Osaka (JP)
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Successful visit today. I think I met Kenta who is super sweet. He hooked me up with a few shirts in xl and xxl (you just have to ask about those sizes they are in the back). Also got an awesome patch and black chambray shopping bag.
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Heh heh. It's mine!!
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Also everyone in Osaka is like "how did you get here?" We have been the only westerners in all the beer bars we've seeked out. They're all from this Osaka craft beer crawl thing I found in the New York Times. But I don't thing any of these places know they got written up.
The IH store has also been he only place we've heard like metal or heavy music in Japan.
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No unfortunately not. Very little English in osaka and it didn't seem super accessible.
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I wish I had grilled Kenta about places to hang here but was trying not to be an American jerk (we can't help it obvs). He did really want to know where I scored my IH shirt/pants.
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Successful visit today. I think I met Kenta who is super sweet. He hooked me up with a few shirts in xl and xxl (you just have to ask about those sizes they are in the back).
sounds like jargon one would use to sell crack. "pssst. we've got some stash in the back, man."
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I really, really loved Osaka and not just b/c of the IH store. For future travelers I recommend the Candeo Hotels Osaka Namba. Reasonably priced and very new/clean. I think it just opened a few months ago so everything is brand new.
I also recommend checking out the spots on this Osaka Craft Beer Crawl from the NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/27/travel/a-craft-beer-pub-crawl-in-the-kitchen-of-japan.html?_r=0
We went to Beer Belly Tenma, Yellow Ape Craft, and Garage 39. (Dig Beer Bar is now closed.) In each of these places we were the only Westerners and eventually someone from the staff asked us how we found the bar. None of them seemed to know they had been written up in the Times. All serve great beers and are super welcoming. If in Osaka you definitely need to find Beer Belly Tenma (there's another more accessible location, but you have to experience the nightlife in the Tenma district).
I mean, definitely go see the Castle and Dotonburi and America-mura and all the temples/shrines, but also drink plenty of beer in Osaka.
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@Madame Buttonfly - Now I need to go back and hunt for beer…..
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I really, really loved Osaka and not just b/c of the IH store. For future travelers I recommend the Candeo Hotels Osaka Namba. Reasonably priced and very new/clean. I think it just opened a few months ago so everything is brand new.
I also recommend checking out the spots on this Osaka Craft Beer Crawl from the NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/27/travel/a-craft-beer-pub-crawl-in-the-kitchen-of-japan.html?_r=0
We went to Beer Belly Tenma, Yellow Ape Craft, and Garage 39. (Dig Beer Bar is now closed.) In each of these places we were the only Westerners and eventually someone from the staff asked us how we found the bar. None of them seemed to know they had been written up in the Times. All serve great beers and are super welcoming. If in Osaka you definitely need to find Beer Belly Tenma (there's another more accessible location, but you have to experience the nightlife in the Tenma district).
I mean, definitely go see the Castle and Dotonburi and America-mura and all the temples/shrines, but also drink plenty of beer in Osaka.
I've never been to Western/Southern Japan despite having lived in Japan. The only exception is that I lived on Okinawa for 5 yrs when I was a young 'un. My old man was in the military so we moved around a lot. My mom lives in northern Japan in the middle of nowhere, so it's hard for me to justify a visit when there's nothing to do. One of these days it'd be nice to hop on the shinkansen and take a trip south.
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@Madame Buttonfly - Now I need to go back and hunt for beer…..
@Giles you wouldn't need to twist my arm too hard…
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Potentially a dumb question @Giles - but I assume your EU stock is somewhat different to JP, right?
I'm in Osaka right now, before heading back to Tokyo, and was considering popping in to look at 555 models but wasn't sure what they had (e.g. regular indigo versus indigo/black versus -03 for example). Do you have this information or shall I contact Osaka directly?
Thanks!
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IH international constant items are very different from Japan. They do stock a couple of models of the 555, but not the 01 or 03. You'd need to contact Kenta at the Osaka store to check what they do have.
"OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011
