A visit to Fukushima

So I recently spent a couple of nights in Fukushima. No, not THAT Fukushima. Fukushima is apparently a pretty common name throughout Japan, and in this case it refers to a small ward in Osaka, one of the more economically important cities throughout Japan’s history.


Photos: Shopping districts in Osaka often display these futuristic-looking signs at their entrances.
I spent most of my time in Osaka wandering around by foot, exploring a few of its touristy sights but mainly just taking in the normal activities of the city’s many citizens. Osaka is a pretty happening place, with lots of interesting shops and good restaurants. I made sure to try some of the foods that the city is famous for, including okonomiyaki and takoyaki. Okonomiyaki is sometimes referred to as Osaka Pizza, although the only similarity I found between the two is that they are both usually round. It is technically a “savory pancake” with bits of octopus and other meats cooked into it (I’ve had it with shrimp and with chicken); then it’s topped with mayo, dried fish flakes, seaweed, and some sweeter, dark sauce that is sometimes called “original sauce.” Takoyaki is very similar in terms of ingredients, but it is usually cooked by street vendors and made into these little balls that are then topped with various ingredients. I liked both, but I think I prefer okonomiyaki because the batter always seems to be cooked more thoroughly than that of takoyaki (which can be a bit mushy inside.)
Top left: Folks lining up to receive some sort of anime figurine that is just being released. Top right: Takoyaki being made. Bottom: Okonomiyaki being cooked and then consumed.
But enough about food for now… I’m planning to write up several full-length blog posts exclusively pertaining to Japanese food within the next week, so we’ll wait for that. Other things I did in Osaka… I went to Osaka Castle, which looks pretty impressive on the outside but isn’t terribly interesting inside. The castle is surrounded by not one but TWO moats, along with some very high stone walls. Seems to me it would be pretty difficult to break through those defenses. The castle’s architecture is beautiful, and it is also surrounded by some really beautiful gardens.

I also walked quickly around Tsūtenkaku, one of Osaka’s more famous landmarks. The tower apparently holds one of the biggest clock faces in Japan. Wikipedia tells me that the name means “Tower Reaching Heaven.” It reminded me quite a bit of the architecture you find in East Berlin…
Left: Tsūtenkaku Tower. Right: Random Statue of Liberty replica I saw while walking through Osaka.
What I spent most of my time doing in Osaka is just walking around the markets. Osaka has literally miles and miles of covered arcades with tons and tons of little shops. Two of the more famous market areas, both of which I really enjoyed, are Den-Den Town (AKA Nipponbashi) and Amerikamura. Near Amerikamura, for instance, you can spend twenty minutes walking down an arcade that is almost entirely devoted to selling cookware. As odd as it sounds, it’s really an interesting sight to behold. I especially enjoyed checking out vintage video game stores and video game arcades. Those both seem to be very popular in Japan (along with Pachinko Parlors), and I’m hoping at some point to do a full-scale investigation of them for a future post.

Oh yeah… this is Billiken. You can find him all over Osaka, but especially around Tsūtenkaku. He’s considered a god of good luck and the god of “Things As They Ought to Be.” If you check out his Wikipedia page, you’ll learn that he was invented by an American artist and introduced to Japan in the 20th century. Its so interesting how cultural icons are introduced to and spread throughout the world.