Hokkaido and Ohayou Osaka
- Jackie Endres
- Nov 4, 2019
- 13 min read
After leaving Tokyo, we rounded out the month of October with a brief trip to Hokkaido and an introduction to our home for the next month, Osaka.
Hokkaido
In short
It may surprise you, but ninjaing was only a small part of our adventure in Hokkaido (in fact, a mere 90 minutes). So what else did we do?
For the most part, we hit Hokkaido for the autumn colors, the freshest seafood, and to experience Japan’s Alaska. Much of what we did is thus simply best displayed by pictures of Hokkaido where we:
Explored the city, including a playful stroll through Odori park
Ascended the JR Tower Observatory T38 for panoramic views
Saw a Star Wars exhibit
Rode a Ferris Wheel
Ate crab everything at Kani-Honke
Toured the Sapporo Beer Museum
Took a day trip to Otaru to feast at the fish market, view the canal and autumny vined buildings, eat ice cream at the Dairy Farm (sometimes spelled Daily Farm) and have some peaty sips at the Nikka Whisky Distillery
Got nighttime highs atop Mount Moiwa
And...
Bronze Medal
Like Nagano, Sapporo is another Japanese Olympic location with some remnants worth visiting. In particular, we wanted to view the ski jump at Mount Okura. So, we took public transit from downtown Sapporo, hiked the hill, and entered the ski jump set-up. First of all, it was both beautiful (fall is my favorite) and terrifying (how do people jump from that high??). And, there was quite a bit devoted to the Olympics, including podiums and a full Olympic Museum. We wandered around a bit and spent some time taking photographs, including failed attempts at medal-sweeping panoramas.
However, just like with Homer and Mr. T, we missed our window. Literally, the ticket window for the lift to the top of the ski jump had just closed when we walked over, desiring to ascend, after our photoplay. It would not reopen the rest of the day as the ski jump was reserved. Mr. T....!
I’d like to say I was a good sport, especially because of #olympics, but I was pretty salty. My mood didn’t improve much after we went inside the Olympic Museum and Heather proceeded to smoke me multiple times on the ski jump simulator. I felt like this was not my day to be into ski jumping. We participated in other simulations like hockey goalie and bobsled before heading back outside and I tried to (not ski) lift my mood. Once outside, it looked like ski jumping would be getting underway shortly, so we squatted (hoping to make up our missed lift with views of some impressive jumps).
At around 3 PM the jumps started and it turned out that we were actually witnessing a competition, so all runs were marked and we had an announcer calling out distances (this is where I practiced my Japanese numbers). Not only was it awesome and surprising to watch a ski jumping tournament (on grass?! My ignorance was revealed...), but we also were audience to “ski-jump families” where even little tykes were enjoying practicing the form.
Leaving Sapporo
We left Sapporo, Hokkaido on October 28th as we did on our arrival: with too much luggage on a plane. This time we had a layover in Tokyo, which actually afforded us the chance to complete the Mount Fuji puzzle (reminder, we took a short trip there and never got to see the whole mountain because of the rainy cloudy days).
Osaka
Getting to Know You
We have now been in Osaka for about a week and already feel pretty settled. After some Tokyo exhaustion, we’ve decided to pack our days a little less and have more time to just relax (isn’t this supposed to be vacation?), recover from all the moving about, and get to know Osaka (also I’m introducing Heather to Rogers and Hammerstein musicals, so that’s “timeless” fun).
With much more downtime, we’ve still managed to pack quite a bit into this spooky past week.
Things We Ate and Drank
Osaka is Japan's kitchen, and as such, we've been trying some new foods here. Worth mentioning:
Fugu
At the Kuromon Market, a long pedestrian street lined with food stalls and shops, we had access to fresh fish, fruit, skewers, sweets, teas and more. It was here that Heather and I decided to eat fugu (blowfish). ICYMI, many parts of the blowfish are fatally poisonous (including the eyes, liver, skin, and ovaries), and if not prepared correctly, the consumer will die within five to twenty minutes. There is no antidote to the poison. Now, most people who have died are preparing it at home on their own and aren’t really trained specially. In Japan (and other countries) you need a special certification to be able to prepare and serve fugu.
