I'm back in Taiwan after an 8-day trip to Japan. You might notice the lack of an exclamation point at the end of the previous sentence, for while I'm happy to see Pamela and, especially, Amber again after a week-long absence, I'm already missing the Land of the Rising Sun. I went to several new (for me, that is) places on this visit, as well as revisiting a couple of others. During the week, I'll be posting pictures and a few videos, as well as describing where I went and what I did there. 見て下さい！
The first day was a short one, actually, as I didn't arrive at Kansai International Airport 関西国際空港 until around 7:45pm on Saturday evening. After going through Immigration and taking the Nankai Line 南海本線 to Namba 難波 Station in Ōsaka 大阪, it was after 9:30 by the time I checked in to my hotel (the Business Hotel Nissei ニッセイ in Namba - a great location, and a reasonable price, earns it a definite thumbs up from this traveler). Despite feeling tired after the flight, I went for a walk around Namba, part of the Minami ミナミ area, the center of Ōsaka's nightlife. This being Saturday night, the covered arcades radiating out from the different Namba stations (Nankai, Kintetsu 近鉄 and the Midōsuji subway lines 御堂筋線) were packed with people, young and old, residents and tourists, Japanese and gaijin 外人, looking for somewhere to eat or drink. There was a time when I didn't care much for Ōsaka (I used to think it was too polluted and ugly, but it's amazing how relocating to a place like Taiwan can so quickly change one's perceptions), but with each visit there in recent years I've come to like the energy that the city generates. However, on this particular Saturday night, this traveler didn't stay out too long, in preparation for the long day ahead on Sunday.
At the intersection of the Nankai-dōri 南海通 and Sennichimae 千日前 arcades.
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