Osaka - Take 2

We spent the next day hanging around the Minami district of the city, which is essentially a capitalist bonanza. The fierce competition ensures that only those places with the tastiest food, the biggest signs, the cheapest prices, and the best customer service will survive. There are many famous Japanese chain-stores and restaurants that originated from Osaka. The octopus balls being fried in the photo are a speciality of Osaka, and were absolutely mouth-watering. This stall was so famous that it had a line of people 20 metres long waiting in front even though other stalls had only a few customers.

There were kilometers of huge shopping malls to wander around, most of them were crowded too! Just a block away is this moss shrine which grants a peaceful respite.

In Osaka we also met up with a friend who is back in Japan for a bit, and going to get married to an Australian guy. We went out to an Izakaya to celebrate, and found one that had very cheap beer ($1.25 a schooner!) and also really nice food, including a massive octopus salad. Osaka was more crowded at night, and the profusion of neon signs added even more to the feeling of energy that the city has.

We found a fugu restaurant (the bloated looking poison fishes), but I'm not really game to try it. It's also a pretty small meal, and apparently the taste is very subtle.