And here's a picture of the bullet train/shinkansen.... they're realllly nice.
And my handy-dandy JR pass lets me use them as much as I want!
So after I got off the shinkansen, I saw this little display at the train station.
This is a bunraku doll, and it was on display here because Osaka is supposed to be the birthplace of bunraku, and also has the only surviving bunraku theater of the really famous old schools. Bunraku by the way, is traditional Japanese puppet theater, and it's considered really high art. The National Theater only puts on a few Bunraku shows a year, but luckily they were having one while I was there! Like most high art though, it's kind of boring and very few people care about it, so when I called the office they said I didn't really have to reserve a ticket.
Osaka also seems to like western theater, because they were playing Evita and The Phantom of the Opera on their 'broadway'. Hahaha... Anyway, from the station though (in which a little old man helped me find the correct line to take), I pretty easily found my hotel. Now, I remember when I first started looking at hotels a few years ago, and startled by the price, wondered aloud why I couldn't just rent a box with a bed. Apparently, you can.
It makes the other hotel seem spacious and luxurious in comparison. ^^;; This is supposed to be a 'business hotel,' catering to the traveling business man who needs no luxuries, but in actuality it was probably more populated for poor traveling students. At least, those are all the people I met there. ^^
BUT, it was clean, and I had a nice all-girls floor (they're pretty protective of their women here), AND I had a TV. Note though, that it's an old CRT TV, and has ::gasp:: A VCR!!! I didn't even know they still HAD cassette tapes in Japan. O_o Anyway, it was night and I wasn't really about to go venture off into a foreign city I had barely settled in when I didn't quite know the way from the subway to the hotel very well yet. Plus, Osaka seemed a bit sketchier than Tokyo, so I decided to stay in and watch a movie from the videotape collection they had downstairs. I watched Constantine, and then fell asleep. ^^
And a new day dawns in Osaka!! I started the day off in Dotombori, which is the main restaurant thoroughfare in Osaka, a city which is also called Japan's Kitchen. Another interesting note: I think I saw my first fat people in this city. It's a sign that the food must be food. ^^ Anyway, Osaka's specialties are okonomiyaki (japanese savory pancake), takoyaki (octopus fried in balls of dough), and Fugu (blowfish, which contains a poison that can kill you if not prepared correctly). I had no desire to buy a meal that might kill me, and I saw takoyaki on a national geographic special about Osaka once, plus the stands were everywhere, so I decided to try that. I'm not a fan of octopus sushi (it's waaaay too chewy... it's like eating rubber ><), but I hoped that it would taste better cooked.
Besides the little catoon octopi were everywhere, and SO CUTE. This is a package of Takookie, which is a combination of tako (octupus) and cookie. I'm probably should've gotten these instead, since octopu-shaped cookies sound better than actual octopus...
But the look cute though, right? Like little donut holes!
Donut holes with MUTANT TENTACLES COMING OUT OF THEM!! Okay okay, they weren't BAD, but I don't particularly think I'll be spending money on these again either. Sorry Osaka. I know food is your specialty, and people eat takoyaki here like they eat cheesecake or pizza or bagels in New York, but tentacles in my fried food just isn't cool.
Going with the whole 'Osaka does food' thing, here's a Perisan guy with a performance ice cream stand. He has this ice cream scoop with a reaaallllly long handle, and really creamy ice cream that sticks like taffy or something, cause he twirls it around and does all sorts of things to put your ice cream in. And then you have to try and grab your cone from the end of the stick, cause he keeps twirling it away. ^^ A group of college guys all got some and were all trying to grab their ice cream, but kept failing. ^^ Anyway, after walking down Dotombori for a bit, I decided to go find the Bunraku National Theater, so I could get there early for the 2:00 show.
It turns out that the ad I read was wrong, and the show actually started at 1:oo. However, it was a 3 hour long show, so they let me in anyway, and I got there just in time for the end of the 1st act, wherein a male puppet dramatically commits suicide by stabbing himself. And puppet-suicide is just weird. But anyway, I wasn't allowed to take pictures while the show was actually going on, but each puppet was about 3 feet tall and elaborately costumed. Each puppet also had three performers, a master puppeter, who was wearing a blue kimono and controlling the head and right hand, and a two apprentice puppeters, who were wearing all black (even a hood over their heads), and were controlling the other hand and the legs. The small stage you see off to the side hosts the voice actors, who sing is really weird drawn out Japanese (think Peking Opera), which is apparently either so managled or so archaic that they feel the need to put Japanese subtitles on an overhead projector above the stage. There are also shamisen players on the stage too, and all the stage people wear these crazy robe things that look like samurai robes from the Edo period. And all of the people (musicians, singers, puppeteers, etc.) are male, so it was funny when they had to do the voices of like, the old lady.
