Osaka, Kochi, and Hososhima Travelogue

🚦Day 7 Osaka Half-Day Free Tour 🗼We arrived at Osaka Port at 2 PM Tokyo time and started our half-day free tour of Osaka. We bought a one-day subway ticket and arrived at Ebisucho. Exit 3 is the popular spot for taking photos of Tsutenkaku. The towering steel structure of Tsutenkaku, with the tangled wires in the alleys, gives a post-apocalyptic city vibe. Apart from being cautious of vehicles and pedestrians while taking photos, there are no other suggestions. 📽️We wandered around the Shinsaibashi shopping area and accidentally stumbled upon a vintage street. Besides clothes and shoes, various toys from different eras like Peko-chan, Buddy Lee, and Barbie are well-preserved and sold here! The Glico billboard in Dotonbori is also an indispensable part of Osaka's night scene, with the crowd comparable to any popular commercial street in a first-tier city in China. 🚦Day 9 Osaka Parallel World of Dimensions 🎠The second dimension has always been an essential part of Japanese cultural labels, so I chose to spend most of the day experiencing the impact and feelings it brings. The area centered around Jungle Nipponbashi and Animate Nipponbashi stores is a great place to visit. You can find unexpected original merchandise like manga, posters, figurines, DVDs, and more. Due to the mature industry chain and sustainable demand, second-hand and used figurines also continue to circulate here. 🎡The super-complete second-dimension industry also brings new experiences to the catering and entertainment industry. In 2020, a dessert shop derived from the popular serial 'Kaiju No. 8' on 'Shonen Jump+' opened on the upper floor of Shinsaibashi PARCO. The shop prohibits filming, and each meal comes with a limited character coaster. The food developed according to each character's setting is also very distinctive. 🚦Day 9 Kochi A Day in a Small Town ⚓️On the ninth day, we arrived at Kochi, located at the southernmost part of Shikoku Island. Surrounded by mountains and the Pacific Ocean, bonito is one of the specialties here. Restaurants on the streets prominently feature various bonito dishes. Although the city is not large, it is fully functional, and a leisurely 'day in a small town' begins... 🫛As we all know, Japan's land area is small, and agriculture here is greatly restricted by the environment. However, in Kochi, seasonal fruits and vegetables can be harvested all year round. Therefore, in small shops on the street, you can see many agricultural and sideline products labeled 'Produced in Kochi Prefecture' with simple and plain packaging, which may also be related to the straightforward and honest personality of Kochi people. It is said that Kochi people are famous for their drinking capacity throughout Japan. Many locals will be noisy in small bars in the city center until late at night. Due to limited time on this trip, if there is another opportunity, I must experience Kochi's nightlife. 🫑Starting from the main gate of Kochi Castle, Otemon, it takes about ten minutes on foot to reach Obiyamachi. This is a fully enclosed arcade shopping street about 650 meters long from east to west. Commercial facilities such as Obiyamachi 2-chome Shopping Street, Ohashi-dori Shopping Street, Harimayabashi Shopping Street, Shinkyo-bashi Shopping Street, and Obiyamachi Centro are all available. Unlike any other Japanese commercial street we visited before, Kochi Prefecture is not large, so the living and shopping needs of local residents must be met here. Shops specializing in school uniforms, custom kimonos, bookstores selling study materials, etc., are mixed in. It is also very interesting to walk in and browse without disturbing other customers. 🧈In the previous days of the trip, I didn't get to eat the cream cake that Japanese anime girls love. At the corner of a small alley, I pushed the door into a seemingly inconspicuous but surprisingly delightful 'local coffee shop' called 'Gendai Kigyosha.' The old-school Japanese-style decoration is very eye-catching. There are no people hurriedly taking photos in the shop. More are Japanese aunts quietly chatting, Japanese uncles focused on Sudoku, and Japanese youths who can read a book all afternoon with just a cup of coffee... Time passes very slowly here, and it was at this moment that I realized the Japanese ability to heal themselves by being alone. 🚦Day 10 Hososhima Miyazaki's Summer 🌊Uma no Se is located at the tip of Cape Hyuga. It is said to be named because the columnar rocks along the coast resemble a horse's back. There is an observation deck on the inside of the cape where you can view the steep cliffs formed by the 70-meter-high and 100-meter-deep columnar rocks. 🌫️Adjacent to Uma no Se is the Sea of Cruz, where huge reefs form a cross-shaped sea area. From the air, the arrangement of these reefs sometimes looks like the letter 'leaf.' Therefore, it is said that the tradition of praying to this place began, and it is also a popular dating spot for couples. 💨Hyuga Aeon Mall is a large shopping center located in Hyuga City. Three buildings surround a huge parking lot, offering a wide range of products from daily necessities, fresh food to fashion accessories. Here, we felt the shopping atmosphere closest to Japanese life, and we also ended all our onshore trips here.