After leaving the museum a bit disappointed that I couldn't get the most out of it because of my lack of Japanese language, I headed to Dotombori, a popular neighborhood in Osaka. Not planning for my trip very well, my friends whom I was scheduled to see later this evening told me this was a popular spot that I might want to check out.
Bascially, Dotombori is a shopping district with lots of stores and restaurants near a canal that runs through the neighborhood. The first thing that struck me is that along the canal, there were almost no people. However, perpendicular to the canal, it was so crowded, where people flocked through what was basically a long street mall. This struck me because in many places that I have traveled in the past, it is along the canal that people enjoy walking, and having a drink or a meal. Perhaps I am unique in that I enjoy the water, and being near the water, and seeing the water flow by as I walk, or relax, or eat, or whatever. However, along the water, it was nearly devoid of people, and instead all of the people thronged through the shopping mall, as well as another street that ran parallel to the canal with many more shops and restaurants. This reminded me of a few years ago when I was in San Diego accompanied by a few Japanese friends. I suggested that we go near the waterfront to eat dinner, but they were much more interested in going to the shopping mall, and eating there. (To be sure, they did already accompany me near the waterfront one day for lunch, so perhaps they were bored, and wanted to see something different: a shopping mall.)
After walking along the canal, I walked back through the street that was mostly restaurants, and ran parallel (about a block away) to the canal. It was here that I saw many of the crab restaurants that this neighborhood is famous for. Though I am not sure if these places are famous for their crab dishes, or the elaborate crab sculptures that serve as signage. (Because I am not much of a food conosseur, I foolishly did not try the crab.)
After walking through this street lined with restaurants, I then walked through the shopping promenade that ran perpendicular to the canal, where I saw many stores that were typical for a shopping mall. More interesting to me than the stores was simply the fact that there were so many. It was basically a pedestrian promenade that went for what must have been about a mile. A mile-long covered promenade with lined with fancy stores! Although I wasn't interested in shopping or buying anything, I could still appreciate this monument to commerce. At first I had thought about what great business opportunities might lie along the canal, but if everything in this neighborhood is within this shopping promenade, then it seems like it woudl be quite a gamble to open a shop or restaurant along the canal. (To be sure, there were a few along the canal, but only a few, and those that were open were not very crowded with customers.
After walking all around this Dotombori neighborhood, I decided to go back to the hotel and rest a bit before visiting my new friends later that evening.
Just to be clarify my own thoughts (and perhaps confuse the reader with information that is probably inaccurate), it seems that the neighborhood is called Namba, the street with the crab restaurants is called Dotombori, and the promenade shopping mall is called Sai-Bashi Suji.
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