Tag Archives: namba

Hotel Dotonbori Namba

Hotel Dotonbori Namba

We got to Osaka at around 11:30pm.  We had been traveling for nearly 24 hours straight, having left Los Angeles on the morning of the 25th of March, arriving Tokyo Narita after an 11-hour flight on the 26th at 3pm, after which we hopped on a shinkansen and various subways that would get us to Osaka and into our hotel a few minutes shy of midnight.  Not that it was all that terrible… it was fun navigating the various transportation systems, and everywhere we turned there was always someone who kindly assisted when we had questions.  We had slept a little on the flight, and snoozed/ dozed on the shinkansen from Tokyo to Osaka.  By the time we emerged from the Namba subway, and saw the huge Namba Hips amusement center looming in the dark, the sense of excitement kept growing.  We walked around the corner to our street, directly the Dotobori itself, looking for the hotel’s trademark 4 statues, named “Asian, African, Arabian, Western”  and which, according to the hotel website, “…created with a desire to welcome guests from all over the world…”  Continue reading

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Ippudo Ramen Osaka

Ippudo Ramen

We had perused the archives of Ramen Tokyo most assiduously in preparation for what to expect at a Ramen-ya in Japan.  We had read of the interminable lines and of the push-button Nihongo-only ticket pre-ordering with no photos whatsoever.  We read of tiny shops with only counter seating, and of patrons who dined solo, heads-down, looking and interacting with no one until their bowl is thus rapidly consumed.  We read of instances where couples and friends may not necessarily get to sit next to each other. We read of having to procure your drinks prior to arrival, or at least while waiting in line (usually there is a vending machine or two nearby), of the need to  bring a packet of tissues or your hankachi (handkerchief) since no napkins would be provided. Continue reading

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