By Mads

If you’ve ever been to Japan, you will know that young and old, from kiddies to grandma, LOVE all things Marty McFly. In fact, ask most Japanese people their favourite film, and the majority will answer Back To The Future (try it and see!). Our theory revolves around the fact that the future in the film is modern day Japan, minus the hoverboards. So, with this in mind, we began our adventure to Universal Studios Japan, located in Osaka.

Our first piece of advice is do not go on a Sunday, or a public holiday. The lines are massive, (we’re talking hour and a half waits) and, in this perfect capitalist society, the people that can afford it buy special tickets to jump the queue!! We hated these people.

So we spent most of the day in lines, but managed to entertain ourselves by getting excited by the rides! Our first attempt was the E.T ride, which is pretty boring if you are over 10 years old, and pretty much not worth the wait. But the E.T store ruled, we definitely could have spent a lot of money here.

Next up was Hollywood Dreams, the only roller coaster in the park. The pink and purple ride looks harmless, but once you climb the hill for the initial drop, you realise what you are in for. I am not a big fan of rides like this, and spent the entire 3 MINUTES, with my eyes closed. But Hon spend the whole time screaming with joy (and a little out of fear, I think).

Two rides and three hours later, we needed some food. So, naturally, we headed towards Jurassic Park for Jurassic Chicken! MASSIVE legs of barbarian style meat, described as both chicken and turkey, but I have a sneaking suspicion it is Ham, judge for yourself in the photos below!

We then figured we should go on the JP ride, which was not as scary as I thought, considering my irrational fear of Velocoraptors. I won’t spoil the fun, but buy a poncho at the start of the queue to avoid getting splashed!

After this we went on to The Back to the Future ride. 30 minutes into the hour and a half wait, my patience ran out, and I chose to wait at the nearby cafe while Hon lived out his delorean dreams. Unfortunately, Hon said it was not worth the wait.

By now it was time for the Halloween Character Parade! In Australia we don’t care much for Halloween, so we devised a plan to avoid the line ups and go to T2 and Spiderman while everyone else watched the parade. To our despair, the rides close down for the entirety of the show.

After the Parade, we wandered around as the sun set, watching the neon lights being turned on to add a cool atmosphere to the park. USJ really comes alive after dark with performers and eateries. We definately want to come back for a night here.

Overall, the line ups for each ride really put a damper on the day, but my favourite time was just wandering around the park, taking things in and trying on silly hats.

Next up, TOKYO DISNEY!

By Amz

Escape Osaka’s crowds and climate at Rokko Mountain in Kobe. If you want to hike up, it’s a great way to see the first maple leaves of autumn, but you have to find the hiking trail first (Akaso gave up and joined the families and couples queuing for the cable car instead). From the top, test out the stitch-assist function of your digi with the 180 degree views of Kobe, Osaka and the bay. We were later told by a Japanese friend that we should have stayed until sunset to see its famous view of the city lights. But although we didn’t find the hiking trail or see the famous twilight view, we definitely found the right place to eat. The Granite Cafe on the Garden Terrace may look uninspiring on the outside with its white plastic chairs and takeaway icecream stand, but inside it’s all state-of-the-art designer, with modern wood furniture and jaw-dropping views from the wrap-around dining terrace. Choose a Japanese or Western style lunch, and coffee/tea for about 1200-1500 yen. Totemo oishi!
From Osaka station take the JR to Sannomiya, then catch the Hankyu Kobe Line local to Rokko. We advise googling hiking trails beforehand.

By Mads

Want to know where to stay when you are booked in to sleep at Kamikochi, high in the Japan Alps, but you have arrived too late to get through? Well, this is exactly what happened to me on a recent trip to Gifu, and here we were stuck in a little Onsen town, with no food, no money, and no where to sleep. It was 8pm.

That sleepy little Onsen Town turned out to be Hirayu Onsen, located deep in the mountains east of Takayama. Most guide books will tell you it is a transport hub, barely worth a look, but I beg to differ. As we walked down to the main part of town looking for a place to sleep, we could hear the water fresh from the mountain springs running underneath us. The whole town was clouded with steam coming from the hot springs.

Finally finding a place to stay at Hirayu Alps Ryokan, we ate an amazing dinner of traditional Japanese food. Looking out on to the town from our room, we discovered everyone walking around in their bath robes, so we decided to join in. Quickly changing in to our pink and blue robes, we walked around town and discovered numerous hot springs, most with eggs boiling in them, adding to the sulfur in the air. We stumbled upon a nice foot onsen, and dipped our toes in as light rain began to fall. As the rain got heavier, we ran back to our Ryokan, and decided to try out the onsen. There were inside and open air baths to choose from, and I took a dip in both. After a long day of travelling, I finally began to unwind.

The next morning we were greeted with a large breakfast of rice and salmon, and I had my fill as I didn’t know where and when we would be eating next. We went for an early morning walk before check out, and had coffee at a place we had noticed the night before, named cafe mustache. Great coffee and an inviting atmosphere. You can only imagine how relaxing a hot coffee in the middle of winter would be in this log style cafe.

As we finally boarded the bus to Kamikochi, I couldn’t help but think how nice it would be to stay one more day. As luck would have it, we came back to Hirayu the following morning and had a quick bath at the bus station (there are single sex baths on level three, open from 10am, 600 yen) after our night of camping in the Alps.

To get to Hirayu Onsen, catch a bus straight from Takayama JR station, it is around 50 minutes and costs 1530 yen. A night in the Hirayu Alps Ryokan cost 24000 Yen for two people, well worth it considering the two meals and free baths.

