Osaka at Night ...

Osaka is famous for it's neon lights and let me tell you ... when the sun goes down, the Namba District lights up like no other. See for yourself (or through my pictures anyway) ...

The next sign is known as the running man and is for the Ezaki Glico candy company located in Osaka. "The company name, Glico, is derived from a shortening of the word glycogen. The first candy produced by the company was known as Glico-Caramel. The Glico 300 meter running man trademark is also derived from the original caramel candy: the candy is 15.4kcal, which is enough energy to run exactly 300 meters. The company's large neon sign located above Dotonbori in Osaka has been a famous landmark of the city since its initial construction in 1919. " (Wikipedia, duh.)

The sweetest sports shop EVER:

After shopping and taking in all of the neon, we walked, got lost, found our way, kept walking, got lost once more & then finally ended up at the Absinthe Cafe. We were SO excited, considering how difficult it is to find real absinthe back home. Not to mention the fact that I was looking forward to absinthe back on the ferris wheel, maybe 9 hours earlier.

If you've ever had real absinthe then you know what it tastes like & if you haven't then you need to come to Japan immediately and I will take you to the Absinthe Cafe. We were slightly confused by all of the absinthe cocktails, seeing as it is typically consumed in shots back home, but we ordered up like the champs that we are. I got an absinthe sour & it tasted just like absinthe & sour would, with a lime of course. Everyone knows my love of limes.
Amanda got an absinthe margarita, which we were all curious about, & again, it tasted just like absinthe. I don't think it's really possible to escape the strong, distinct flavor no matter how you dress it up.

After a few drinks we were more than ready to retire to our capsules. It was a long day in Osaka and we were all feeling pretty good, but in need of some serious sleep. I don't even think twice about staying in a capsule now and actually find them quite convenient. This one was a little nicer than the capsule I stayed at in Tokyo & it was only about $25.00 for the night, maybe.

Here's the women's hall, in all it's glory:

This sweet one was mine. #8005 or something of the sorts.

I think I've almost got Osaka figured out, so let me know when you're coming & I'll try not to get us lost. :)

much love
-tara-
xx

The HEP Five ...

I really don't like ferris wheels. They always sound like such a good idea & then as soon as the latch is locked & I'm trapped inside a metal cart of some sort, which never has enough oxygen & is always incredibly hot, the idea of being suspended & then dangled however many feet (or meters) in the air seems unbelievably insane. An old friend asked, "Since when are you so cautious?" Granted, he wasn't referencing amusement rides, but I started thinking about how I went from my favorite ride at the carnival being the double ferris wheel, to having close to a nervous breakdown every time I get in one now (ok, maybe a slight exaggeration). Whatever the reason, they creep me out.

This ferris wheel is on top of the HEP Five building in Osaka, which is considered to be an amusement complex with 11 floors of shopping, arcades, food & maybe some karaoke. We headed straight for the death trap.

I think that I read that there are 50 gondolas on this thing.

50 cars full of crazy people if you ask me.

For not being a fan of the thing, we sure did take a lot of pictures. I'll blame it on habit.

All smiles in the beginning, where we were still at somewhat close to the ground and able to make an escape if there was some sort of malfunction.

The tracks of one of the many, many train stations in Osaka.

Slowly but surely we climbed to the top and the view

was great when I stopped being a spazz.

The Umeda Sky Building, where we were an hour previous.

As we were approaching the tip top, I was less than impressed. :)

Once we were back on the ground I could breathe again. I had about had it for the day. When we first got on the train to head to Osaka that morning there weren't any available seats. So we got cozy on the floor of the train & I was leaned up against the door & didn't think anything of it. The train kept stopping but the opposite doors were always the ones to open so I wasn't worried. I'm half dozed off using the door as my support when all of a sudden we stopped & the door that I was leaning on flew open. My head & half my body went flying out the door & my heart jumped out of my chest, landed on the train platform & before I could pick it up again the train was pulling out. It took my a good three minutes to catch my breath and calm down & I never could fall asleep after that. Needless to say, I moved away from the door but that was how my morning started, with a little jolt to the heart. The running joke was that I left my heart in Himeji on platform 4.