That's a bunraku doll on display outside the theater, just to break out the block of text. Anyway, I didn't really get the plot (I think archaic Japanese and missing the first hour might have had something to do with it), but I think it was about filial piety or something. A girl that I think was the daughter had died (she was dead by the time I arrived, so I don't know how), and this one samurai then killed himself. Maybe it was her lover? Then the second act was an eldery couple yelling and a black-haired puppet (probably the sun) for about 45 minutes... it was kind of funny seeing the old lady hit the other puppet over the head with her fan though. ^^ Prehaps it was his fault somehow that the girl died? I'm guessing that she was his sister and the eldery couple are his parents. Also, there was a black-haired girl too (another sister?), and when the angry samurai from the scene where the girl died comes over, he steals away the black-haired girl puppet and I don't think she really wants to go. Then the old woman puppet cries, I guess cause she's losing her other daughter. There was a lot of puppet-crying in this play. Which I hear is pretty normal, but also a little boring. I felt less bad though, when I saw the old Japanese lady next to me nodding off, and she could probably even understand the words! Anyway, the 3rd act was the big finale, with 7 shamisen players and a bunch of singers all playing in unison (which discredited my eariler theory that the shamisen players were justing making it up as they went along), and it featured the black-haired girl puppet and the angry samurai in wedding gear, and they just sang to each other the entire last act. I'm sure something happened (maybe they finally fell in love?), but I didn't catch it. The scenery was pretty though, cause there were cherry blossom trees everywhere. ^^ And the puppets were wearing bridal robes I think. They kept changing, but it was usually white or red, and they had golden fans.
And this here is the 'smoking room,' an enclosed glass box for the people that couldn't stand 3 hours without a smoke. It was also packed during intermissions. Anyway, that was my high-class bunraku experience!! Pretty cool, but I'm kind glad I got there an hour late, cause 2 hours was PLENTY to watch puppets cry in a language you barely speak....
While we're on the subject of really weird act though, a prize goes out to whomever can explain these things to me. O_o it was a set of about four pillars, each with a different head.
Also, it's the Osaka version of Zen Mall! Check out all the awesome guys' fashions. ^_^ Layering and the artfully destroyed look are really in, but not in the grungy way, cause it's all close-fitting and deliberate.
They even have snazzy suits! Also, Osaka is a bit cheaper than Tokyo, so I totally went in and bought this awesome sleeveless white hoodie/black tank top set, for about $28. Sweeeet. Also there were a lot of stylish guys there (note the guy with the Louis Vitton man-purse), but I was the only girl in the store, which I found really weird, because these could totally be girl clothes too!!! Well, I guess the girls dress super-feminine mostly (possibly to differentiate themselves from the kinda already feminine guys?), so that might be why...
So for dinner, I decided to treat myself to something besides the convenience store box lunches and street-stand octopus I've been having, and splurge on a really nice place. Cause if I'm going to splurge on food somewhere, it's gotta be Osaka. I ended up going to the place with the huge plastic crab from the picture of Dotombori eariler, which my guidebook said was the 'unrivaled crab specialist' of Osaka. My seat had a really nice view of the river and the zipper ride on the Don Quiote building across the river, and the whole place was really nice and all traditional Japanese but with high tech elements. Like the bathroom (which I didn't take pictures of, because that was just getting weird) had crazy high tech toilets and sinks also. O_o But the waitresses were all wearing really nice kimono and such. Anyway, I ordered three pieces of crab nigiri sushi, and some crab tempura. This meal cost more than my hotel room (which isn't saying much since my hotel was $23 a night), but was so delicious it was totally worth it. Mmm.... And afterwards, the lady brought out a warm moist towel to wipe my hands with, along with a lemon slice. She then instructed me to squeeze the lemon onto the towel/my hands and wipe them, I guess to get the fish smell out. What service! I also got complementary green tea, with my own cute little pot and cup too. ^^
So I'm on my way back to the train station, to go check out Hep-Five or America-town (which is like china-town.... but america-town. ^^), when I saw some people setting up for a concert outside the subway. If you know me at all, you know I love Japanese rock, so there was no way I was passing up a free concert (since most in Tokyo are 20-30$, even if they're not famous ><), plus I was being spontaneous. So I sat down, and soon enough the first band got on. It was weird cause they had sheet music and the bassist was sitting on a chair (and they were all wearing matching T-shirts for their sponsor), but they were pretty good. ^^ Very energetic, and talked to the audience a lot.
