the amusingly named (and themed) Amerika-mura town. A district of Osaka, the entire area is themed like the favourite infamous well-known consumer-capitalist nation.

Take note of the copy of the Statue of Liberty that sits on top of one of the districts buildings.

The area, with its varied fashion stores, uniquely dressed locals and ubran-cool feel, was interesting, but also somewhat tacky and entirely fake. While I’m sure it’s heaven to those who live in Japan and have no true concept of what American culture is, it seems entirely tasteless and tryhard. It was also beyond me as to why a nation with such an amazing history and culture would want to be anything like anywhere else in the world, but I guess that’s a testemant to the broad reach of American culture and influence.

That night Keli and I went out to the Umeda Sky Building, an imposing structure which towers of the city. Although not the tallest building in Japan or even Osaka, it stands out because it consists of two 40-storied buildings connected at their top by a glass escalator and observatory. Apparently it has amazing views at night, where tourists can go up the almost transparent escalator to the top for stunning views over the city. Of course, I certainly did not go up.

On the  day I was to leave Osaka, I was a little disappointed, as in spite of the Urban Chaos and insanity that had been the city during Golden Week, I had enjoyed myself. Osaka may not be overflowing with sightseeing attractions like other cities in Japan, but I had met some great people and indulged in the city and its chaotic atmosphere. I may have not had the time to catch up with myself and relax, but it was still a nice way to experience the city. And unlike some others I had met, at least I had set acommodation during my stay. Regardless, I was relieved that Golden Week was over, and was ready to move on to my next destination.