More Tanabata

(Taken last year, near the Osaka Aquarium)

Tanabata & 5000

Last weekend was the holiday Tanabata in Japan. Japanese people put up bamboo and hang fancy paper decorations on it. Then they write their wishes/hopes/dreams on pieces of paper and tie them to the bamboo.

In the basement of the Hep 5 department store in Osaka, they had one set up for the public to use. I wrote a wish down, too. Mine said "いいしごとをみつけるように".

I took a picture of the tree when I had finished. I tried to wait until the people left, but the longer I waited the more people came to write their wishes...


When I opened up this picture to send to my photo blog file, I noticed something. The filename my camera automatically assigned to this picture was DSC05000.

That means that this is officially the 5000th picture I've taken with my camera.

...wow.

Triangle Park

Down among the pots and tree planters in Triangle Park, there was a small statue of a Hindu deity. I think it's Lakshmi, goddess of luck and prosperity.

I think.

Coincidence!

Today.
Triangle Park, Ame-mura, Shinsaibashi, Osaka.

There is a mysterious crowd, hanging out and watching the building with the big TV screen. There are crowd control people, keeping the general public away from the front of the shop there. There are people with t-shirts, bags, etc. from a band called An Cafe, which is a band I actually know and like.

I decide to hang out and see what's going on.


2 PM. There is a rush of excitement from the crowd. The screen is showing an ad for An Cafe's new single (which will be released in August). They play through one entire song in the ad, to much cheering and clapping and exclamations of "kawaii!" ("cute!").



The video ad ends. The video screen slowly raises. (I didn't know it could do that.)

Standing in the second story of the building are the members of An Cafe, wearing cute summer yukata. (For the record, they are all guys. Even the one in pink.) There is more cheering. They talk about their new CD and their next concert in Osaka (which is free! but unfortunately it's also after I leave). Then the screen goes down again and it is over.


...until they come out and got into the van that's waiting. Then there is more screaming and cheering and waving. Also, the distribution of free postcards by staff people.

See? Postcard! (image from their website):


Hooray for coincidence!

What do you need?

(Hep 5 is a big shopping center in the middle of Umeda.)

Osaka Skyline

Any guesses where this was taken from?


(Answer: the top of Osaka Castle)

Um...

...this doesn't look like Japan.


(King crabs...Osaka aquarium, taken last summer)

Birds

Another Osaka Castle picture from last winter. We took some good pictures then.


Birds on the roof of one of the gates leading to the castle grounds.

Castle Kitty!

Another picture from last winter, taken in the park around Osaka Castle.

Old vs New

A couple of days ago I posted a picture of Osaka Castle at night. Here's one from the day.


It's a close-up view. You can really only see the edge of the bottom of the corner of the castle walls...

I took this last winter, with Brian's camera. I liked the contrast between the old stone walls of the castle and the skyscraper in the background. And the tree. Trees are always good.

Osaka Castle at Night

Shiny!

Stay out

I found this sign hanging on a doorway in Osaka Station today:


Here's a close-up:


"Stay out of here!"

They actually have them all over the place - it seems to be the standard "keep out" sign for the station.

Let's go shopping!

If there was a neat shopping center like this nearby, wouldn't you want to go?

Triangles

Apologies for yesterday...I was at school really late, then I had errands to run and I got home late, and I just didn't remember about uploading a picture...oops.

In penance, I bring you three views of Triangle Park in Shinsaibashi, Osaka.




(You might recognize the bunny/boy statue in the last shot from Saturday ^_~ )

Triangle Park

This is Triangle Park in Shinsaibashi, Osaka...complete with graffitied boy-looking-at-bunnies statue.

Kitty Building

This is part of Umeda in Osaka...the building with the kitty on top is the Namco arcade.


I love Japan :) Where else in the world would I be able to find a building in a major downtown area with a giant kitty on top?

Hi Mom!

I took this picture right before Mother's Day, then forgot that I had it. This was a store window display in Osaka. I thought it was cute so I'm posting it despite the fact that Mother's Day is long gone...

Big Step

Last Shinsaibashi picture for now...this is Big Step, the shopping area from whence the previous two pictures were taken. Complete with futuristic capsule elevators (you can see them on the left).

The other side

Shinsaibashi, looking down the same street as in the last post, in the opposite direction.


I wonder - are these pictures interesting to someone who has never been to Shinsaibashi? (I hope so.)

Shinsaibashi

And...we're back in Osaka! It's only 3 weeks into May, and I've already finished with my Golden Week pictures!
(Although if I run out new pics to post, I reserve the right to show more of the Ghibli Museum ^_~ )


This is part of Amemura (short for America Mura, or America Village) in Shinsaibashi, Osaka. This is where all the cool kids hang out. Aside from all the used clothing/Levi's stores (and perhaps the "cool" image), it seems to have very little to do with America.