Osaka is just a half hour train ride from Kyoto.
Anticipating my visit to the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan since I arrived in Japan few days ago, I must admit I’m quite excited about it since this would be my first ever visit to an aquarium in decades. Osaka, the city known as the “nation’s kitchen” when it served as the center for rice trade during the Edo Period is modern and has more millennials than in Kyoto as I’ve observed walking toward the aquarium which is located at the Osaka Bay area and close to Tempozan Ferris Wheel. As visitors enter the aquarium, they are bing greeted with an underwater tunnel of various fishes from the ocean. Rather than going straight to see the various species of the ocean, visitors are directed to take the elevator up the 8th floor where a bunch of playful otters chase each other on ground while others swim underwater trying to catch some fishes in the water. As I circle down the aquarium, I experience the various levels of both ground and marine life of the Pacific Rim region.
The “Pacific Ocean” located in the middle of the aquarium is fascinating. Whale sharks swim gracefully alongside manta rays, hammer sharks and other aquatic fishes in the largest tank in the aquarium. I could spend hours watching them swim back and forth, up and down in the surreal ocean environment. The jellyfish area is another interesting exhibit not to be missed. They just flow with the movement of water if there’s any, and some are so colorful that they are mesmerizing to the human mind. At the end of the exhibit, there’s an area where visitors can interact with some of the stingrays and penquins.
As night falls, I head to Dōtonbori, a tourist destination with large illuminated signboards hung above stores’ fronts. The place boasts a wide variety of traditional and modern Japanese cuisines from well-known restaurants to other food stalls. Weather at night in May is just beautiful, and with so many types of streets food to choose from, Dōtonbori is like a candy store for both young and old. As I go from one restaurant to another, I notice a brightly lit pharmacy. My curiosity got the better side of me. I have to go in, and here I find out that it’s a shopping paradise for shoppers of a different kind. If you are like me into things like Bandaid (Japanese brands of course) that heals aches and pains, face masks from snails’ saliva to snake’s venom, and other pills that would do wonders to the body, make sure you do not leave your American Express card at home.
An alternative to Dōtonbori is Shinsekai, smaller, less colorful but interesting. Shinsekai was once well-known for its criminal activity that flourished in decades until it slowly flourished to become a local tourist attraction. It is now a scene of locally run restaurants, clothing stores and other legitimate business outlets like mahjong clubs and pachinko parlors. The centerpiece of the neighborhood is the Tsutenkaku Tower. A well lit tower by night, it’s definitely a focal point of interest should I get lost wondering at night.
