Photo Trip Report: Japan in a Van

[pharvey]

Construction appeared minimal in both cities by comparison. Another thing was it was a lot more "low-rise" presumably due to the earthquake threat.

Yes, remember it being fairly low-rise, but was thinking the population density there would lend itself more to high-rise despite the threat of earthquakes. Also thinking Japan was a leading technology with regards to construction in "earthquake zones". Maybe the latter being why they only build low-rise!!

Not sure what a Pachinko is but the effigy all over Osaka was called a Billiken.

Sorry - I meant the pic of the guy sat down in front of a row of "Slot Machines". It looks similar to Pachinko which was basically a low cost gambling machine (a One Armed Bandit without the arm if you will). Same Same but Different!!

[EDIT] Oh hang on, no - Pachinko had a load of pins where you had to guide the coin/ball - definitely different!!

[Big Boy]

[Sorry - I meant the pic of the guy sat down in front of a row of "Slot Machines". It looks similar to Pachinko which was basically a low cost gambling machine (a One Armed Bandit without the arm if you will). Same Same but Different!!

LOL, I scrolled up the page to look at the photo, and I thought it was a series of posh coffee machines - note to self..... need to go to SpecSavers.

[caller]

Not sure what a Pachinko is

As PH say's, they are everywhere. I mentioned it in my little post about Tokyo, And yes, I did have a game or two. Not really sure what I was doing, but it seemed fun! Generally I was driven out by the fug of smoke.

https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2065.html

[buksida]

Day twelve
Today we were heading one stop up the subway line to the Korobon Ichiba Market, Osaka’s famous seafood market. Every kind of aquatic lifeform imaginable from puffer fish to seaweed was on display here for consumption. We started with something safe, Kobe and Wagyu beef which we could select and the chef would cook for us.

Then it was on to oysters, octopus, eel, and finally the prehistoric-looking king crab and Japanese spider crab which can grow as large as 18 kilos. These things are not cheap and one leg alone cost 4,000 yen (about 1,000 baht) which we had barbequed.

The highlight of this culinary cruise from the depths of the ocean was the fresh sushi. We could select a cut of tuna which the chef would prepare for us as sushi (on rice) or sashimi (filleted tuna). We selected a prime cut costing 6,900 yen (around 1,600 baht) and it tasted divine.

The exotic seafood adventure wasn’t cheap as it was very touristy, but not something one does every day and when in Japan which is world famous for seafood you have to try these things!

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To follow: Dotonbori, Osaka

[Dannie Boy]

One thing I noticed is that the vast majority of staff workers wore masks, whereas the vast majority of customers didn’t - was that the general consensus in Japan?

[buksida]

Yes, like Thailand, Japan is still mask crazy in most places, especially the urban areas. They're not quite as silly as to drive around in their cars on their own with a mask on though.

[pharvey]

Puffer Fish Sashimi - "Eat at Counter"..... Is that in case you take a turn for the worse and need to be revived?!!

[EDIT] Did you get to one of those Sushi & Sashimi places with the food just moving continuously around on a small conveyor belt?

[buksida]

I wasn't brave enough for the Pufferfish.

No, we got the sushi fresh from the tuna and prepared in front of us, far more authentic.

[buksida]

From there it was a short walk to Dotonburi, Osaka’s thriving riverside neighbourhood with its swanky cafes, tourist shops, tax-free stores, and all manner of restaurants.

Naturally, this place was a throng of activity with crowds of people dwarfing those on Tokyo’s crazy crossing. We had to pay attention not to lose each other in the thrumming sea of humanity all jostling to get ahead or secure a selfie spot. Crowds are not my thing so we headed along the river to find a seat away from the pack of people most of whom were intent on photographing the iconic Glico sign for reasons unknown to me.

By 5pm it had started to get dark and the lights and advertising billboards were beginning to illuminate providing more great photo opportunities.

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To follow: Nara

[buksida]

With the long weekend finally over, we thought it would be a good time to head out to Nara and the famous deer park. A 45-minute train ride later we emerged from Kintetsu-Nara station to realise that it made no difference to crowd levels as the Chinese tour groups were there in force.

The attraction of Nara Park is the local deer population that wanders freely amongst the people and bows for crackers that can be bought for 200 yen (50 baht). There was no entrance fee to the park which also housed some impressive Japanese temples and shrines.

The first rain of our trip started to fall by midday as foretold by the weather app and skies were darkening so we decided not to hike further into the park and head back to the city.

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To follow: final day in Osaka

[pharvey]

Great photo's - truly majestic animals. That park must have been quite the experience aside from the tourists from "across the water"!

[buksida]

Impressive it was ... also free. There would be a dual-priced farang tax to get into something like that in Thailand.

[Bamboo Grove]

I remembered that there was a big Buddha Statue in Nara park. Maybe I just can't remember correctly. I was there in the spring of 1988.

[buksida]

There may well have been, the park was huge and we didn't have time to exploure it all.

I’d been mulling a camera upgrade since prices in Japan were much cheaper than in Thailand and tourists get a tax discount. On return to Osaka that wet afternoon I pulled the trigger on a Nikon Z50 mirrorless to replace my heavy and ageing but very reliable D7200. The saving was a considerable 30% less than the identical kit in Thailand.

The Mrs had researched a local pork cutlet restaurant where a former Sumo wrestler turned chef prepared big-sized cutlets with special sauce. Naturally, there was still a queue despite the rain since the tiny venue only sat ten people.

Queuing to get into a restaurant in Japan is the norm, the more popular the venue, the longer the queue. Being a nation that operates on strict punctuality, the Japanese also eat at set times which is why many restaurants only open for a couple of hours at these times. We learned to avoid them and eat ‘off-peak’ to avoid the queues.

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To follow: Osaka final day

[Big Boy]

I’d been mulling a camera upgrade since prices in Japan were much cheaper than in Thailand and tourists get a tax discount. On return to Osaka that wet afternoon I pulled the trigger on a Nikon Z50 mirrorless to replace my heavy and ageing but very reliable D7200. The saving was a considerable 30% less than the identical kit in Thailand.

Probably a silly/naive question, but should you have declared your purchase on return to Thailand?

If yes, and you were stopped by Customs, would it have worked out more expensive?