Weird tourist stuff in Osaka
23.02.2020 - 29.02.2020
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Coronavirus 2020
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Feb. 23, 2020
I got a little tiny room in a crappy hotel near Spa World, just so I could go to Spa World. I went there in the morning to check it out. It was full of kids and really loud so I thought I would go the next day. I just walked around the tourist area. 
It was full of Pachinko casinos and cheap restaurants. The “golden boy” Biliken was everywhere. 
I also went to the top of the tower for free. 
Things were starting to close down because of the corona virus. I wanted to go to an art gallery at the top of the tower but it was closed already. In the south of the city, there was a famous shrine (Sumiyoshi Taisha) where people got married, like a wedding machine. I didn’t know that until I got there and I was trapped between a bunch of weddings. 
It was far but it was a nice walk. At one point, I thought I was in Toronto because there was a streetcar and the urban density was low. Maybe that’s why I stayed so long. As soon as I arrived in Osaka I didn’t want to leave because I felt so comfortable.
I think Osaka was my favourite place, Kyoto was too pretentious, Tokyo was overhyped and expensive but Osaka was like the blue collar scruffy brother. It was easy to find affordable things to do. For example, I pretty much spent all my money at Super Tamade, a crazy cheap grocery store that had everything any backpacker might need.
Feb. 24, 2020
I spent the whole day at Spa World, it was a Monday so it was quiet. 
Every room had a different theme, for example, Roman, Asian, Turkish. It was well worth the admission and cheaper than Lonely Planet said it was.
Feb. 25, 2020
Since everything was closed, I didn’t know what to do so I went on a walking tour to Ohatsu Tenjin shrine, dedicated to the Japanese Romeo and Juliet. It was the scene of a double suicide and their ghosts are still there! 
Then I went to go find a weird clown robot thing. His name is Kuidaore Taro. Just like Biliken, from the day before, I didn’t understand him either. People lined up for maybe half an hour to take a photo with him. And it was a slow day. 
Feb. 26, 2020
I slept in and then I went to the cup noodle museum. 
I learned the ancient Japanese secret of how to get the noodles into the cup. The secret is: they make the noodles first, then put the cup on top of the noodles upside down and then flip the cup over and put the rest in and seal.
There was a workshop to make your own cup noodles from scratch! I could have joined if I had a partner. They wouldn't sell me a ticket if I was alone.
Feb. 27, 2020
I slept in again and spent the whole day at the underfunded human rights museum. I learned all about the tannery people, disabled people, people with AIDS and native people. There were a lot of good videos to watch but the rest of the museum was a little cheap-looking and kind of thrown together haphazardly. 
Feb. 28, 2020
I had an assignment at an Italian restaurant. I posted on facebook to find someone to go with and I went with Richard. An interesting guy who is a Japanese/English translator. He could speak a mile a minute and had a million random stories to tell. It was pretty hilarious but I didn't get much work done!
Feb. 29, 2020
I wrote my report up in the morning and I changed hotels to get closer to the train station. My flight to Bangkok was leaving early in the morning. There was a small onsen on the first floor, you can judge for yourself about that one. See photo below.