All of this information known, we still tried it. It was my first time (not thrill-seeking Heather’s).
surer
A few things:
I was really much more nervous than I expected. I guess because it’s not like rock climbing or scuba diving where there is an inherent danger, but that danger isn’t always a binary life/death result.
It was tasty. I prefer it to eel or sea urchin, or actually many preparations of sushi.
We survived.
We also enjoyed fresh salmon roe, an Asian pear, and a special mochi of grained rice wrapped in an herb leaf, only lightly sweet.
Takoyaki
This hot little octopus-filled savory pastry puff is an Osakan original. And somehow, despite its popularity on the Tokyo street food scene, we had managed to avoid our first takoyaki bite until Osaka. And we picked the place to do it, too. Takoyaki Umaiya, an unassuming, unornate restaurant on one of the many pedestrian streets in Osaka, does takoyaki so well it earned a Michelin star. And Heather and I live just a ten-minute walk from its doors. So one day, we walked over and ordered two sets of eight (which now I'm wondering, are they in eight because of the octopus tentacles?).
Anyway, they arrived in less than a handful of minutes steaming hot, and we carefully and purposefully devoured them. Flaky, doughy, simple, tasty. The price for both of our orders? Less than $8. Also, we went mid-afternoon and had the place to ourselves.
Okonomiyaki
Cabbage, egg, anything else your heart desires... If takoyaki is Osaka's savory answer to the donut hole, okonomiyaki is its equally savory response to the pancake: simple ingredients served on a griddle with a variety of toppings to warm your heart. Our first taste of okonomiyaki came days later at a do-it-yourself place, where we ordered the ingredients, and they delivered them for our mixing and cooking. After some initial surprise at the space (it was kind of like a supper club that was in desperate need of cleaning and updating, including smoke-stained walls and soy-sauce laden tatami mats), and some ingredient confusion (no, the ingredient list for corn, cod roe, and cheese did not include pork), we were on our way. We had to first read the instruction manual, but it was really straight-forward and we each created delightful end results (mine of the cheese, corn, roe variety, Heather's of spicy seafood). I liked this even better than takoyaki--it felt like Osaka's real soul food and we ate every last bite.
Unfortunately... something about the place didn't quite work out for us and we each ended up in the bathroom within 20 minutes giving it all back. Our hypothesis is that it was the restaurant that made us sick, not the whole idea of okonomiyaki, so we'll give it another shot sometime at a new venue.
Green Tea
This sort of blends what we consumed with what we did, but, I'm just going to drop it here. On our continued quest to find authentic cultural experiences, we went to a private tea session led by a tea master who instructed us (in brief version) on the etiquette (who enjoys tea first, where to look, what to say, how to turn and wipe the bowl, how to enjoy the sweet, how to bow, when to do all of the things...), order, and preparation (how many scoops, how much water, how to mix, where to place hands and tools, how to serve) for a tea ceremony. He also educated us on the history and cultural significance thereof. It was an incredibly connecting experience, one where Heather and I both got to be in full service to each other and also in humble receipt. We felt refreshed and energized (perhaps also from the one and a half cups of green tea) upon leaving, and giggled to ourselves at how much matcha powder we had been using back in Portland because we mistook “one-and-a-half scoops” to mean 1.5 T, which is probably 6-8x too much.
Garlic Bucket
At an ironically named restaurant near us (the non-smoking, Tobacco), we took a chance with a menu item called "garlic bucket." Maybe it was several types of garlic. Maybe it was garlicked foods. Maybe it was a bucket of garlic butter to dip things in. Who could know without ordering?
We were pleasantly surprised because garlic bread is always delicious.
