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Osaka has many interesting areas to explore, and is popular among both foreign and Japanese visitors for its history, food, culture, and laid back people.hangrybynature.com However, your trip won’t be complete unless you visit the major downtown hub of "Umeda’, also referred to as ‘Kita-ku’. The district itself is like a mini-city with everything from office buildings and malls, to glitzy nightclubs. Check out these 8 important things to do in Umeda to have a fun packed trip to Osaka! The Umeda Sky Building consists of two towers which are joined together at the top by an amazing terrace with a circular walkway, which makes it the perfect place for a great evening. You can observe the skyline of Osaka from the observatory, which is called ‘Kuchu Teien’ and is often referred to as the ‘floating garden’ in English.
It is one of the most romantic places to test your love as it offers great views which are incomparable to any others! You need to get tickets before you access the deck and witness the amazing sunset and dusk. The whole building, including the terrace, looks super attractive with colorful illuminations, thus making it one of the best places to spend time with your friends or partner on an evening! The Grand Front Mall is one of the most good looking malls in the entire city, thus making it a major hub for young people to meet and hang out in.
You will see plenty of dining places where you can have a sumptuous feast. Be it major clothing brands such as Steve Alan, hotels such as the InterContinental Osaka, showrooms such as the Panasonic Center, and many more, this mall will surely fit your itinerary very well! HEP 5 Ferris Wheel is a giant structure which can be ridden for just 500 yen, and from whose top you can get glimpses of the very beautiful Osaka and Kobe cityscapes. Being a great monument, it is a must try and can make for a very special evening. There are also a couple of eateries down near the wheel where you can relax whilst you observe the megastructure.
Osaka has a lot of ‘kawaii’ stores and cafes such as the Pokemon Center in Umeda’s popular Daimaru retail outlet, where you can take your kids to shop for different varieties of toys, school supplies, and much more. There are also some amazing cafes which are known for their interesting themes. These include the Disney styled ‘Alice in Fantasyland Cafe’, the ‘egg’ themed Gudetama Cafe, the ‘Hello Kitty’ themed ‘Pom Pom Purin Cafe’, and others. With plenty of restaurants to choose from, Umeda is a great place for food lovers as you can find almost every kind of Osakan favorite such as Takoyaki, in this area.
One of the most recommended Takoyaki restaurants is Takonotetsu, which is world renowned as it is featured in many famous shows, including the great chef Anthony Bourdain’s show. Apart from that, there are plenty of small to medium scale street food outlets that offer amazing dishes such as ramen, udon, yakitori, soba, tonkatsu, and so on. One such place where you can get your noodle fix is Shin-Umeda Shokudogai, a must-visit complex filled with shops meant for the general public. There are also a couple of kaiseki style diners, traditional sushi restaurants, and okonomiyaki food joints that you should not miss out on! Umeda, being a major center, is home to some great bars and clubs.
This is the place for local youth and foreigners to experience the amazing nightlife. The world famous Piccadilly Club invites you to have an unforgettable night out at their huge event arena, where DJ’s and singers perform for your amusement. You can also chill at some themed bars such as Dfloor, where you can enjoy liquor while being carried away into a world of techno! The Kita-ku area offers not only shopping malls and restaurants, but also museums dedicated to art such as the Museum of Oriental Ceramics. There is also a breathtaking island called ‘Nakanoshima’ separating two major local rivers, where you can find the National Museum of Art that is filled with great artworks. The island is also known for some other great buildings such as the City Hall, riverside floral venues such as Nakanoshima Park, and so on.
If you are traveling with kids, there is a must-visit fun arena and science museum near Ogimachi Station, called Kids Plaza, which is well known in the local area as a great place to keep children entertained! There are plenty of shops which sell accessories, hipster clothing, and so on, and you can go gift-shopping in the recently developed streets of Nakazakicho, which was once largely ignored and consisted of very old buildings. You can also visit a ‘shotengai’ (a long and busy commercial street), one of which is called ‘Tenjimbashi-suji’. It stretches for kilometers and has various shops lined up alongside, which is, in fact, one of the best places to search for gifts in the city! These are the most popular and must-do things in the Osaka`s hippest downtown to the North - Umeda. Expect major crowding in this district on festive occasions or on the weekends, as many people like to hang out here. Would you like to stay in Osaka? Check out all the hotels in the area here!
