Japan in Pictures: Day 4 (Thursday, 30th January 2014)

These next few blog posts may come much later than expected but I thought it is perhaps best to finish what one has started, even if it be more than one and a half-years late. Day 4 of our Osaka trip was serene yet educational.

 

After a severe case of over-walking in Kyoto the previous day, we decided to finally check out the places nearby the hotel. It was then that we discovered Daiei, the most unassuming spot which eventually became one of our favourite hangouts for the remaining days.

 

A supermarket that sells practically everything you need

 

My family has never been a great fan of shopping. Nonetheless, all of us have a habit of making at least a compulsory trip to the supermarket or any convenience store whenever we arrived at a new destination. One can certainly learn so much more about the daily culture of the locals just by looking at the items on display in the supermarkets.

True enough, we were not let down by this supermarket. One can easily spend a few hours here. Although I could not understand the Japanese words printed on the labels, it was nonetheless a thrilling experience to see the range of products available at this store.

 

 

You can find almost any kinda sauce, mix, ingredient etc. here.

 

There are all sorts of alcoholic drinks on the shelves.

 

Unlike the kind of meat we have in our supermarkets back home, the meats here are fresh



The selection of eggs alone seem 'eggs'traordinary.

 



 

Rows of grilled and fried food to remind us of our "pasar malam" at home.

 



Given a choice, we would have probably purchased every single thing we could not find in Malaysia. But then again, the exchange rate was against us and we had to weigh and convert the price of each item before deciding to get it. In the end, these were some of the stuff we bought:

 

Our purchase included fruits (oranges, bananas, strawberries, apples), vegetables (shredded cabbage), mayonnaise, vegetable chips, sake, and sweets.

 

How could anyone refuse these delicious-looking strawberries?

 

There were restaurants and other shop outlets besides the supermarket. In fact, we had a very good and affordable lunch at this restaurant.  





 

 

 

After 3 days and many meals, we have learned to allow the sight of plastic food to be the determining factor to help us decide whether we should patronize a particular restaurant. We saw this in front of the restaurant and decided to go in to see if the actual thing was close to the food on display.

 

The plastic food on display versus the real thing ... quite close, actually

 

We went back to the hotel and decided to take a tour to other floors. To our surprise, there was a church within the building! We did not know if the church was active but we guessed it must be a spot where people took lotsa wedding pictures. After all, it looked very impressive. The skylight shining through the transparent roof made for its serene ambiance.

Now, doesn't this look really grand? I wouldn't mind taking my wedding photo here ... if I had a groom, that is. =)

We were rewarded with this scene of the city from the other side of the church.

That night, we planned to make a trip to Dotonbori, one of the main tourist attractions in Osaka. I have never been to Las Vegas, but from what I hear, the lights in Dotonbori will certainly remind tourists of the night scene in Las Vegas. Why don't you look at the pictures below and judge for yourself?

 

 



To be honest, there was a great variety of food along the streets but due to our indecisiveness, the outlets started closing one by one. In the end, we settled for another Japanese fastfood outlet (which apparently has its branch in Malaysia, as well). => Yoshinoya.

 

 

Some of the meals we ordered. It's been so long that I don't even recall what they were called.

Even though Day 4 was not as fast-paced as the day before, we were grateful for a break and a slow trip near the hotel and around town. We went home and had a very good rest before departing to Kyoto again the following day.