Foto: The shopping streets of Osaka (bron: Ronald van der Veer)
Japan - After just half an hour, the train pulls into Osaka station. My hostel is within walking distance, but I can’t get my bearings to figure out which direction to go. A kind lady at the information desk draws it out for me on a map. Hostel HIVE is located in the Umeda district. This is the northernmost part of the city center. After dropping off my bag at the hostel, I take a walk through Osaka. I mostly see office buildings and large shopping streets. I clearly need time to adjust after Kyoto. Osaka is more of a bustling city. In a smaller street, I see a board with dishes on it. The text is in Japanese, but all the prices are around ten euros. That seems safe enough. I walk up the stairs. The restaurant is nearly full. A recently vacated table is quickly cleaned for me. I use the time to look around at the dishes on the tables. I point to a dish two girls are having and order a cola. The waiter looks relieved that the language issue is solved so easily. While waiting for my food, I read the Osaka info guide I got at the station. Apparently, I’m close to a park and a temple. After dinner, I walk to the Okaa River. On the little island in the river, behind city hall, lies Nakanoshima Park—a neatly landscaped park with terraces. It’s likely quite busy here in the late afternoon and evening. The Osaka temple surprises me. There’s no ticket booth. This is clearly a local temple where people come only to pray. At the back, I enter a covered shopping area. Numerous small shops, restaurants, and bars line the street. It reminds me of Chinatown. The Ohatsutenjin shrine is also tucked among the shops. It’s more of a square where people pass from one street to another. People are praying at the shrine. The road back to the station is also covered. I’ll definitely have to return here to eat or drink something at the German beer stube. But not now. I walk back via the station to my hostel. I can check in now. The hostel is a basic place to stay. There are dormitories with bunk beds. It looks neat and clean. In the common room, I meet other guests—mostly young people. An American guy is studying in Osaka for ten months. He might even be living here permanently. There’s a public bathhouse, a Japanese onsen, near the hostel. I go looking for it. Not easy to find. When I reach the housing block, I don’t see anything recognizable. There’s no one on the street either. I’m standing in a sort of residential neighborhood. I decide to walk one more block. Success! I see a lit entrance with little swimming pool icons. I go inside. Shoes off in the hallway. Then I have to choose between two doors. I assume one is for men and one for women—but which is which in Japanese? I can choose between black and red characters. I pick black and open the door. I guessed right—thankfully. The man at the entrance starts asking and saying all sorts of things. The only word I recognize is “sauna.” Through the window I see people in a bathhouse. I also see lockers and gather that I can change here in the open area. I gesture for a towel. He nods and writes a price of about four euros on a slip of paper. I go inside. The space is simple, with several baths and a row of low-hanging showers along the side. I look around, unsure. An older man smiles at me. I figure that’s where I should start. Then I try each of the baths one by one. I have no idea if this is the correct process, but I get the impression that the water gets hotter with each bath. That seems to be the right order. I skip the cold bath at the end and take a cold shower instead. What a great experience—to bathe among the local Japanese. On the way back to the hostel, I stop at a small café. I order a beer. The waiter apologizes for not having an English menu. He points to the word “pasta” on the menu. Well, why not? Once again, the language barrier is easily resolved.
Buddhist Sensoji Temple
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Ginza and Shibuya district in Tokyo
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Himeji Castle
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The Itsukushima Shrine near Hatsukaichi
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The Memorial Park in Hiroshima
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The temples of Kyoto
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