Electric Lights on Strings

Trees alight in Osaka.

German Christmas Market in Osaka

Visited the German Christmas Market in Osaka which is held under the Umeda Sky Building and offers an atmosphere of German-esque Christmas. The event was rather enjoyable, but crowded, and includes a 27-meter-tall Christmas tree decorated with about 100,000 lights that is surrounded by many quaint antique wooden shacks selling traditional handicrafts and various Christmas ornaments. Also on hand is a 110-year-old merry-go-round brought from Germany (pictured here in action), a manger with life-size figures, and fellow dressed in an elaborate German santa suit (Heilige Nikolaus). He might have been the real santa, I just didn't ask. The food was also enjoyable, warm Glühwein (a traditional composition of spices and red wine served hot) beer on tap, Lebkuchen (German gingerbread), sausage, roast ham, Tropfkrapfen (German donuts), and pretzels added to the festive atmosphere.

27-Meter Christmas Tree

Tree from the German Christmas Market in Osaka, a stage was erected next to the tree that hosted live music, carols, and even an abbreviated production of the Nutcracker Suite (pictured). The event is organized, in part, by the German Consulate General of Osaka-Kobe.

Umeda Sky Building View

It had been a very long time, almost 12 years, from my last up-close and personal visit to the Sky building - which is one of my favorite buildings in Kansai; I just cannot help but feel like I have entered some 1980's esque science fiction film when I am transported through the tube like suspended bridges that connect the towers. However, this was my first trip inside the building and my first visit at night, you do have to pay to access the uppermost outdoor rooftop observatory called The Floating Garden, but from my point of view it is worth the cost (if it is after nightfall) just for the romantic kitch and the views. So now my inner 1980's child is wondering when the Japanese will complete the flying cars and personal robots to complete the view.

Umeda Sky Building 梅田スカイビル

The seventh-tallest building in Ōsaka and, at least for me, 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. In the photographs you can see the bridges, from the bottom looking up, the top looking down, and from the inside riding down.

Tempozan Ferris Wheel

Located in Ōsaka at Tempozan Harbor Village, near the Kaiyukan Aquarium, this wheel is the 5th largest in the world; with a height of 112.5 meters and a diameter of 100 meters. Tempozan Ferris Wheel opened to the public on July 12, 1997 and features colored lights that provide a weather forecast for the next day: orange lights indicate a sunny day, green lights a cloudy day and blue lights indicate rain.

Ōsaka Castle 大坂城

Last week visited Ōsaka castle and was pleasantly surprised to see that it was decorated with a very large landscape-like artificial hill composed entirely of flowers (represented a waterfall complete with bamboo bridge) for the chrysanthemum festival. Every year there are chrysanthemum festivals organized throughout Japan, as this particular flower is a prominent symbol of Japanese nobility. Known as the “sun” flower, the chrysanthemum was formally a symbol of the emperor, who was believed to be a descendant of the sun goddess. The highest order of Japan is even called the Grand Order of the Badge of the Chrysanthemum, which is the highest possible honor a Japanese citizen could be awarded during his or her lifetime.

Danjiri Matsuri #4

Last image from the danjiri matsuri, where even the kids get into the act.

Danjiri Matsuri #3

Each danjiri is carved with intricate scenes depicting wars, heroes, religious figures, and animals; each one is a mobil work of art. The danjiri go fastest turning corners. This is accomplished by four men pulling sets of levers which cause the danjiri to skid, allowing the shrine to turn. This is the most dangerous part of the matsuri; when the dancers have the greatest chance of falling off the danjiri and the danjiri has the greatest chance of slipping out of control and colliding with the hapless spectators.

Danjiri Matsuri #2

Just before the teams start to pull the danjiri, there is a slow chanting by each puller. A whistle is blown and the team springs into running. The chanting grows to a furious pace as the team shouts and yells. The thick pulling-rope can be up to 650 feet long and the pulling-team as large as 1000 people. The privilege of dancing on top of the danjiri goes to the carpenters. They are called daiku-gata and each one creates his own style of dancing, varying on traditional themes. With thousands of participants and tens of thousands of spectators, danjiri is easily one of Ōsaka's rowdiest festivals.

Danjiri Matsuri #1

Last weekend the citizens of Kishiwada, Ōsaka, got riled up for the Danjiri Matsuri the same way they have for the last three hundred years. Each district of the city creates a danjiri (pictured), and starting early in the morning with the sound of a blaring siren, all 33 danjiri teams haul their danjiri at a breakneck pace through the city streets for hours while stalls along the roadside sell trinkets and food for the spectators. All the danjiri are made entirely of zelkova wood. Each danjiri weighs 4 tons, is 12.5 feet high and 8 feet high. Each is constructed by master woodcarvers and carpenters.

Kaiyukan 海遊館

Kaiyukan, or "playing in the sea pavilion," is the proper name of the Ōsaka aquarium. It is one of the largest public aquariums in the world and its inhabitants are displayed in 15 tanks, each representing a specific region of the Pacific Rim. The central tank, representing the Ring of Fire area of the Pacifc Ocean, is nine meters deep and home to a whale shark. Visitors start their tour of the aquarium on the 8th floor and slowly spiral down floor by floor around the central tank. Some of the tanks stretch over several floors, making it possible to observe the animals from different depths and perspectives. The organization, architecture, and marine life chosen for the Kaiyukan follow, in part, the Gaia Hypothesis advocated by Dr.James Lovelock. This hypothesis includes "a theory of the Earth as a living organism - where the evolution of the species and their material environment are tightly coupled. Pictured is a Moon jellyfish at play in the sea pavilion.

