進撃の蛸 (Shingeki no Tako)

Why do I do this to myself.

After taking the train and again transferring like eight times, like a boss (life skillzzzz), without making a single mistake, and then stopping in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka for the night (and like the walking fail that I am forgetting a bag full of electronic devices and wires A.K.A. leaving my whole life behind), I finally got to Osaka and was able to meet with my friends there. The weather was awful again (WTF OSAKA!), so it was perfect for shopping in the Shinsaibashi/Dotombori area. We had delicious takoyaki in a shop where you had to poke a menu with some kind of electronic pen to make your order (and in barely concealed fascination listened endlessly to the Takoyaki Song which was coming out of a restaurant guarded by a gigantic octopus) and I proceeded to empty my bank account at ALL THE STORES to buy ALL THE SHIT because that's how I am.

Coming back to the coin lockers area, I realized that I had left the key in one of the doors, but thankfully, my bag was still there... which contained my laptop, for one thing. Congratulations, Stephanie. Also, thank you, Japan, for having such (usually) well-behaved and honest people. Speaking of which, I was planning on sleeping at a net cafe, because although Japan does have its fair share of shady people, it doesn't make me nearly as nervous as... Okay, I can't think of any place. It's true that I tend to be pretty reckless when I'm traveling alone and, on some occasion, let's face it, unbelievably stupid and naive. Though for the record, I've never had any trouble and I'm still alive so that's all that matters, right?

But that night, I was fortunate enough to end up at my lovely friend's warm house of love, be treated to a wonderful meal and invited to spend the night. (As comfortable as those cubicle reclining chairs are, they are no match against a bed.) We had 手巻き寿司 (temakizushi - basically, sushi in hand), garden salad and miso soup, and concluded the meal with coffee and choux a la creme. We also had a skyping session with the dad and sang the addictive sake song (酒が飲める) which features many Japanese dialects and just pure silliness (yet no alcohol was drunk... not sure how this came on topic, but it was highly instructive). To some this may not seem much, but I enjoy this kind of evening, surrounded by this kind of people, the most. That night, I deepened some friendships and created new ones, and for that I am forever grateful.

We failed our lives going back on the following day when we just kept missing our trains or taking the wrong ones and it took us ages to get to Osaka (but I made good use of my time by doing some good ol' jacket-shaving... inside joke). Then we literally wasted hours looking for ONE shop - a J-Rock place -, but it was well worth the effort. An indie band was there for a signing event (I thought there were too many staff members and they looked way too good.) I asked one girl who they were and what I could catch sounded like "Peacock" but I doubt that's it XD Oh well, I'll never know. I'm ashamed to admit that I treated one of the members as if he were an employee before we understood that they were actually musicians... but he didn't appear offended, thank god. XD Still, I now have a favorite place in Tokyo (much more accessible) and it's called Closet Child. It also has AWESOME clothes. :D

After leaving, we set out to find the famous Koreatown - which, we concluded, does not exist, as we did not find it. DX But we did find a great restaurant which served pretty good Korean cuisine. The waiter was heavenly good-looking and so genuinely sweet that my friend and I fell for him at first sight. The other one was a magician and managed to take our towels from us and replace them without our noticing. He also kept looking at us as if he could read our minds... O_O It was a little unsettling to say the least. But, good times, good times.

I seem to run into a lot of trouble whenever it comes to finding where I'm going to stay for the night. (That still doesn't make me want to start acting like a normal person and book hotel rooms.) Although I prefer staying in net cafes than in hostels (it's the best if you just want to be left alone), locating the right one is not always a piece of cake. Whether it's going in a questionable building that turns out to be nothing more than a sort of apartment building, and being greeted by two couples (that really look more like two prostitutes and their clients), who chuckle softly at the sight of you poor innocent thing that has lost her way, carrying more pieces of luggage than she has limbs, or finding another net cafe that is advertised as such, but walking in on rows upon rows of porn DVD's... The fun just never ends. All episodes are usually preceded by or at some point followed by the drop of my phone's energy below the fatal point and the inability to find a goddamn electrical outlet wherever I go. (That wouldn't be a problem if I could find a net cafe, but that is exactly what the problem is in the first place. Not very helpful, huh.)

All of this happened on the same night, but thankfully, I managed to find what I was looking for and in fact discovered what is probably the best net cafe I stayed at to date. (I'm starting to be something of an expert, so trust me on this.) (UPDATE: I found one that compares to this one in Shinjuku.) The staff was friendly and good-looking, the place was dim-lighted and quiet, but also clean and modern. Of course, they also had the usual deal: drink bar included in the price and daily necessities provided in your booth (headphones, tissues, Q-tips, candy) at reasonably cheap fares. You can also take a shower, of course, and they also sell a bunch of stuff if you happen to have forgotten something (even underwear lol). It's really convenient!

BB Cafe near Nishinakajimaminamikata Station in Osaka, Osaka

大阪府大阪市淀川区西中島  3-23-9 中里第  2ビル  4F

Gran Cyber Cafe Bagus near Shinjuku Station in Shinjuku, Tokyo
東京都新宿区歌舞伎町1-21-1第二東亜会館

On Friday, I was on my own, so I decided to do a bit of sight-seeing. I was glad I decided to stay, because it was a beautiful day! The weather was gorgeous, so warm and sunny! I went out to find Osaka Castle and hopefully some sakura. Before that, I went to Sky Building, but I regretted going there during the day. I didn't want to pay again (700 yen), so I left it at that, but I'm sure it would have been much better at night. Exactly because it was sunny, the landscape was too bright and kinda foggy (smog?). I really would have liked to admire a night view instead. Some other time, maybe! On the other hand, the castle was quite the sight. I had some takoyaki again, bought a lot of souvenirs (including this little guy!) and walked around in the sun. There I found some sakura at last!

But they weren't that impressive. My big surprise was upon leaving the castle, when I ended up in Osaka-jo Kouen, a lovely park right outside Osaka Castle. More sakura! But this time, it was the real deal. Most of the trees were quite small and the flowers had only started blooming, but they were already of a vivid dark pink – magnificent. At that point, my cellphone was begging me to save what little energy it had left, and my camera had just died, too. But that wasn't going to stop me! I took a ton of photos, and then my phone died, and I was left to find the station without any directions. In the end, I found my way back, and I was more than happy not to have held back!