Japan in Autumn: Day 14 Nov 13

As expected, our day started with a very squashy train ride to Shinagawa to catch the Shinkansen back to Osaka. I’m not sure that our backpacks and suitcases were appreciated by the people who were trying to get to work, but we had to leave early enough to give us some time in the afternoon in Osaka.

This Shinkansen ride was to have been a good opportunity to see Mount Fuji which had been covered in cloud on the way to Tokyo, but somehow we managed to miss it.

Once at the Shin-Osaka station, we went to the Tourist Office to see if they could help us to find a suitable craft activity for Erin. They suggested the ‘fake food’ option. Many restaurants and cafes in Japan have replica models of the dishes that they offer, so that customers are able to get an idea of what they will be getting. They are fabulous for tourists who don’t have Japanese language skills and they can just choose and point when ordering. We found that there is a shop not far from our hotel which sells and makes these replica items and they also offer the opportunity for visitors to make them. Erin was very pleased with this idea as it had been one of her suggested ‘wish list’ items.

We took the subway to Namba and dropped the bags at the hotel, then walked to the ‘fake food’ place. The classes were run on the hour, so we booked into the 3.00pm session, then browsed through the numerous shops selling pottery and ceramic bowls, teapots, chopsticks rests and various bits and pieces.

I would love to have brought this lot home!

At 3.00 we returned to the replica food place and Erin made a gorgeous little cream fruit tart which looks so real. The staff showed us some of the items on display including a very realistic fish. It not only looked like a real fish, it even felt like one. Once we’d admired it, the woman in the shop turned it over and we saw that it was only half a fish and was hollow.

Fake food - looks good enough to eat!

Step one - decorating the fake kiwifruit

Step two - adding cream and sticking fruit into it

The finished product - yum!!

Very realistic fish

Next stop was very high on Erin’s wish list; a visit to a Cat Café. As many Japanese people live in quite small apartments and sometimes can’t keep pets, the Cat Café is intended to give people the opportunity to relax with a cup of coffee or tea and feed, play with, and pat the cats. When we first went in, the staff told us that we couldn't take food in - they saw Erin's newly made tart and were convinced it was real. Unfortunately, I didn't know the word for 'fake' or 'imitation', but after a while, one of the staff suddenly realised what it was and let us take it in.

Erin was delighted with the experience and crawled around on the floor making friends with the various cats. I tried to count how many there were, but some were snoozing under the TV stand and others were moving around seeking the people who had the little containers of chicken strips that are included in the price. I think there were about 12 cats and Erin made sure she had a little chat with each of them. For Erin it was worth every bit of the 1000 yen (about $10-$11). I’m not sure that I’d make a habit of patting cats for 1000 yen, but it was lovely to see Erin enjoying herself so much, especially as she’d been feeling so rotten a couple of days before.

Chillin' with the cats

One of Erin's new friends

No, you can't bring it home!

When our allotted hour was up, we dragged Erin away and went back to the hotel to do a bit of sorting of our baggage and shopping. After resting for a while, we went by subway to the Umeda station. Our eventual goal was the Umeda Sky Building, but we first wanted to find the gorgeous little shop which sold Studio Ghibli merchandise which we’d seen at the beginning of our trip. Erin had fallen for a beautiful soft Totoro blanket which she just had to have. Finding the shop was easier said than done, but we were saved by another example of Japanese hospitality. We saw a couple of young men giving out samples of green tea near the station, so I asked one of them where the shop was. He promptly removed the jacket that he was wearing, which showed the logo of the company he was working for, then he headed off towards the shop and took us all the way there – a several minute walk. He was such a helpful and friendly guy and after we got someone to take a picture of us, he asked the person to take another picture on his phone. Thank you, kind Japanese people!

Our helpful guide

We had a good browse in the shop and Erin bought her Totoro blanket. We then had dinner and went up to the top of the Umeda Sky Building. I find this experience quite disconcerting in the land of earthquakes, but it’s an amazing view from the top. The top of the escalators is 173 metres above the ground. They have glass sides, which I imagine is so that people riding the escalators can see the view but I chose to look at my feet. At the top, we took some photos and enjoyed the view then made our way back to the hotel.