At the highest floor, you may step outdoors and be blown away by the marvelous view surrounding the castle’s perimeter. The best season to visit the Osaka castle that many may concur, would be during the cherry blossom bloom. My personal fav would be in winter, where occasional snow would envelope the castle and trees surrounding the area. It is truly breathtaking. Do take note however if you are traveling with young and elderly, that although the castle has a lift, it only serves the first few levels and to reach the very top, you would still have to take the stairs. Different cities in Japan are home to (a few) whale sharks, depending on the capacity of the aquarium. The Kaiyukan in Osaka, is home to 1 whale shark which is not fully grown yet when we last visited a few months ago.
But still, it looks big enough to swallow Alvin and I whole for appetizers. But fun fact, do you know that whale sharks are actually the largest known species of fish. And they feed on planktons and eggs. Quite a surprise for such humongous out of this world creatures, don’t you think? So if you’re a marine life enthusiast and would go chasing for whale sharks, I would recommend the Okinawa Churaumi instead. It is housing 3 whale sharks in the same tank! This has tourists around the region flocking to the Okinawa Churaumi to catch a glimpse of these gentle creatures. Calling out for all adrenaline junkies! You should never miss this if you’re in Osaka.
If you don’t already know this yet, unlike Disney theme parks, Universal Studios around the world pretty much have a majority of similar rides and story lines, whether it is in Florida or in Singapore. But then again, of course every park has their own famed attraction, which usually is a thrill ride to knock your socks off. So USJ is no exception. I shall not spoil the surprise for you here and we wouldn’t be divulging too much of what their main attraction was. But don’t worry, you can’t possibly miss it. However, be prepared for the waiting time, as it may set you back to at least 3 or 4 hours! And the queue for some of the rides may close a couple of hours before the official park closing hours. So start early if you don’t wanna miss anything! And lastly, if you have a day or two left to spare, we’d highly recommend you to take a train out to Nara or Kyoto for a day trip and you just might be in for a sweet surprise! Stay tuned to our Travel Blog as we’ll also be sharing both our adventures in Nara & Kyoto soon!
With an increase in Muslim visitors to Japan, more prayer rooms are being installed in commercial facilities across the country, but the number of users remains limited due to reasons such as lack of awareness and difficulty of access. The prayer rooms, often equipped with a washing area for cleaning hands and feet before prayers, and a sign indicating the direction of prayer, are mainly designed for those who conduct obligatory prayers five times a day. According to the operator of a website providing information for Muslims, there are about 170 prayer rooms in Japan, and the number is increasing as more tourists visit Japan from Southeast Asia. Travelers from Malaysia and Indonesia, which both have large Muslim populations, totaled around 700,000 in 2017, a sevenfold increase from a decade earlier, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization. As more prayer rooms open up, making the most of them remains a challenge, however. A prayer room installed recently in a shopping mall in Hiroshima Prefecture, western Japan, has been used only two or three times a month. Some customers misunderstood the purpose of the room and tried to use it as a place to rest.
What Is Special About the Fuji Apple? This Hub article presents several interesting recipes along with related fine arts and some history about Mt. Fuji and its namesake apple. Fujisan is the Japanese name for Mount Fuji, the mountain that has become a symbol of Japan. See a video of all 36 famous views of Mount Fiju at the end of this Hub. The mountain has been a sacred site to the Indigenous People known as Ainu in Japan, who are linked with other Indigenous Sub-Polar Peoples around the Arctic Circle and their ancient traditions. The now-popular Fuji Apple was first developed in Japan in the 1930s. It was, of course, named after the landmark Mount Fuji.
They are large, crisp, and sweet, excellent for simply eating, but good in baking and cooking as well. In large mixing bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water, add raspberries and stir briefly. Stir in apples, applesauce, pecans, and celery. Pour mixture into a mold and chill 2 hours or until set. Serve as salad or as a relish for meats or fowl. Saute onion in oil until tender, then add rice and stir-brown slightly. Add broth and stir in thyme, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, reduce heat to low and cover tightly to simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat add apples and parsley, stir and serve warm or cold.
