Osaka on a fast train.

 One last thing about the big city of Tokyo. There must be some sort of unwritten rule for keeping cars in like-new condition here, because every vehicle in this city looks as if it came right off the showroom floor. They’re so clean they might even be hygienic. Commercial or personal, it didn’t seem to matter. I observed a street sweeper whose whole working existence is to pick up and clear away dust, dirt and debris. It’s supposed to look like Snoopy’s buddy Pig-Pen but is was clean as a whistle. How is that even possible?

Onto Osaka on a Bullet Train or Shinkansen as the Japanese have coined it. Japan was the first country in the world to build dedicated rail lines for high speed travel. The Shinkansen zips along this high speed railway line a a shopping 176 mph. As a comparison, the train from Seattle to Vancouver, BC, covers 120 miles in 3 hours and 58 miles at the snail’s speed of 30 mph. If you booked a reservation on a Shinkansen out of Seattle, (if they had one), where could you go in that amount of time?  San Francisco would be an easy reach with enough time left over to grab some chocolates in Ghirardelli Square down at the waterfront. The ride was an enjoyable experience as we flew by the towns and countryside, albeit a dizzying one. 

Our first full day in a new city brought to light a few differences between the people of Tokyo and those in Osaka. The residents of Tokyo are generally stoic and reserved and made eye contact only by accident then quickly looked away. Smiling seem to be forbidden and probably only happens in public if a player wins a bundle on a game of Pachinko. And they’re a quiet bunch. With a gazillion folks jockeying for space on a train or subway in a big enclosed hallway, it’s oddly quiet. Cram 120 or more of those same  folks into a subway car and the decibel level goes from oddly quiet to soundproof-room quiet. Weird but truc. A pin drop would sound like a firecracker here. When riding the Osaka transit, it’s a much lighter atmosphere.

Pachinko Hall.

Osaka folks, on the other hand, seem more relaxed.  They smile easier, are more chatty, and just don’t seem to have an “all business, all the time” kind of demeanor. They actually laugh here, out loud. I observed it myself. They wear different colored clothing, like they’re not afraid of getting a ticket for wearring something other than black like they seem to do in Tokyo. There were many more families out and about in Osaka as compared to Tokyo. And that’s where you see the smiles and hear the laughter most often.   

Everybody rides a bike here in Osaka, young and old, (and I mean old). It’s a means of transportation and exercise.  Moon and I chuckled when we saw a women riding an old rusty bike, who had to be in her 90s. And it wasn’t unusual to see a rider put groceries in the basket attached to the handlebars, throw the kid in the back bucket seat then hop on and peddle away. All this was done on a busy crowded sidewalk. It’s easy to wander aimlessly here because everything is new, there’s people everywhere, and the fragrance from the food stalls is alluring. But, it’s necessary to keep one eye on the sidewalk to avoid a nasty bike-tire-in-the-stomach scenario. I cant’t remember seeing a bike in downtown Tokyo.  

We toured the Osaka Castle in all its splendor. It’s an historical building 400 years old and still standing, although it’s been rebuilt several times. It’s one of the few things that wasn’t bombed during World Wars Two. 

We took a boat trip around the moat, with its high walls. It was obvious that the inhabitants of the castle wanted to keep any outsiders…out. 

At the other end of the spectrum from an ancient castle is the New Abeno Harukus building in Osaka. It was the tallest building in Japan at a height of 300 meters. If you are metrically challenged, that’s almost 1000 feet up. The tallest, anyway, until 3 days ago when the new Mori Building opened in Tokyo, which scrapes the sky at 330 meters, roughly 100 feet taller than the old champ in Osaka. Regardless, the view in Abeno Harukus was out of this world.  One floor down from the top was an outdoor mini-park where Moon and I sat down for a rest and to take in the view of Osaka. 

Wide angle shot of downtown Osaka taken with my i-phone.

Abeno Harukus Building.

While we were siting taking in the view, I took a picture of the sky’s reflection in the window. 

Many hotels in Japan have a thing they do that’s sort of, charming? Instead of providing each room with an entire basket of incidentals, those items are placed in a case near the first floor elevators. They’re free. A guest only takes what they need. So we’ll call it the Honor Case of Incidentals. The case includes mouthwash, combs, mesh wash clothes, shampoo and conditioner, coffee, toothbrushes and toothpaste, face cleanser, towelettes, body cream, toothpicks (what?), razors, and probably a couple things I missed. I know what you’re thinking, “this situation is ripe for abuse”. We spied such a situation when a woman loaded a bundle of items into her bag. She seemed to have a special affinity with the mesh wash clothes. Now, watching someone take more than they need because it’s free, I don’t know, it’s just wrong. And irritating to boot. That’s all I gotta say about that.  

The coolest thing across Japan that is consistent, whether in Osaka or Tokyo or anywhere else in this country is the bowing.  Everybody bows here.  It’s a sign of recognition and respect. It’s displayed in their behavior and attitude toward others and in the environment of their lives. A bow can mean many things, such as “hello”, “excuse me”, “thank you” and “good bye”, but those are only a few of many other possibilities. It’s refreshing, really. 

By the way, when we return back home and any of you need one of those nifty mesh wash clothes or one of those handy little plastic fold-up combs, let me know because I have a bunch of ‘em. Test me.