Then after that we went to the Umeda Sky Building & if you watched those videos (that I finally got to work, without tech support :) ) you saw me, better yet heard me, about having heart attack number two for the day. And then this ferris wheel about did me in. All before about noon. I was thankful our evening plans consisted of an Absinthe Bar (pronounced Abusinsu if you are Japanese) and nothing that required going above ten stories.

Here's the video from the ferris wheel. I tried to find a mute option so you don't have to listen to the sound, but I was unsuccessful. So just mute your computer, unless of course you're a fan of my exaggerated, drawn out, often high pitched, piss poor commentary.


much love,
tara
xx

The Umeda Sky Building Videos ...

Amanda and I try to bring the video camera everywhere we go, but nine times out of ten we forget we have it. On the rare occasion that we do turn it on, the videos kind of suck. I openly admit that I am the WORST with the camera and I'm still looking for the option that turns the microphone off so you don't have to hear my sad excuse for commentary, but in the meantime I'll post the videos anyway. I know Cathy & Seth watch them together & make fun of vid cam abilities, or lack thereof ... so for their enjoyment:

Going up. I'm kind of freaking out & my voice has gone up to an abnormal octave & all I can do is laugh because my heart is spazzing. Go ahead, make fun. Tell me what a wuss I am. I can take it. :)

(PS - Momma Lynda Daniel's reaction gives this video a PG 13 rating)

And on the way down. This elevator was moving at damn near a top speed. At least I thought so.

much love

-tara-

xx

The Umeda Sky Building ...

Back in March we made yet another trip to Osaka. One thing I still can't get over is how easy it is to travel around Japan. You just hop on the train & it takes you literally wherever you want to go. It's so convenient. A lot of my European friends say that the same style of efficient travel is available in Europe and people just can't seem to understand why the same isn't true for America. I had no answer. Maybe I'll bring the concept of the Shinkansen back when I come home. :)

So the Umeda Sky Building is the funkiest looking building ever. It's pretty hard to miss and you can see it from just about anywhere in Osaka. It looks just how it is described: "a pair of skyscrapers connected in midair built in an unusual architectural form rarely seen in the world." I can't say that I've ever seen anything quite like it.

The Umeda Sky Building (梅田スカイビル) is the seventh-tallest building in Osaka, Japan, and one of the city's most recognizable landmarks. It consists of two 40-story towers that connect at their two uppermost stories, with bridges and an escalator crossing the wide atrium-like space in the center. (Wikipedia, of course).

We took the elevator up as far as we could & then you have to take the escalator to the top. I was terrified, of course. I would have preferred the elevator the whole way up. The escalator was slow and the more I thought about it the more I realized exactly where we were in proportion to the buildings (and most importantly, the ground) and my heart started to beat really fast. I'm such a wuss.

The never ending escalator:

I'm smiling though :)

Amanda is always fearless, although Amanda's mom was floating in my boat.

Once we got to the top I was fine, but it was almost unbelievable how high up we were. The view was absolutely stunning. I fall a little bit more in love with Osaka every time I go.

Can you tell it's me?

Looking down through the middle. Yes, those are the escalators we just came up.

The view from 173 meters up (568 feet):

Random Trivia: The Floating Garden Observatory in the Umeda Sky Building was visited in Leg 10 of Amazing Race 12.

The Umeda Sky Building was featured as a renovated skyscraper in the game Simcity 3000.

Yea, no problem.
Despite the fact that it was sunny out, it was FREEZING on the observation deck and the wind was outrageous. I was sure I could feel the building swaying, but that idea made me want to vomit. :)

Me, Amanda & Lynda on top of the world:
Looking at these bridges made me queasy.

Happy to be returning to earth:

Definitely NOT my style, but it is possible to be married at the top of the Umeda Sky Building.

much love

-tara-

xx