Countries Of My Life: Last Part of the Kyoto / Osaka Adventure

Despite all the alcohol yesterday evening, Oliver and me woke up about 8 am to do our check-out right on time. Gotta love Japan for their vending machines with coffee everywhere ^^

To avoid taking the luggage with us the whole day, we tried to put them into a coin locker at the main station. That was easier said than done, because nearly every locker was already used this morning. And believe me ... there were more than enough. It felt like hours after we finally found one in which the most of the luggage did fit.

Start in The Day!

After strengthen us with a good meal, we went to 四天王寺 (Shi-Tenno-ji), a Buddhist temple in Osaka. But to be honest, at this day it looked actually more like a flea market. Most of the sellers seemed to be private persons because of the stuff they were selling. From antiques over CDs and food to wooden swords, there was nearly everything. To make a long story short: I found and bought an original Pokemon CD with a soundtrack collection from the TV show starting 1998 until 2003 :)

Spirituality and Business in one place ;)

Two hours later, we were already at the 住吉大社 (Sumiyoshi-Taisha or Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine). Like the name said, it was a Shinto Shrine. Actually the entrance was the hardest, because the main bridge you have to cross is very high and steep. But we are young, so it was no real challenge for us, of course :D

So we relaxed in the area and visited many little shrines and other things. Before we took the train, we had to do two more things: going into 温泉 (Onsen, hot spring) and eating お好み焼き (Okonomiyaki, in my opinion, one of the best dishes of Japan). Thanks to the age of smartphones, Oliver found a good Onsen next to the train station. Relaxing in hot water after walking the whole day is just .... sooooo good :) And what could be better than having a fantastic meal afterwards? ^^

Seeing and Learning How a Master Fries Okonomiyaki ;)

Oliver knew this restaurant from his last travel to Osaka and now I can also recommend it :) But if you want to know the exact place, ask Oliver :D Just kidding, Osaka itself is somehow famous for its Okonomiyaki, so you found it in many places. It's like a hearty omelet with vegetables, meat and so on. Of course, the special Okonomiyaki sauce is maybe the most important part of it ;) At least, Japanese people told me this often.


And the result is .... おいしい！(Delicious!)

Well, these were 3 fantastic days in Kyoto and Osaka. There is still so much to explore, so I will come back someday :)

Japan = Country where fictional characters live ^^

Wish I could take one home ^^

Short explanation: The image on the left is the mirror image of the right one in a well inside 四天王寺 (Shi-Tenno-Ji).
The well itself is quite deep, so at first it's hard to see :D

Time for some Relaxing

Every Japanese I asked said that Japanese people do not really believe in gods or so the like.
But still it's part of their culture to pray whenever you can.
A nice concept I think, so I also pray sometimes in Japanese temples or Shrines :)