with our wonderful gaijin JR pass in hand, we hurry excitely to the train station, as yoko has to pay the native fare. much to our collective disappointment, our passes do not allow us onto the shinkansen. damn xenophobes. without the bullet train, we arrive in osaka dull and enclosed.
the air feels different down here, however, the streets are lit in a way the urban japanese love, by neon glow. as we wander through dotombori, i try to suppress the feeling that i'm in tokyo, but dull and enclosed. surrounded by giant animatronic crabs and the drifting aromas of crustaceans burning. oh yes and okinomiyaki, an irrepressibly hot little meal, oh yes, sizzle my precious! btw, can someone tell me the backstory of this eccentric clown? apparently he's japan-famous and he travelled the country a lot, for what purpose? perhaps only the japanese know.

i wander off to dotombori bridge, the infamous hangout, people watching and sport fanatic diving board. apparently after the 2002 World Cup, thousands got freaky naked and jumped into the green muck below. unbelievable what sports can do to a mind.