I have recently learned that the going rate for a bike rental in Osaka is 500 yen a day (about $6.25). If you recall, my landlord rents to me at 100 yen a day. There are perks to having this tiny room with no windows, beyond the fact that its so cheap and I get a kitchen and a locker for my food.
First, I tried to stop in at the City University of Osaka to speak with a professor there doing research in Burakumin, but unfortunately the professor whose name I had from an article he had written no longer worked at that university. I will need to do some more research and try again.
Then, I biked across about 6 miles (one way) to get to the Osaka Aquarium. This aquarium is famous for its colossal central tank that is one of the few in the world large enough to hold a Whale Shark, the biggest fish in the world. They didn't have a full-grown one, which would be hard to fit in any tank, but I doubt many places in the world have a whale shark at all.
Now you can say you've seen a whale shark
The coolest part was that the aquarium also had semi-aquatic animals like Capybaras, Sea Lions, and Penguins. I arrived just at the right time--which, for reference, is 1 in the afternoon-- because in the hour and a half after I arrived there were feedings at 6 of the semi-aquatic tanks. I got a lot of great pictures, but some of the best material I have is in video form. I'll get back to you when I figure out how to share all of them, but here's one for now.
It was a very fun trip, even if it was expensive. I really had to see the whale shark. I was glad though that it had more to offer than just that. It also has a temporary "cute" exhibit, with a number of smaller fish and a petting tank where you can pet a baby shark or a stingray.
Following that, I biked the 6 miles back to where I live, but I did it without a map. It wasn't that I was forcing myself not to look at a map, but I recognized a bunch of landmarks, even though I took a different route back than I had taken out. It really showed me how much I have learned about this area of Osaka in just a week. On my way back, I stopped at a McDonald's, to see how different it was.
Well, the burgers are smaller and more expensive, and really I had better luck at another place (whose name I can't recall) with their bacon egg and cheese burger. It was delicious. But at McDonald's the entree menu looks about the same. But its not up on the walls. I originally thought, from looking through the window at a couple McDonald's', that there were only four choices you can have. Turns out they have the same number of value meals we have, but they don't put everything up on the wall behind them. It's instead on a menu on the counter when you order. I think that's a reflection of the differences in culture between here and home. Here, the number of choices matters less than at home, where everyone is obsessed with individuality.
No, the entrees were not my favorite part of the Japanese McDonald's. Instead, they have a product that American McDonald's' don't have: the bacon potato pie. I won't go into any great detail, but its my new favorite food. Also, their apple pies are much better than ours, mostly due to the buttery, flaky, crispy crust that they have instead of our either soggy or hard, bread-like cinnamon crust. But the bacon and potato pie is really the best.
On my way back, I also stopped at a Japanese supermarket, and got what turned out to be a roll covered in sugar with chocolate chips just under the surface. It's really hit or miss with some of these Japanese foods until you eat them. It's because the labels are all hard to read.
I also got this thing on a shish kebab. I'll let you know how it works out.
Cory
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