Put water into a large glass measuring cup and microwave "High" for 60 seconds. Add raisins and soak several minutes to plump; drain, and set aside. Place the oil, onion, curry powder, and pepper in a large microwavable dish and stir; cover and microwave "High" for 3 minutes. Add apples, toss, and stir in cooked rice. Cover and cook on High for 6-7 minutes, until rice is heated. Add raisins, cover dish, and let stand 2 minutes. Add salt and serve with plain yogurt. Combine all ingredients and mix well in a large mixing bowl. Chill, covered, and allow flavors to blend 30 minutes or longer.
Serve over or alongside grilled meats, fowl, or vegetables. The Fuji accounts for about 70% of all Chinese apple production. This apple variety actual tastes better after it has been stored, its flavor increasing in goodness like an aged wine. The Fuji retains a great crisp texture as it ages somewhat in storage and its flavor becomes mellower and sweeter. Fujis make good applesauce without adding any sugar. Fujis were grown first on the West Coast in California and Oregon,since these states are closet to the Far East and Japan, but were followed quickly by growers in New York State. The fruit has spread to several other states as well, including Virginia. Japan, in China, and in parts of Europe.
The Fuji apple ripens later than other apple varieties and is available for market beginning in November and December in the northern hemisphere and beginning in May and June in the southern hemisphere. Some varieties are beinning to appear in September and October in the north and research may bring about quicker production in years to come. Ripe Fuji fruits are large - many nearly the size of a softball, heavy for their size, and have the appearance of pink speckling or blushing over a yellow-green base color. Some will have more blush than others have, but all of their skins will be smooth, unblemished, and dry. For additional apple recipes and some history of Johnny Appleseed, see Crab-Apple Slaw and Other Surprises.
Sign in or sign up and post using a HubPages Network account. 0 of 8192 characters usedPost CommentNo HTML is allowed in comments, but URLs will be hyperlinked. Comments are not for promoting your articles or other sites. Excellent hub which is well shared. 9 years ago from USA. Thanks for the nice comments, Diane Woods! I also love the apple and the art. Thanks, Patty. I just ate a Fuji Apple yesterday. A wonderful, dense, juicy, superior apple. I didn't know the Fuji descends from a Thomas Jefferson antique apple! I've loved Hokusai since I was a teenager! Thank you for sharing his prints and wonderful quote. Your site is inspiring. I will return again and again. 9 years ago from USA.
121 and Jerilee - I really like the Fiji apple, too! The salsa is nice and tasty. Loved the hub and am crazy about this variety of apple. Can't wait to try the salsa. Pictures were wonderful too. I absolutely love Fuji apples. For a time, while going to school in upstate New York, you find the best apples anywhere. There's nothing like picking your own apples and then eating them. I'm getting homesick already! 9 years ago from USA. Thank you for that advice. I appreciate it very much. I have been to Mount Fuji, it is a quite impressive place. The soul of a country. If I can give you an advice : if one day you go to Japan,go to Osaka. There I have found the traditionnal Japan. 9 years ago from USA. I was happily surprised to find the video of the 36 views. Studying Japanese culture in college became quite a hobby. Great hub. I did not know anything about the fruit thing. But I love this particular mountain. It is such an amazing outstanding pyramide-shaped mountain (and there is so much fine Japanese arts centered about this mountain). Thank you for sharing.
Osaka is a very popular tourist attraction place in Japan. It is the second largest city in Japan after Tokyo. Osaka was previously known as Naniwa. It was also the capital of Japan long ago when there used to be a change of Capital every now and then. It shows that Osaka has many interesting places to visit. So, you shouldn’t miss visiting Osaka. For your convenience here we have listed few Osaka Travel Tips which will help you in your Osaka Travel. The best holiday destination to visit in Osaka is Universal Studios. Actually, Universal Studio is a theme park which is very popular among the tourists. It was launched on 31st March 2001. A mind-boggling 11 million people visited it in its opening year which made it world’s fastest amusement park to achieve this milestone. Since then Universal Studio is getting 8 Million visitors every year.