Ōsaka Aquarium 水族館

Last weekend I needed to beat the intense heat wave that has engulfed Japan. Really it is killer hot this summer, literally as of August 17 heat exhaustion has claimed 132 lives, with 31,579 people hospitalized since May 31 according to Fire and Disaster Management Agency. The Ōsaka Aquarium was just the ticket, cool air conditioned comfort for body and temper, and a feast of sites for the eyes. My favorite part of this wonderful aquarium is the last floor where the jellyfish live. Pictured: Box, Sea Nettle, and the upside down jellyfish.

"Takin' on the jellies. You got serious thrill issues, dude." (Finding Nemo)

Naniwa Yodogawa Yatai

No festival in Japan, including fireworks, is complete without some tasty eats to enjoy along with the festivities. The line of Yatai, or temporary food stalls, at the Naniwa Yodogawa Fireworks Festival was impressive and though many of the Yatai offerings were similar, the sheer number of them made for an entertaining walk along the river shoulder-to-shoulder with the masses of people. The döner kebab was meaty goodness, the cheese chikuwa (nori flavor, also available in curry) was salty-fried heaven on a stick, the inexpensive tamago sembe is always a crunchy treat, and the mango magic snow was a cool, flavorful desert with a wonderful texture that no other icy confection can match.

Naniwa Yodogawa なにわ淀川花火大会

It is the fireworks festival season in Japan, and one of the biggest fireworks festivals in the Kansai region is in Ōsaka, the Naniwa Yodogawa Fireworks Festival. This festival has been held along the Shin-Yodogawa River since 1989, and despite its massive size, the festival is hosted almost entirely by the local residents and businesses of the Juso neighborhood. Attendance each year is approximately 500,000 people, and the fireworks display is impressive. The fireworks started launching at 8 pm and the show lasted slightly over an hour. If you plan to attend next year I suggest bringing your tarp and staking out a place along the river in the late afternoon if you want any chance of sitting, as it is very crowded. Many people dress up in yukata and have picnics beforehand, making it an all-day event.

Escalator エスカレーター

Japan is known for proper etiquette but perhaps one area less noticed by visiting foreigners is escalator etiquette. In Japan, every time you ride an escalator, people who are just standing stay to one side, making way for those who may be in a hurry to pass. The Japanese create maximum pedestrian efficiency, in a densely populated landmass, by using the social pressure, enforced by a homogenous society, to maintain “wa” (harmony). Really, without "wa" I don't think this many people could live in such a small place without tearing each other apart. However, for some reason unbeknownst to me, in the Kanto region (i.e. Tokyo), everyone stands to the left while in the Kansai region (i.e Osaka), everyone stands to the right! Pictured is a very cool open-clockwork escalator in a building in Ōsaka.

Kukunitama-jinja

A garden path at the backside of Kukunitama-jinja with lanterns alight for the Natsu Matsuri leading toward some of the smaller shrines and a stage area set up for karaoke and libations, a great way to enjoy the cooler evenings and the festive atmosphere; however I personally stick to private karaoke booths with friends. For some Japanese karaoke is a serious hobby, and it is not uncommon to practice alone in booths to prepare for work or social related events that might include karaoke, though I have been told that this behavior is on the decline and karaoke is being taken less seriously then it once was. Karaoke is still quite common and popular here none-the-less, how about where you live?

Mikoshi At Ikutamasan Natsu Matsuri

Some final images from the Ikutamasan Natsu Matsuri; as the mikoshi, gold house like objects on the sholders of these fellows, entered the shrine grounds they were greeted and blessed by a priest at the main gates and then paraded into the large flat open grounds in front of the Hoden. Each group from around the city entered the grounds, after carrying the mikoshi and or large Taiko and their small troops of players all over town for the last 8 hours, and literally ran with them at full gail to all corners of the shrine grounds to perform ritual bows, chants, and clapping. Quite a site, these fellows must have slept really well that night with all that running, walking, lifting, drinking, eating, and mary making; after-all I sure did and I was only a spectator.

Ikutamasan いくたまさん Natsu Matsuri

It is festival season and Gion is far from the only festival in the Kansai area, actually July 11 was the first matsuri I attended this month and it was also the first large summer festival I had ever attended. Located at the Kukunitama-jinja, also called Ikutamasan by the locals, in Tennoji-ku Ōsaka; this was the Natsu (summer) matsuri and it spilled out from the large shrine grounds to the crowded market streets well beyond its gates. The spirit of this festival was less formal and more electric then Gion in Kyōto, in general Ōsaka has a different feel then other areas of Japan I have visited - friendly, open, and more direct while simultaneously being slightly gritty and curt. The festival began in the morning as shrines from all over the Tennoji area brought forth their mikoshi with parades of Taiko (太鼓) "drum" players and dancers. The many parades could be heard throughout the city and as I walked down one of the major streets I encountered celebrations and precessions of various sizes about every 3-4 blocks. In the early evening all the parades turned toward Kukunitama-jinja where they were pushed through the crowds toward the Hoden (main shrine).

Ōsaka Street Art

Street art from around central Ōsaka and appropriately the Gundam graffiti is from Nipponbashi. Speaking of Gundam the city of Shizuoka, 125 miles west of Tōkyō, has re-erected the statue that was in Odaiba last year - unveiling is on the 24th of July which is also Gundam’s 30th birthday. Shizuoka is the city where most of the Gundam plastic models are manufactured, and even though the location is in the middle of nowhere Bandai (who owns the rights to Gundam) and Shizuoka expect millions of tourists. Unfortunately I cannot justify the expensive trip just to see the statue, especially with little else to see or do in Shizuoka, which makes me a little sad - like the last graffiti.