Osaka Adventures: Shinsaibashi 心斎橋

           I can't say this enough: Kansai Gaidai is located in an awesome spot. Being literally an hour to an hour and a half train ride from a number of places means that my weekends are jammed packed with exploration. For my first official weekend since school a bunch of friends and I decided to check out Shinsaibashi. 

     Shinsaibashi is a shopping district in Osaka. It spans on for blocks in an open air mall type fashion, filled with food stalls, clothing shops, Pachinko parlors, and the like. They also have all the high class name brand stores like Gucci, Chanel, Armani, Dolce&Gabbana, and Versace (not that I could even afford to window shop in  any of those stores). There is also a ton of arcades, restaurants, clothing shops, shoe stores, electronics, and even massage parlors and palm readers. If you cant find a store dedicated to what you want in Shinsaibashi than it probably doesn't exist! .   

The Famous Glico Man in Dōtonbori

For me, the whole experience was a tad bit overwhelming. My senses buzzed with different stimuli, the bells and whistles of the Pachinko machines, the calls from vendors, glowing sign after glowing sign. My head spinning between taking in my surroundings and watching where I was going, trying many times unsuccessfully to not bump into the masses of other shoppers. We went into various shops, from fashionable clothing stores, 100 yen shops, to the ground floor of Tsutaya, covered with Manga and Anime merchandise. We also found a three story arcade with Purikura!
     For all of you who don't know, Purikura is a Japanese photo booth, that "enhances" your face while allowing you to add a variety of effects. They are really fun but the end result...can be a little shocking. For example, Purikura turned me into soul sucking void of uber cuteness (look into those cold empty eyes...look at them).

I am what nightmares are made of.

          Besides discovering my ability to be horrifyingly cute, I tried for the first time the Japanese's take on pizza. I am not a fan of pizza in the States (I know completely unamerican right?) so I had my doubts about Shakey's, an all you can eat pizza buffet akin to Cici's or Little Caesar's. However, their pizza was great! Who knew squid on pizza could taste so good? But my greatest discovery, a marvelous hidden gem deserving of the highest praises was dessert pizza. I could see a line slowly start to form at the buffet station, people hovering and grabbing returning with plates full of a strange looking thing. My friend kindly grabbed me a slice before they ran out and what followed after my first bite was a series of simultaneous epiphanies. 
Why didn't anyone think of this before? 
Why aren't there dessert pizzas on every menu in America? 
Plastered on billboards,
 Given on birthdays, holidays and anniversaries.
Covered in the morning section of the daily news!  
     Maybe I'm overstating here, because if you put dark chocolate and strawberries on anything you can be sure I will devour it.  Seriously America, dessert pizza. Look into it.

Isn't she pretty?

     For those who love shopping in any form, Shinsaibashi is the place to visit. As the day came to a close the streets got even more crowded.  People standing in groups, people passing out night club, karaoke, and food advertisements, and bustling in and out of stores. As I weaved my way in between the masses, past girls with their hair meticulously sculpted, and guys lighting up cigarettes smoke billowing above their heads in the cold. I felt a little lost and yet at ease, that I was just another face passing swiftly unrecognized amongst the idle chatter and city lights.