My affinity for Japan started when I was just a kid. The area in which I grew up was home to the oldest Japanese community in Canada, so I was exposed to the culture from a very young age through various cultural events and through the great number of classmates and eventual family members that I interacted with. My journey to Japan, almost 25 years ago, began in the city of Kōbe. It was there that I truly began my love-affair with the country. At that time I began relationships with people who remain some of my closest friends. Kōbe became home to one of the oldest western communities in Japan after the Shogunate ended the 200-year period of Sakoku 鎖国, or closed country (encouraged by some stern nudging from Commodore Perry). So it’s been a bit more forgiving to gaijin (or obeijin if they’re more polite) than many other parts of the country. As a result, I continue to have a soft spot for the city so during the trip I wanted to introduce my friend to the place where it all began. I tried to find the old apartment but to no avail. I wasn’t planning on breaking in (If there are any Barenaked Ladies fans out there, you know the reference). It’s been a long time so I may not have gotten the correct street, but when I mentioned the quest to my friend later he said the building may not even be there any more. Ah well.
Not being a major tourist destination, Kōbe has had a bit of rough time of time of it. However, over the last several years, the city government has been doing a lot to try to revitalize things with new venues along the waterfront and the historical port, particularly Meriken Park and the iconic Port of Kobe tower and Maritime museum, particularly lovely at night when they’re both lit up. The Tooth Tooth Mart Food Hall in the Kobe Port Museum building is certainly a recommendation. Yes, I realize its an odd name but the food court is well worth a visit. When we were there with friends of mine who live in Kobe, there was a jazz/big band music festival going on and it was a hell of a lot of fun. A few years ago they reviatalized the old Higashi Yūenchi (East Park) in the Motomachi area so that in now has a fabulous grassy centre that gets kitted out with cool living room style furniture on sunny days and is turned into a wonderful family venue for picnics and the like. There’s also plenty of seating around the perimeter and even concessionary stands. Keep it up Kōbe!
As much as I continue to love Kōbe, when I’m in Kansai my home base tends to be Ōsaka, Umeda in particular. This is mainly due to it being a nice central location for day trips all around Kansai because Umeda is home to almost all the train lines you need with the exception of the Nankai and Kintetsu lines but they’re just a few stops away in Namba. Also, Ōsaka is just a really cool city in its own right with plenty of sights and things to do, as well as places for good eating and drinking. Unfortunately, a whole lot of other people have figured that out over the last few years as well. A perfect example is the entertainment area around Shinsaibashi/Dotonbori which is just wall-to-wall people these days. I took my friend to the fringes just so I could show her how bonkers it gets. She was suitably horrified.
Like the Kahitsukan in Kyōto, there are museums and galleries I always try to visit in Ōsaka. Most notable are the Nakanoshima Museum of Art and the National Museum of Art. Conveniently, they’re right across from each other on the island of Nakanoshima which also home to a variety of other highlights such as the Oriental Museum of Ceramics and a rather stunning rose garden. We skipped the exhibits at the National Museum of Art but managed to take in a huge exhibit of Monet works that was very well attended, to say the least. Is it bad to admit I was more taken with the 7 meter tall “Giant Torayan” robot sculpture by local artist Yanobe Kenji? Take a look at the photos and you be the judge.
There’s always something new to discover about Ōsaka but I wasn’t expecting it to be the revelation that there is still a red light district in operation! All these years and I had no clue. How we came upon this information was via a photographer friend of mine who is Ōsaka born and bred. During lunch, he asked what our plans for the rest of the day were. I mentioned that part of our plan was to go into Shin Sekai to show my friend part of old Ōsaka. On the topic of the old city, he mentioned that Tobita Shinchi is close by. When I exclaimed that I had no idea that there were still operating districts of the like, he offered to show us, however, he admonished that cameras needed to be put away as they were frowned upon. Women too were not exactly welcome but they’d just have to deal with my friend being present. I suppose I could have been surreptitious to snap a few photos of the girls and the arrangement but since I didn’t want to abuse my guide’s trust I don’t have any of my own. The link I provided above will give you an idea if you’re curious. It was an interesting insight and while I’m not a prude by any stretch, it was also a very odd vibe. And being a woman, my friend did mention a rather antagonistic one toward her as well as the women in the doorways made an obvious effort to hide their faces whenever she happened to look over.
An area of Ōsaka with a much better vibe is the area around Tachibana Dōri, or Orange Street. It used to be an area of furniture making shops, and indeed there are a few that are scattered around still but it’s been very much gentrified and is now home to hip clothing shops, a very cool garden shop and one of my favourite coffee shops where they take coffee very seriously but the atmosphere is cool, quiet and relaxed. We sat at the window at a tall table. I put my Rolleiflex on the table beside us which inadvertently proved to be bait. After a little while, a group of six 20-something guys came in and started ordering coffees. I happened to be looking down at my phone when I saw this hand waving in front of me. I looked up and one of the young dudes was standing in front of me with a smile on his face. He pointed at the Rollei and in very good English said, “I really like your camera.” That started a brilliant visit. Turned out that Asuka is a budding photographer and the rest of his friends are a band that he travels around with, shooting their shows. They were down from Tokyo for a few days as the band had a gig in Ōsaka. He didn’t know what the Rollei was exactly but he was very curious and seeing it in the window was in fact the impetus for basically bullying his friends to head into the coffee shop in the first place. So, I proceeded to show him the Rollei and explain about it. As most people are, he was really amazed looking through the viewfinder and discovering how cool it is to use a waist-level finder, but he was also a bit discombobulated at the reversed image. He then shared his vintage Minolta. We talked more about photography and traded Instagram and website info (you can check out his work via the link above) and chatted some more. Some of the band came over and chatted as well. At this point, one of the band mates corroborated their visit to the coffee shop by telling us that Asuka did say they had to go into the coffee shop so he could check out the camera. Finally, with coffee finished it was time for my friend and I to head to our next destination, so we said our goodbyes and wandered away.
Now, if you’ve already perused the images, an astute observer may parse out what’s coming next. We walked for about 5 minutes, long enough to almost get to Amemura, when I suddenly stopped in the middle of the street and just said, “Arrrh”. My friend looked at me like I was blue and I asked rhetorically, “Why the fuck did I not get the guys outside to take a portrait?” She just laughed. I do this all the time, people. I get all wrapped up in the story or the event and I then completely forget why I’m carrying a camera around all the time. There are times when I’ll chase somebody down and grab a photo, but that’s less than 50% of the time. I really need to rectify this trait.
So, that’s all I have for the Japan trip that’s really worth talking about. Not sure what the next update will be but I will likely dip into the archives and catch up from the past few years that I forgot to post during and after the COVID period. Until then, enjoy the photos and story.
Perogies, Sushi & Bubble Tea 