Osaka Field Trip

On Saturday we took a train down to Osaka for the day. It was a 40 minute train ride, but only cost 400 yen (roughly 4 dollars) one-way. The subway systems here are very developed, yet often very confusing. It's a very good thing that we're not alone, because it would be very easy to take a wrong turn somewhere and get lost. Usually maps are partially in English, but there have been instances where we were not so lucky, in which case it was necessary to ask a random stranger for directions.

As one might guess, the only full language spoken here is Japanese. Yet, English is also taught in schools. Its use is not uncommon either, as much of the signage involves a synthesis of both languages. As a result, many Japanese speak some amount of English (Some more fluently than others). The use of English text is normally limited to names of products or businesses, and the only instance of full sentences are clear aides in helping tourists avoid being completely oblivious to what is going on.

So back to Osaka... After having stood for a good 40 minutes on a warm, overcrowded train (Not to mention the fact that we had all layered up for the cold night ahead), our group vouched to walk the remaining mile and get some fresh air. Although I'm not sure exactly what street we were on, it's character was not all that different from American cities like San Francisco. There were at least 6 lanes of traffic at one point, which is the largest amount of continual open space I have witnessed thus far in a Japanese urban setting. Efficiency was still at a maximum, though, as the entire avenue was one-way traffic. Another proof of this was the crazy freeway overpass that we walked under... nested on top of some sort of commercial building.

The openness didn't last long, however, because soon we were walking on a typical crowded, one-way street between buildings. These streets are really "shared" spaces between people, bikes, and cars, and are the standard for the smaller avenues throughout Japan. The lines demarcate the separation of pedestrian and vehicular traffic, but people tend to walk in the center until vehicles move through.

Don took us to a beautiful concrete work by Tadao Ando. From the outside, it was no more than a simple rectangular volume.

The interior, however, revealed a deep and quiet volume of still space, only to be disturbed by a procession of individuals circulating up and down the exposed stairwell. It was truly amazing, and the scale of it all was very humbling. The space itself felt as though it was frozen... a timeless wonder tucked into a peripheral avenue of Osaka.

That night we went to the heart of downtown Osaka, which proved to be a completely overwhelming experience. I don't think an explanation can truly do the place justice. It was, in two words, "vibrant" and "chaotic."

Today we had our first formal Japanese language class, which was both fun and informative. We also received a workbook and grammar exercise book, both of which are packed with information that will prove to be valuable. It would be awesome to learn the language, and is something that I would seriously consider undertaking upon leaving here.

Tomorrow we will be taking a train down to Ise to hopefully get a glimpse of the Shinto Shrine, a building that is very significant to our own studies of Japanese Architecture.