Time to leave Osaka

Okay so after a rough night we needed to pack up and head to Tokyo so was a bit of a rush getting up hungover (though the liver drinks help). We needed to catch the Shinkansen semi early, which you need to book a seat if you have luggage so we needed to get to the station before too late in the day. Unfortunately, this wasn’t going to be as smooth as I would have preferred. Wenu had been dealt a bad hand when he arrived as his JR pass didn’t work then he forgot it on the train to Osaka from Tokyo. Luck Sejiun spoke Japanese and they ended up talking to them and finding his lost stuff at a police station so it was now on us to wait around until they sort that out.

We ended up finding massage chairs and spent a good part of two hours in them just zoning out and catching up on sleep. These chairs are way better than the ones in Australia as they do good work on your back and put me to sleep.

We also grabbed some food while we were there nothing special just some ramen. Probably the worst ramen I have had on this trip, while it wasn’t terrible it didn’t hold up to some of the other stuff. I did try some Mr donut thereafter as Christian was raving on about it but again kinda swing and a miss. Not as good as crispy cream but the same kind of vibe so wasn’t that special.

Finally ended up on the train and spent most of it updating blogs and playing pokemon with the group. We arrived kinda late think it was about 4 pm and went to drop off our stuff at the BnB before making our way back to the Onobeef which was slightly better this time but still not as good as they made it out to be.

Following dinner, we wanted to go grab drinks so the whole group caught up and headed to get izakaya. We went to this place that seemed to have great vibes and as we were entering a drunk guy was being carried up so you know it goes hard in there. Unfortunately, this was probably the most expensive place while having the most disappointing drinks. We ordered a bottle of Lemon Sour but were given an actual unopened bottle with no cups and no mixers. It seemed to be more like a jug from the menu but basically, the vibes died in there real quick as there was also a $12 table charge for nothing.

After that disappointment, we went back to the amazing chicken place on the first night. This was also Wenu and Seijuns first time there so there was a fair amount of hype. And guess what… It didn’t disappoint it was just as good as the first time, the chicken was so crispy and the drinks were so cheap. We also grabbed mayo for the chicken and they gave us a mountain so was good to know they don’t skimp. We ended up getting drunk enough to start singing sea shanties and the vibes in the place just hit the right spot.

The following day we woke up and headed to go to this chicken ramen place Seijun used to work at. On the way, we went into a pet store and it was such a good pick-me-up, but damn were the pets expensive. The chicken ramen place was delightful and had an amazing egg there. Any place that uses a vending machine to serve you and has a line is a banging place to go eat. never go into a place where someone is pulling you in.

The group wanted to do some Christmas shopping for secret Santa but I had opted out as I am kinda a grinch when it comes to Christmas. So I tend to not like people getting me gifts. There “apparently”, was also a good Macha place nearby so Seijun, Nat, and I headed to it to give it a go. But was a disappointment as there was a miss communication and we ended up with just ice Macha, not ice latte Macha. We tried getting it fixed but had to just buy another one and again was pretty average. I don’t really love Macha but was keen to join the walk.

After all the shopping antics, we met back up with Vicky and Henry the ate some fantastic gyoza in Shinjuku. A chain place called Dandadan they do a chicken wing that is stuffed with gyoza filling and it’s quite nice but more novelty than anything else. But their gyoza is so tasty they remind me of soup dumplings as they are so juicy and squirt everywhere. After the gyoza, we had a quick stop off at one of the baseball pitches where you can hit balls in an arcade-like place. it was very fun but kinda hurt my bad shoulder doing it.

Finally, we had a bit of a rest before heading to get some Unagi, which is eel cook Kabayaki style. Kabayaki is where the fish is split down the back, gutted and boned, butterflied, and dipped in a sweet soy sauce-based marinade before being cooked on a grill. It was hands down the most expensive thing we have had and it was unpleasant in my opinion. Mine was super boney (the bones are meant to barely be noticeable) and there wasn’t a whole lot of sauce on it. So was pretty bland and tasted like the eel I have had myself after catching it in the river on the Gold Coast. To wind down we played some more pokemon ate some snacked then headed to be to wrap up the first few nights back in Tokyo.