The next band wasn't quite so exciting, but that's probably cause they were more a slow, poppy group. Some people went away though, so I got to move closer and take more pictures though.
A sitting-down bass-player... WHO DOES THAT?!
And an emo guy on acoustic/electric that looks creepily like this one girl I know from China, with a sitting down (?!?!?!) guitarist that looks like Shinya with a bad haircut/dyejob. So close, yet so far.
The singer's in an awkward pose here, but check out the guy behind him, pounding on the wooden box. Which is actually a cleverly disguised electric drum set. O_o I was watching him for the longest time trying to figure out what he was doing, but apparently each part of the box makes a different drum sound when you hit it. So a little lower for snare, a little to the left for crash cymbal.... I don't know how they all did it (all the drummers used this box), but it was pretty awesome.
While the next band was setting up, I just had to take a picture of this guy's shirt. It's "North Shore," but spelled with a Japanese accent. HAHA!!!
Anyway, I went to the bathroom, but guess who I saw on the way back to the stage area! It's the singer from that poppy band. ^_^
Then it was the last band, which had almost the same members as the first band, but more spiced up. Like, no music stands, and their own clothes. The girl here reminds me of a Japanese Lauren Morris. ^^
And this girl reminds me of a female Miyavi. ^^ Possibly the coolest outfit/hair cut I saw in Japan so far. Also, despite the punk rock look, they were very cutesy. The bass player here looked shy, and they whole band had coordinated two-step dance moves, a la Gackt's vanilla live performance, if you've seen it. If you haven't, don't. Just trust me.
And the whole final band! ^_^
So after this, I continued by journey to through the subway station, and yet again got distracted, this time by breakdancers that were tearing it up in front of the station. It was also kind of funny to see something so clearly inspired from the New York street break-dancing scene, which I had also seen before. Except they were large black guys and these are tiny asian dudes. ^^;; But they were still good and had their own way of breaking. Also, I met one of the guys that was staying at my hotel here! He was taking pictures of the breakdancers. Anyway, his name was Alfred, and he's half Filipino and a student in Canada. He was a little weird, and works as a DJ, was was traveling here on some sister-city grant thing.
We walked along Dotombori road again a little, cause he said it was better at night (I said this was nothing compared to Tokyo though), but quickly grew bored and decided to go back to the hotel's lounge, which was where all the internet access and the public TV were. One arrived, I saw Clement from Canada again (a guy I ended talking to while waiting in line for the bathroom, because someone was in there for like, half an hour), along with Old British Guy, who told us sketchy stories of his wild youth travels in West Hollywood and Vegas, but in some refined british accent so they strangely didn't seem so bad. O_o Clement and Alfred were both DJs, so they talked about 'house' and 'progressive' and all kinds of weird music genres that all sounded like techno to me. They also sounded BORING. I can't understand how these guys can listen to such repetitive music, with synthesized drums! It's an outrage. I tried to change their ways by showing them the glory that is hard rock, but they weren't impressed. -_-;; They also both freaked out when they found out I went to Harvard, but were really nice about it. I guess Canadians are just nice? Then later I ended up talking to Iain and his friend (some girl, I forgot her name), and Chris, who were all from Scotland. I think I was the only American there. O_o Chris was a college student who was there for cultural exchange or something, and Iain and his lady friend were going on a trip around the world. After Japan they were going to go to China, Thailand, New Zealand, Australia, and Fiji I think. Anyway, Iain was absolutely fabulous, and whatever senior two years ago dubbed me 'freshman with the worst gaydar ever' was right, because even though he was such a diva, I didn't realize he was gay until he got on facebook and showed me pictures of his boyfriend. ^^;; Then it all makes sense... He was also wearing this cool shirt from Zen Mall that I almost bought. Cause I swear, even though it's in a boy's store, it's totally a girl's shirt. Anyway, they told me Hakone was overrated, (or least, not to go there on a cloudy day, because it's only good for the view, and they went on a rainy day and it was terrible), and to go to someplace called Nikko cause it was absolutely gorgeous. Although since I had my days pretty much planned already, I couldn't really incorporate their advice. He did say that the plane tickets for their trip around the world were about $2,200 in American dollars each, which is actually pretty good for all those stops. O_o It was through STA (Student Travel Agencies), which has offices outside almost all big colleges, and gets special student deals for travelers under 26. Sooo, I've gotta trip around the world before I turn 26! Which can easily be done if I get a sweet job after graduating at 22... bwuhahaha...Anyway, I went to bed shortly afterwards, cause it was off to Kyoto tomorrow morning!
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