A Bust
I'll be brief about this, but it's worth noting that we actually paid to go on a food tour in Osaka and it was a total bust. Though advertised as accommodating vegetarians/pescatarians, this was not the experience we were given. In our first place, multiple varieties of chicken skewers were served. Even after we reminded our guide of our preferences we had sent to Airbnb Experiences beforehand, he simply nodded and more chicken skewers arrived. We got to eat a cube of tofu in soy broth and cabbage. At the next place, we were offered alligator, beef, chicken, or pork. I was ready to bail when I was told we could get a skewer with a single vegetable. Heather and I eyed each other and decided to stay, and were gratefully served some other fried vegetables, but also served pork and beef each (again, despite our preferences) which we were not told were pork and beef until we raised the skewers and asked repeatedly. The third place was more of the same. What was even more disappointing, however, was that it was supposed to be a food tour with culture. We stopped at a couple sites, which our guide could only find after using a maps app on his phone, and to which he spoke very little. So, we ended up hungry for both food and culture and pretty bummed at the disappointing tour (in Japan's kitchen!). It came out at the end that it was our guide's first-ever tour that evening. Surprise.
Things We Did
Mari(o) Cart
We hesitated hard on whether this was something in which we wanted to participate. In Tokyo, everybody in the street go-carts looked super touristy and cringeworthy. We didn’t see one non-white person participating our whole month there. We struggled imagining that being us. But reviews upon reviews goaded us into trying it for ourselves, and the best time to try proved our arrival in Osaka, not Tokyo.
So, our first Osakan night, we arrived at the location in Namba, IDPs in hand, and got ready to night ride. We forwent the costume and donned our own track jackets we had bought at a Tokyo thrift store the month prior. After some confusion at the start (Heather’s cart needed some maintenance and we were surprised by our guides being a combo team of guy-on-bicycle and guy-in-minivan), we were off. Our group of six (thank goodness including two locals) sped through the streets taking in the sights and posing for pictures at stoplights. We simply followed the van through the key Osakan spots, including Dotombori (where people seemed particularly proud of us, shouting encouragement and snapping photos from the street), Ame-mura, and the Osaka Castle. The time flew by and, sigh, I have to say I highly recommend the experience.
Spooky Wars
And, we did Halloween. Our original plan was to dress up and join the throngs of locals in Dotombori, but we got a late start so we ended up going like chumps in street clothes. But it was worth it, because we had simply lost track of time in a delightful hole in the wall, Pachimon Wars.
This bootleg Star Wars memorabilia themed bar was extra. When we first walked in, we were greeted with surprised shrieks and hurried English, “Welcome, welcome!” The owner was dressed up appropriately (only for Halloween, I checked) and the guests were cordial and talkative. It was such a local hidden gem that they were all surprised when we entered. “How did you find this place?” (Atlas Oscura) was their shocked question, and they drew great delight from bringing over a series of toys for us to test out.
We met one woman Marina (まりな) who asked if she could join us. She’s a student studying psychology, but also works as a maid in one of the maid cafes in Osaka (the type of experience we have purposefully avoided). She was outgoing (but called herself shy) and stuck with us for the full time we stayed and even thrust her food at us and insisted we share. Overall, people were fun, engaging, and welcoming, and when we left Marina asked if we could stay in touch (of course, girlfriend), and the owner gave us a special cookie treat. As far as the drinks, I wouldn’t visit for that, but they serve a normal beer selection so that satisfied. So far, this has been the top bar haunt of the trip.
Once we left, we headed straight for Dontombori’s Halloween which was, of course, a wonderful execution of the holiday.
Except for some culturally questionable/shocking costumes, which hopefully I left off above.
One Osaka tradition, saved for only special occasions, is leaping off the Ebisu bridge into the Dotombori canal below. Folks jump into the water to celebrate New Year, sporting triumphs, the transition of the Emporer, and Halloween.
The best costume we encountered was a camera, where the person took a photograph of willing passersby with his camera costume. It was wild.
Osaka Encapsulated
The evening of the very disappointing aforementioned food tour, we ended the night (not Halloween) with a preplanned stay at a capsule hotel, a must-try Japanese slumbering experience.
We checked in and were handed a mesh bag with our towels, toothbrush/toothpaste, and dystopian pajamas. We then took a self-guided tour to the women’s ward where we donned the pajamas and found our capsules. These pristine matchbox compartments are the length and width of an extra-long twin bed, with a couple of USB outlets for electronics and a shade to pull down over your own pod. That’s it!
We squeezed together into one pod and slept snuggled in until early morning when it just got too hot in that limited airflow pod and I moved to my own.
