December 5, 2014

Osaka, Japan

2013年3月26日に大阪へ行った時のこと。
This post is when I went to Osaka from Nagoya.

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韓国の友達が大阪に来るとのことで会いに行くことにしました。
My friend who from Korea come to Osaka so I'm going to go to Osaka to meet her.

名古屋から大阪へ行くには、多数の交通手段がありますが、今回は近鉄を利用。
Going to Osaka from Nagoya(Aichi Prefecture), there're several public transports then this time I used "Kintetsu line".

多分、外国人観光客の方は"ジャパン・レールパス"を使うとお得だと思います。
If you are a foreigner, I think "Japan Rail Pass" is better choice.
When I was traveling Japan before, I met some foreign travellers who had that rail pass.

 名古屋から大阪難波まで 3500JPY
Nagoya to Osaka Namba which costs 3500JPY(≒35.5USD)

13時に名古屋を出発。
15時5分に大阪難波駅に到着。
The train leaves at 13 o'clock from Nagoya Station.
Arrived in Osaka Namba station at 15:05.

難波は大阪で1番の!?繁華街だと思います。
I think Namba is the best bustling district in Osaka.

とりあえず宿へ移動します。
事前にインターネットで予約しました。
日本だと宿を事前に予約しておくのが普通なんですよね?
First of all, I'm going to go to accommodation.
Uncommonly, I reserved it in advance.
Do we have to do it beforehand in Japan, right?
When I was in overseas, usually I do NOT reserve any accommodation in advance. Most of the times, I just go there, If that's full, I look for another one. 

宿は新世界の近くにとりました。
新世界の最寄り駅の"動物園前駅"周辺には安宿がたくさんあります。

My accommodation is located near "Shinsekai" which means "New World" in English.
Around "Doubutsuen-mae station (which means In front of the zoo station / And that station is Shinsekai's nearest subway station)", there are a lot of cheaper accommodation.

難波駅の高島屋の近くから無料バスで新世界まで行くことができます。

You can get to Shinsekai from Takashimaya near Namba station by free bus.
But actually If you can speak Japanese fluently it refer to you, because most of user is Japanese and I think they can't speak English so can't help foreigner. 

無料バス。大阪は派手好きですね。
It's Free Bus. Osaka's people is fond of show.
20分くらいで新世界に到着。
It took about 20 minutes to Shinsekai.
通天閣@新世界
That tower is called "Tsutenkaku" which is one of the famous sightseeing spots in Osaka.
Accommodation / 宿
Hotel Sun Plaza Two / ホテル サンプラザ2
シングルルーム / Single Room
シングルルーム 1800JPY(楽天トラベルで予約すると1500JPYでした)
室内にテレビ, 冷蔵庫, 窓あり。
トイレ・シャワー共同
Free-Wifiあり。
旅人なら別になんとも思わないけど、清潔度は値段相応。
チェックアウトが9時と早い。
Single Room 1800JPY(≒18USD)
Television, fridge and window inside the room.
Shared Toilet and Sower.
They have Free-Wifi.
There's not so clean but If you are real backpacker, you don't need to care about it.
Check out is 9AM so early...
I met Malaysian or Indonesian here this time, and maybe person at the front desk can speak English.
For your information, unusually in Japan, here's public safety is not so good?!

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で、友達と待ち合わせるため地下鉄で移動。
初乗りは200JPYでした。
I'm going to move to meet my friend by subway.
The starting fare for a subway is 200JPY(≒2USD).

久しぶりに会った友達と道頓堀近郊をブラブラ。
I was hanging around "Dotonbori" with my friend whom I have not seen in a while. 
 

グリコ
Grico's signboard


韓国人や台湾人の団体観光客がいました。
アジア人観光客が多い様子。
I saw Korean and Taiwanese group tours near Doutonbori.
I thought that many Asian tourists come to Osaka.

餃子
Chinese dumplings(Jiaozi)
ところで、日本では焼き餃子が主流ですが、中国では水餃子が一般的だそう?!
詳細は未確認です。
By the way, in Japan "Pan-Fried dumplings(Yaki-gyoza)" is common, on the other hand, I heard boiled dumplings is well-known in Chine?! For detail is I don't know exactly.
空飛ぶ寿司
Flying Sushi
空飛ぶ牛
Flying Cow.
友達が新世界へ行きたいということで地下鉄で移動。
My friend wants to go to Shinsekai so we're going to go there by subway.


