“Shinsekai” – New World
Photo by Tomoko
Main event after visiting Tsutenkaku is, of course “eating” in Shinsekai.
Shinsekai has several fugu (blowfish) restaurants, but the neighborhood’s real culinary forte is kushi-katsu. The neighborhood abounds with kushi-katsu restaurants offering various kinds of meat, fish, and vegetables all breaded and deep fried on small sticks for around 150 yen each.
I went the the oldest kushi-katsu restaurant called “Daruma”. The Kushikatsu Daruma was started in 1929, it has long been a popular Osaka specialty–for over 4 generations. Its secret recipe consists of 3 things–i.e. secret batter, tasty oil and sauce. Superbly balanced, together they bring out the best taste of the ingredients–once you try it, you can’t stop eating.
“Tsutenkaku” – Tower Reaching Heaven
Photo by Tomoko
I went Naniwa area, the center of Osaka culture. Here is Tsutenkaku (通天閣 “Tower Reaching Heaven”) a tower and well-known landmark of Osaka. It is located in the Shinsekai district of Naniwa-ku, Osaka. Its total height is 309 feet.
On the fifth floor observation deck is enshrined Billiken, the God of Happiness or “things as they ought to be.”Billiken, a popular American charm doll that came to Japan in about 1910, was enshrined within Luna Park when it opened. When the park closed in 1923, the wooden statue of Billiken went missing. As a part of an effort to revive the tower, a copy of Billiken was made from an old photograph and placed inside the tower in 1979. The statue of Billiken became closely associated with the tower and is a popular symbol of good luck. Each year thousands of visitors place a coin in his donation box and rub the soles of his feet to make their wishes come true.
“Dango” – Japanese Dumpling
Photo by Tomoko
Today, I will introduce how to make delicious “Mitarashi Dango” – Japanese Dumplings.
There is a delicious dumpling shop nearby and they let me know a recipe.
1. Bake dumplings until it’s browned
2. Put them into a special Mitarashi sauce
That’s it!, but “Mitarashi Dango” taste is really determined by the sauce.
Well, this is my favorite Japanese dumplings so I cannot stop eating….
“Oiran” costume
I went to Kyoto to experience an “Oiran” costume.
Oiran were courtesans in the Edo period. There is no Oiran anymore in Japan.
However, after coming out of the movie “Sakuran”, the popular fashion model “Anna Tsuchiya” played as Oiran, it is in fashion that taking pictures waring the modren mixed kimono.
A studio staff said that some girls give the pictures to their boyfriend or husband as gifts!!
Of course you can take pictures with your partners!!
How about taking pictures as “Oiran” for your remembrance? 🙂
Let’s go to see The Grand Sumo Tournament together!! – 2
There are over 600 hundred Yokozuna or highest rank in sumo. Makunouchi or the top of Yokozuna is only 40 of them. This is an intensely competitive society.
On a completion day, they start the competition with sumo wrestlers below Yokozuna from 9 am, and Yokozuna start the wrestling tournament around 6pm. So, if you go to see it, you can enjoy it all day long. The schedule is available on the web.