Day 5: Osaka

More trains. More coffee. More walks. From Nara, I took a JR line into Osaka, then out to the shipyard to check into the strangely remote Hyatt Regency Hotel, which I can only presume is a conference destination. But hey, points life. After dropping my luggage, I hopped back on the metro to the Chuo ward and beelined to Saturdays NYC for another ridiculously good iced oat latte. This location is their biggest and fanciest, a bit more urban chic than surfer chic. Upstairs, I browsed the racks briefly before noticing that all the employees had huddled in one corner by the counter. Were they whispering about me? Afraid I would infect them with Covid? I worried about it for hours afterward.

I walked up and over to Tokyu Hands, hoping to find the magical array of stickers I’d encountered in 2016, but alas. No dice. From there, I wandered along the busy, touristy areas full of food halls and malls until I made it to the udon spot that came recommended by multiple sources. At first, I was disappointed in the lack of curry udon on the menu, but I opted for the Kitsune Udon and OH my god. It was so delicious. I will be dreaming of it’s clear, simple, magical broth and soft, sweet pillows of fried bean curd for eons.

Along with Chuo, I’d read that Kita was cool, so I walked for an hour through crowds of suited commuters to the area near the Osaka Umeda station. Again, more food halls and malls, but nothing really funky or original. Sigh. Eventually, I located the okonomiyaki restaurant that was highly rated and because it was after five and I knew I would collapse soon after, I decided to have an early dinner. A young woman grilled the egg pancake at my table, covered it in sauce and a heaping pile of scallions, then plenty of mayo and a mysterious green powder. What cost only the equivalent of $8 was one of the best things I’ve eaten in Japan, and just in general.