By Amz

Promoted by the same Tokyo gallery that brought us Yoshitomo Nara and Takashi Murakami, Mika Ninagawa is photography’s NBT. Her book of girls’ portraits, Sugar and Spice, features psychedelic, sweeter-than-candy images of rising Japanese stars with awesome backdrops… aquamarine swimming pools sprinkled with pink petals, rainbow-bright ball pits and technicolour aquariums. She is wildly popular in Japan for her portraits and fashion photography, and also for her vivid still lifes of flowers, goldfish and landscapes. She made her directorial debut this year with the film Sakuran, based on a manga comic. Pick up one of her super-kawaii books at Junkudo, or visit her official website. If you’re lucky enough to be in Tokyo in November or December, see her photographs for yourself at her biggest solo exhibition ever, at Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery, Nov 1- Dec 28.

By Benzo

What better way to start out our Read section than with Haruki Murakami? Probably the most famous contemporary Japanese author, Murakami writes flowing prose that can, at times, seem poetic. He has been quoted as saying that good writing needs rhythm and melody, like a good jazz song. But he takes the analogy even further by saying that he uses a ‘free improvisation’ style of writing, where somehow the story just comes out through some sort of ‘special channel.’ Through this style his characters move seamlessly between the surreal and real, and one can’t help but wonder if his inspiration comes, not just from jazz but also, from a heavy diet of manga.

Coming of age during the tumultuous student uprisings of the late 60s, Murakami has always been anti-establishment. He worked at a record store and as the owner of a jazz bar in Tokyo before taking on writing fulltime. He’s never opted for the traditional Japanese career path, and neither have his characters. In so doing they question the Japanese salary-man stereotype while facing headlong into the contemporary challenges Japan faces, such as suicide, depression, isolation and divorce.

His narrator mirrors F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Nick Carraway from The Great Gatsby as the inconspicuous listener. This is unsurprising, as Murakami has honed his craft as a writer translating Fitzgerald, Raymond Carver, John Irving and Raymond Chandler. Other influences include Kurt Vonnegut and Richard Brautigan.

If you’re after a love story, definitely check out Norwegian Wood, the novel that catapulted Murakami into stardom in Japan and worldwide. But, if you like a more abstract plot, try The Wind Up Bird Chronicle, A Wild Sheep Chase, or my personal favourite, Kafka On the Shore.

By Mads

I was pleasantly surprised yesterday when I found an IKEA catalogue stuffed in to my mailbox. Yes, Osaka, we have a new IKEA store. No more driving to Kobe for immaculate storage solutions and innovative chair designs!

Have a look at their website here.

But what you need to know is that there is a FREE shuttle bus that leaves from Namba Station every 15 minutes or so! So, now you have excuse. I wonder if they have $2 fry ups on weekends like the store in Sydney?

We can only hope…

By Benzo

Tucked away in Osaka’s craziest shopping district, Shinsaibashi, is Round 1, a multi level sporting amusement world, and hands down the funnest place on Earth. Whether it’s watching your drunken friends face up to the 140km/h baseball pitching machine on the rooftop or the double netted, circular ping pong tables made for four players, there’s sure to be something to keep you entertained all night.

It’s the best escape from shopping or just a great place for an akaso with friends, as they’ve got a fully stocked bar. Ten pin bowling, karaoke, video gaming, billiards, darts, fussball, mini golf and every kind of virtual sport imaginable – virtual table tennis, soccer, basketball, tennis, boxing, t-ball and of course baseball. There’s even a semi-automatic air rifle range.

If you’re stuck without a cheap bed in Osaka the guidebooks will tell you to bunk down in a love hotel or recliner chair in an internet cafe but we think Round 1 beats both hands down. For less than 1500 Yen we were able to stay all night until 6am. If you really want to sleep you can curl up in a reclining massage chair and of course, they’ve got shower rooms. But who would want to sleep when you could be playing virtual kickboxing, mini golf or facing up to a super fast table tennis machine?

Make sure you check out the air T-ball, say no more.

By Mads

Recently on a biking adventure, Amy and I came across a fab little shopping area known as Orange St.

Now, every other guide will tell you Shinsaibashi, Ame Mura and Umeda are the places to go in Osaka for shopping, but we disagree. For those after an afternoon of fun, you need to go to Orange Street. Just behind Ame-Mura, the street is a shopping mecca for the urban cool.

The star attraction for us is Spinns, an oh-so-hip new and used clothes store. You can imagine our combined shopping orgasm today when we walk in to discover they are now stocking H+M girls (alongside the likes of American Apparel and other local brands). They also have a heap of cute vintage dresses and shoes, and a monthly street style magazine featuring local kids that have visited the shop.

But today’s trip to Orange Street had a purpose that did not revolve around shoes. I have been riding in the area at night and had noticed a cute cafe named ‘Enjoy’, and was determined that they would have good coffee.

I was wrong. They have amazing coffee.

No soy milk, mind you, but I am attempting to overcome this by becoming a local. My plan was made easy when I got talking to the owner, who lived in Brisbane for a year and based the cafe on this favourite cafe in Australia, right down to the style of coffee. You have an option of six different designs for your coffee, after much consideration I went for the bear. It came out looking even better than on the menu!

Don’t get me wrong, this is no Gaijin hang out. The place also sells an array of Japanese cuisine and it was pure luck that someone spoke English.

Needless to say, we loved it there.

To get to Enjoy Cafe, just keep going west down Orange St, past Tamade Supermarket, and it is on the left surrounded by greenery. We will be there every Saturday, so see you there!

Sure, the Glico Man rules, but what else is there to do in the fair port city of Osaka? Eating, shopping, eating, drinking, and more eating is what Osaka’s about (um… awesome much?), so we are going to blog on everywhere kawaii (cute), kakoi (cool) and kure-ji (crazy) here.

PS In Japanese, akaso means to stay out all night and party, but there’s another reason we chose it for a name… Riddle me this!