Lee Anne Wong loves to eat and drink. And she enjoys that pastime as much as the best I have known indulging that passion. As we were planning our trip, and ever since our landing in Japan, she had been mentioning Dotonbori and how it would charm us instantly. Above, you see Lee Anne all smiles, as she convinces us to spend a few hours tonight with her in Dotonbori, as she brings her trip to Japan to a close.
Even as I walk behind Lee Anne, as she walks behind Charlie and the son of a friend from Sakai City, I can feel Lee Anne's joy in being in Dotonbori. How could you not be energetic in such a setting? Especially if you find a settling like this in picture-perfect Japan.
Whilst this is no London Eye, this ride is also not just a boring Ferris Wheel. It is a reminder to us about how boring our architecture has become in the US, and how clever the rest of the world still remains.
Neon signs everywhere the eye travels, I can now understand how Tetsuya could compare this area to Times Square.
Above you see the canal and both sides of the bridge that you cross over, to continue strolling through the electric marketplace.
Korean Okonomiyaki - different from what we ate the other day in Sakai City. This one is crisper, and as our friends son tells us, much tastier too. How funny that this is also how Charlie and I make Okonomiyaki. Crisp and lighter, crunchier and flavorful.
These are Korean meat stuffed hot peppers. Could not resist buying one. I LOVED it.
The Korean vendor also selling eggs with mochi in a sauce. Looked very promising in flavor. Wish I had ordered this dish.
What was most wonderful to find, was a blow up of Blow Fish, which we had eaten only an hour before we found ourselves in Dotobori. What beautiful fish they are. What beautiful taste they have. And how much Lee Anne enjoys eating them. And how grateful we should always be to Lee Ann, for craving this fish, and also bringing us to Dotonbori. What struck me most tonight, as we spent the wee hours of the early morning (late night) walking around, eating street food, and enjoying the night scene, was the filth that can surface and present itself on a normal day. It was soothing to see the scattering of trash. It made me feel the rest of the world is not that bad. So, as we walked around streets littered with garbage, we also got to enjoy some amazing tastes. Takoyaki, Andrew's Egg Tarts, ramen, stuffed peppers, ice cream and more.. Thanks!
That blow-up fish is a hoot. Lee Anne sounds like fun - did you go to karaoke!?!?! The Korean okonomiyaki looks SO good! You are showing us so many sides of Japan, and all of them make me want to visit.
Posted by: Sally | Thursday, February 18, 2010 at 08:10 AM
oh my goodness.. how do you not get indigestion?
Posted by: May | Saturday, February 20, 2010 at 12:04 AM
This is great, and I don't think you can compare Dotonbori to Times Square... Times Square is an extremely polished and commercialized space, everything there has to be ultra-modern and to the minute, and Osaka's neon signs seem more like nostalgic hold-overs. It reminds me a bit of Treasure Town from the animated film, Tekkon Kinkreet, have you ever seen it?
Posted by: Maryland electric signs | Tuesday, September 07, 2010 at 04:04 PM
I guess Times Square is more contemporary in design.
Not all of Times Square has that look though.
Never seen the film Tekkon Kinkreet. Will have to find it. What is it about?
Posted by: Suvir Saran | Tuesday, September 07, 2010 at 06:39 PM
Tekkon Kinkreet... oh, how do I even describe it... It's an anime about two street orphans with ninja powers who live in a fictional city that's an amalgam of Chinese, Indian, Thai and Japanese cultures. The art is fairly stylized but incredibly well-rendered.
It's one of the most visually beautiful films I've ever seen, with every frame full of little details and vignettes. It's like taking a trip to the most colorful, ramshackle and quirky 3rd-world town on Earth.
The story can get pretty violent and weird, but if you can take it, you're in for one of the most original movies of recent years.
P.S. Food is awesome.
Posted by: proterozoic | Wednesday, September 08, 2010 at 10:28 AM
Sounds wonderful. I will have to get it and watch it. Thanks for bringing it to my notice.
Thanks also for visiting the blog.
Did you see some of the other blog posts around our visit to Japan?
What a great culture and country. Amazing food to say the least.
Posted by: Suvir Saran | Wednesday, September 08, 2010 at 10:36 AM