just came back from a short trip to the land of the rising sun. first time to visit the country. had my fears based on second hand stories: too expensive, language barrier, hard to get around. but all those fears dissipated. i totally enjoyed myself in osaka. i didnt do as much cultural stuff in kyoto. spent more time shopping. :-)
virgin observations
japanese guys in osaka are supposedly more masculine looking than their tokyo brods. but for the younger ones, the trend is to have their eyebrows plucked. WHAT'S UP WITH THAT? sorry, i prefer my guys with less feminine interventions. i didnt see many cuties out there. no outstandingly gorgeous guys. but there some hot nice bods walking around. and they are no longer bow-legged. LOL
japanese women are a lot trendier. they dye their hair blonde. and all of them are now into babydoll summer dresses, usually empire cut. they layer their knitted sweaters or over-sized scarves. they wear lace stockings and six-inch heels.
i love shopping there with so many japanese brands that are of great quality. but pricey. a good round-collar shirt will be about P1,200 - P1,500. of course, there is always uni-qlo and muji. i love. there are shops for pre-owned luxury items. and all of them superbly taken cared of. almost new.
the major luxury retailers are all over the place (LV, prada, gucci) but i heard they dont have as many patrons as they used to.
my beloved hybrid prince is a taxicab there. LOL. but to be fair, an elite taxicab. haha. i loved seeing the prius all over.
you can easily figure out how to get around. there are enough english signs (and symbols) to take you where you wanted. i felt so liberated and empowered getting around osaka alone (my host had work).
the city is very clean. and generally quiet. they value their personal space. so dont expect them to crowd out each other on the seats of the subway.
i saw one gay area, mixed with the rest of the red light district. i didnt get to go in any bar or club since that was late and we had to catch the train back home.
i did do some IJ (investigative journalism) :-) but that's for a separate post.
i'd love to go back. it was a very short trip and there so many other things to do.
thank you, dear host, for your hospitality, generosity, concern. thanks for making me feel like i had you in my life, even for a brief moment in time.
2 comments:
wow! i will be in osaka for vacation in 2 wks time. though i ve been to japan but never to osaka. good to hear u like the city and nowi am looking forward to visiting it. pinoybkkian
haaay. I miss Osaka... went there for work for almost 2 weeks but still didn't have time to go around.
As a note: when asked, girls dye their hair so that they won't be accused of not taking care of themselves. Jap boys have been plucking their eyebrows for a good decade now. Both instances is to achieve the "Kawaii" look.
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