If you know, you know 🙂

Osaka trip was my first trip that I completed all alone. I was checking my Google Maps constantly, anxious of ending up somewhere like China, instead of a neighbor city. “This neighbor city” was very tourist-dense, and navigating to Osaka Aquarium was no big deal.

I have been to Ripley’s Aquarium in Toronto and honestly cannot say whether Osaka or Toronto is better. Yet, Osaka’s one is definitely much bigger, and it does not have the “expedition” game area for younger children. While Toronto features a set of big fish tanks and a water tunnel, Osaka’s aquarium is mostly a staircase that goes down to hell and around the Earth a giant water cylinder.

It also features the North Pole Expo, and the design was done in cold white and blue tones, which really set the scene. You almost expected to feel the cold which was not there 🙂 The tickets cost something around 3800 yen, which was a fair price for what you get, and matched Toronto prices.

Afterwards, I took a tour on a nearby ship-you probably have already guessed I am a great fan of cruises! This one was a bit of a disappointment, although still very interesting at a certain perspective. Osaka has quite an industrial part to it, and the cruise went along all the power plants and buildings along the shore. The wind was also chilling. As you can see from the pictures, there is a bit of a turndown when you come to Japan and expect to dive into Asian lifestyle, yet they try to mimic European pattern wherever possible.

I was a little confused as I did not really know where to go next – my plan was the Aquarium and nearby area, which I completed in half a day. I eventually headed to something named as “busy area” on Google Maps, which occurred to be a Dotonbori street, running along the water canal.

There are many “dotonbori’s” in Japan, and Osaka and Tokyo are just to name a few. The dedication to decor and making your restaurant stand out is really impressive. Some businesses would even hire people just to stand outside and call out invitations to attract new visitors. I hope these employees have good health benefits 🙂

Unlucky me, I was sticking to my Easter Fasting, so I had to limit myself with smelling of thinly sliced beef, fritted octopuses, and peculiarly shaped sweets that flooded the market.