It is the next big thing to visit in Osaka. The Osaka aquarium Taiyuan is an aquarium positioned in the ward of Minato in Osaka, Japan, close to Osaka Bay. It is one of the largest public aquariums in the world and is a member of the Japanese affiliation of zoos and aquariums. The aquarium is about a five-minute walk from the osakako station on the Osaka municipal subway chūō line and is next to the tempo a Ferris wheel. Have you known before that there’s a Castle situated in Osaka? It’s called the Osaka Castle. The main tower of Osaka Castle is situated on a plot of land roughly one rectangular kilometer. It’s far constructed on raised systems of landfill supported by using sheer partitions of reducing rock, using a way referred to as burdock piling, each overlooking a moat.
The vital citadel building is five testimonies at the outdoor and 8 testimonies at the internal, and constructed atop a tall stone basis to defend its occupants from attackers. Now the next in Osaka Travel list is Minami or Namba. Some of the most famous pictures of Osaka, which include the glico guy and the Kani doraku crab, are located around the dōtonbori canal in Namba. Namba is also called a leisure district and hosts many of the metropolis’s maximum popular bars, restaurants, nightclubs, arcades, and pachinko parlors. The area is also acknowledged for buying, with the Takashimaya department save and the sprawling underground Namba metropolis shopping center. Shinseki is an old neighborhood located subsequent to south Osaka metropolis’s downtown "Minami" region. These were the 5 best Osaka Travel tips. Be sure whenever you Travel to Osaka don’t miss the chance to visit these awesome places in Osaka.
Updated on November 12, 2016 Andrew Brennan moreContact Author As a former military paralegal, I wrote Article-15s and took part in court-martials more likely in fiction than fact. But every one of them began with monstrous missteps that ended in shameful discharges, reductions in rank and often prison time. So what are the ten surefire ways to end your military career? Zero tolerance in the military means zero tolerance. Get caught even once and your career is done. Period. It doesn't matter if you are the star troop of your platoon or squadron-there will be no leniency. My first run-in with Military Justice was with my own troop.
He was to be awarded with his Below-the-Zone stripe. For those that do not know what this is-it's where an outstanding airman is given a stripe six months earlier than his or her peers. This step-up allows for early pay increase as well as earlier testing for Staff Sergeant in the Air Force. My troop got heads-up about this award and decided to celebrate that evening with his first and only taste of cocaine. The next day, there was a random drug urinalysis in an attempt to nab someone else. They got him instead. In one day he went from Airman-Below-the-Zone to The Accused. His career was officially over a month later. He was the squadron's star troop and its biggest disappointment. People get crazy with credit cards.
But abuse Uncle Sam's credit card and you might end up making big rocks into little rocks. I've had people purchase anything from burgers and fries to new houses and businesses with their Government Credit Cards. They are all treated with the same result: reduction in rank, discharge and/or a reprimand. As much as the military goes out of its way to help troops with such programs as Dial-A-Ride, Taxi-Free, First Sergeants, Commander-on-Call, there is never a shortage of troops getting busted for DUI. While you may not get kicked out of the military for it, it will put your advancement in rank to a screeching halt. Commanders do not like being embarrassed, and all information about this goes to his or her boss and even higher.
If you are marked as a problem, you will be fixed. Permanently. So please, call somebody. Believe me when I tell you a commander rather come get you at the bar than stand in front of his or her general with you in full dress uniform to explain why you were so stupid. Three of my former supervisors ended their careers at the ten, fifteen, and nineteen-year mark with dishonorable discharges because of DUI. One year from retirement and nineteen yers wasted over a bottle of beer. This is a favorite among the younger troops. Just because your supervisor said go to a certain place or be back at a certain time, doesn't mean you can't just go home and sleep right?
Why yes. Yes it does. Duty time is duty time, not go to the store time for the rest of the day. Also, being On-Quarters means you stay home in bed because you are sick. It doesn't mean you get a free pass to go to the mall. This is another favorite among younger troops. Just because the government will pay for your missteps doesn't mean they won't take it out of your hide later. If you don't have the money, don't write the check, don't overcharge your BX/PX card, and don't avoid speaking to those creditors. If you do, they will call your First Sergeant and Commander next.
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