手作りコーヒの店
日本なのに間違った日本語。
Wrong Japanese signboard, but here is Japan. lol
で、新世界に到着。
Then, we arrived Shinsekai.
Tsutenkaku, night view.
相撲っぽいけど、中は普通のお土産屋でした。
It's looks like Sumo-ish, but inside the building is just normal souvenir shop.
ちなみに、友達は以前 日本に住んでいたので日本語はペラペラ。
また、相撲も歌舞伎も見に行ったことがあるそう。
私は見たことありません...
By the way, my friend lived in Japan before so she can speak Japanese in fluent.
And, she watched Sumo and Kabuki when she was in Japan that time, I've never watched them...
づぼらや
名物 てっちり, 安うて何でも旨い

新世界は串かつが名物です。
In Shinsekai, "Kushikatsu" is famous food. That is a Japanese-style of deep fried kebab. As you know, "Takoyaki" and "Okonomiyaki" is more famous foods for foreign tourist in Osaka. But, I think "Kushikatsu" is also famous here.

"串かつ じゃんじゃん / Kushikatsu Jyan-jyan"
There're a lot of Kushikatsu restaurant in Shinsekai. So you don't know where is the best shop, you should follow queue. However, really popular shop is you have to wait 30~60 minutes, I think. 
But, here is not crowded. lol
串かつ 盛り合わせ 1250JPY / Assorted Kushikatsu 1250JPY(≒12USD)
生ビール 380JPY / Draft Beer 380JPY(≒3.8USD)
どて焼き×4 560JPY / Dote-Yaki×4 560JPY(≒5.6USD)
串かつは非常に美味しかったです。もし、大阪に来られた際は、食べてみてください。
Kushikatsu is really yammy food!!! If you come to Osaka, you should eat it!!
で、友達をホテルまで見送りました。
Then, I saw off her at her hotel.
なぜかイスがある公衆電話。
I don't know why there is a chair in the pulic call box. lol
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翌日
The next day.
京都に寄ってみることにしました。
I drap in Kyoto before I go back to my home.
地下鉄 御堂筋線の動物園前駅から梅田駅まで230JPY
Midousuji-Line, subway Dobutsuen-mae to Umeda which costs 230JPY(≒2.3USD) 
梅田駅でJRに乗り換え京都まで 540JPY
Change from JR at Umeda station, to Kyoto 540JPY(≒5.4USD)
20~30分で京都に到着。
It took about 20~30 minutes to Kyoto.
京都タワー
Kyoto Tower in front of the Kyoto station
京都駅
Kyoto Station

京都も観光する予定でしたが、混雑具合と前日、サッカー日本代表がヨルダンに負けたショックで気持ちが折れたので断念。
京都はすごい混んでいるので、覚悟が必要ですね。
ここ1年アジアの色んなところに行きましたが、京都が1番混んでました。

I was thinking about going around Kyoto, but there're a lot of people at the bus stop in front of the Kyoto station, and last night Japan lost Jordan at soccer.
I feel really not good that time, so I gave up sightseeing at Kyoto.
Kyoto is really crowded, I heard there is every season crowded.
I went to many sightseeing spots in Asia last year, but Kyoto is the most crowded city than I visited places.

Accommodations information...
I found some of the chepest guesthouse in Kyoto.
I think "KHAOSAN KYOTO" is the cheapest guesthouse in Kyoto?!
I don't know exactly there because actually I didn't stay in Kyoto this time. But I stayed "KHAOSAN FUKUOKA" about 2 years ago. There is one of the KHAOSAN'S chain store guesthouses. In KHAOSAN FUKUOKA was really comfortable.
And, other one is J-Hoppers Kyoto. KHAOSAN and J-Hoppers are famous chain guesthouse in Japan. I satyed J-Hoppers in Takayama before. but KHAOSAN is cheaper than J-Hoppers in Kyoto.

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