Verdict: Great pajamas, delightful rain shower, super location, cozy capsule, and cheap ($60 for two capsules). Highly recommended for the short-term traveler who just can’t stomach a hostel and doesn’t want to fork over for a hotel.
Miscellaneous...
We also... took a walking tour, a canal boat tour, went to Spa World, rode two Ferris wheels (one which had a music hookup so we listened/sang to Christmas music, athankyou, November 1st, the official first day of Christmas), saved a cat from certain death at VR Zone, and wrote this blog.
Getting Centered
When Heather and I first became friends, we used this hashtag to alert for more serious discussion. So, here we go. I know I’ve been giving the highlights, but it hasn’t been all Ferris wheels and feats of fugu. We have also struggled quite a bit. Lately, we feel more like we are hitting a more enlightened groove, so maybe that's why this is easier to talk about. But that groove didn’t come without some pain. We’ve had to get through sadness over missing out on things (like important friends’ birthdays and family get-togethers), grappling with jobless purpose and uncertain futures, and navigating the different and more newly visible ways we recharge (I am an introvert and Heather an extrovert, neither of which is easy on a trip where two people spend most (all) of their time together and only together).
We have had a lot of #realtalk, some challenges, a lot of growth. We’ve gotten support from each other, support from home, and even found new stores of inner strength. But this is what we came on this trip for, wasn’t it? A new adventure. An evolved identity. A deeper strength. So, we will continue to struggle and will continue to grow. I think we both have to or this trip will eat us up.
And we've incorporated things to help us do that. On this trip, we’ve been keeping a mutual gratitude journal and meditating a few times a week. We maintain really wonderful open communication. We do our best to keep in touch with friends and family back home. And in addition to working on ourselves and our relationship, we have sought new mindfulness avenues.
Candlelight Meditation
A couple of evenings ago, we visited a Buddhist monk who took us through a guided candlelight meditation. He first introduced himself, got to know us, and instructed us on the purposes of meditation. He then shared the best ways to sit comfortably, and also how to relax the eyes (not fully closed, but half-open in order to exist in both this world and the next).
He then dimmed the lights and lit a single small candle in the center of the table. The next twenty minutes were devoted to chanting, which felt a bit awkward for me at first as I tried to find my chanting voice among the lower voice of Heather and the much deeper voice of the monk. But after a couple of minutes, it was mesmerizing. The time passed quickly and we both felt calmer and more energized by the end. Then we began the meditation portion and for ten minutes we focused on the refreshed table candle and counted our focus. As soon as a distraction surfaced, we had to restart counting. I got to 3, only twice, which doesn’t surprise me as my mind is a wild and active machine. Heather got to 4 which doesn’t surprise me because she’s good at all things. The monk said the highest we could likely go is 10 at which point we should restart at 1.
The final ten minutes of the meditation were about breathing. Again with half-open eyes and focusing on the candle, we were handed a straw through which to control our breathing and focus on slowing our exhales while allowing inhales to flow naturally. This was a powerful exercise for me as I had visualizations of negative energy/thoughts/behavior leaving upon exhale and positive entering on inhale.
We both left feeling a deep sense of levity. Not of mood, but of the whole body, as in we literally felt lighter and like we moved with frictionless ease home.
So, a little real talk, a little woo woo, but I just felt it was important to share beyond the pictures and the highlights of our tourism, and more on what It's really like day-to-day because, despite our trying, it can still be trying. #endrealtalk
Stray Observations
Osaka is very different from Tokyo in culture, and we are reminded of this distinction by both parties (Tokyo: more formal, precise, reserved; Osakans say, conformist, uptight, robotic. Osaka: more laid back, outgoing, food-focused; Tokyoites say, loud, messy, disorganized.)
Japan seems to love celebrating holidays as much as I do. By November 1st, the Halloween decorations were already disappearing and the Christmas ones appearing.
Self-observation: We have discovered we really love for Ferris Wheels as a way to get a private view of the city. Also as a way to sing loudly for all (none) to hear.
The number one costume in Japan this year by frequency? Joker. Go figure.
We were told the food is a huge focus here, and it really is. There is not only food available everywhere, but there are also large signs (of food or the animal soon to be made into food) to demonstrate the availability.
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