OH OH Osaka!! Made it to the city of Osaka today. Even though the weather remains miserable ( yes it really is the humidity, not the heat) we were able to cover a lot of ground and enjoy ourselves. We started in Den Den town,the electronic and anime mecca. Rik and I could have spent all day there, but being considerate we kept moving. But not before going in and out of shops and posing with a few interesting statues. We even had time for a quick drum game in one of the arcades. From there we walked through the fish market were we tasted the local delicacy of fried squid balls, very good. We also tried the squid, yam and a potato pancake and topped it all off with strawberry Turkish ice cream. A perfect way to taste the local cuisine. We kept walking and shopping in the Shinsaibashi - suji shopping district. This area on the canal boast large neon billboards and multiple restaurants. Each restaurants with large neon signs or billboards hawking their food. It was crazy and at night the word is it gets pretty wild. I can believe that. The next stop was American town with used clothing stores and a few american chains. It seemed a cross between the Village and gangsta rap land, kind of weird. We finished the day back at the train station and at the Pokemon Store. A must for any one who remembers the show and collecting all those cards. Rik had a ball. A quick beef bowl and beer for dinner and off to bed to get ready for tomorrow. The Palace in Osaka and then back to Tokyo.