Today, we started our morning with a light breakfast in our cozy Airbnb in Osaka. To give you an idea of the space, it’s quite small—about 150-200 square feet. A narrow hallway stretches from the front door, where you take off your shoes, leading to the main room. Off the hallway, there’s a washroom (sink + shower + bath), where the shower sprays the entire room, including the sink. The toilet is in a separate room and has a heated seat. There’s also a washer, but instead of a dryer, clothes are hung out on the balcony—even in winter. It’s cute to see hanging laundry on balconies swaying in the wind, as you walk down the street.
For breakfast, we ate food we picked up at a local grocery store last night (which is open 24/7!). It was immediately obvious we weren’t from Japan—we were the only ones speaking English and were using our phones to have apple translate decipher the packaging. I spent at least 10 minutes staring at the bread aisle, hoping to find gluten-free bread, but no luck. At the self-checkout, the attendant had to help me twice—once because I couldn’t figure out how to input the avocado’s produce number, and again because I had no idea how to get plastic bags. Not being able to read or understand 95% of what’s around me has been an experience. It’s amazing how long simple tasks take when you can’t read the language. I’m now realizing just how valuable universally recognized symbols are—like arrows. I’ve definitely taken the “tear here” instructions on sauce packets for granted. My sincerest apologies, sauce packets.
Then in the afternoon, we took the metro to the Osaka Aquarium KAIYUKAN, in Osaka. It was pretty amazing, and I don’t say that lightly. When you first enter, you step into a stunning fish tank tunnel, surrounded by fish and rays swimming all around you. As you move through the aquarium, each exhibit showcases a distinct biome, featuring a variety of animals and sea creatures coexisting within their natural environment. The sections are arranged geographically, with the biomes becoming deeper as you descend through the building. One of the highlights is a massive tank where schools of fish, manta rays, and various species of sharks—including whale sharks—gracefully roam. Then, at the very bottom of the aquarium building, in almost pitch black, there were different tanks of jellyfish.
Once we were done with the aquarium, we took the metro to the Shin-Osaka station to pick up some bao steamed buns. The line was around the entire store, but it was worth the wait. More tomorrow!
-W