On the last weekend of August, right in the thick of the heat, I took a trip out to the Osaka area. The theme of this trip was to enjoy what was left of the summer. Honestly, this summer was so brutally hot that it just flew by in a blur. It’s not like I only worked the whole time, but it’s also true I never really got to have fun, so I felt a bit sad about my youth slipping away. So, to burn through the last of the summer (not that much of it was left), I went to see a party-boy friend of mine in Osaka.
The sea seen from the train station
Kobe’s countryside is quiet and laid-back. Actually, unless it’s a big city, most places look like this. Koreans don’t often get the chance to go all the way to Japan and wander around the backwaters, so a lot of them don’t realise that most Japanese people live in places like this.
So many power lines
The power lines spoil the view, but they remind me of the scenery I used to see. It feels a bit much to call myself a seaside kid -_-, but I lived not far from the sea, where overground trains ran instead of a subway and there were power lines everywhere. Scenery like this somehow makes me sentimental..
A quiet Kobe scene
Japanese scenery is subtly different from Korea’s, probably because the building materials, like the power lines and bricks, are different. At first it all looked exotic, but by now I’m quite used to it ^_^
The coastline
I took a wrong turn and ended up on a deserted beach. I was supposed to go to Suma Kaihin Park, but I went to Sumaura Park instead. I had no idea there’d be two parks on the same stretch of coast. Thanks to that I had a bit of a rough time in the heat..
The view is refreshing, but..
What I was hoping for at the beach wasn’t this kind of view.. Kore ja nai~ (this isn’t it)
A bit messy, too..
Maybe at the peak of the season there would have been some people even here..
Seagulls resting on the pier..
No, I mean.. I didn’t come to see seagulls, I came to see biki..nis..
So after all that I made it back to the beach, but..
It was a scorching day, but since it was jellyfish season the beach was empty. I came here to set my life on fire.. Apparently this beach was packed with people in early July. My friend rubbed it in, telling me how great it was back then..
Such a deserted beach..
Holding back tears, I clench my trembling fist and vow to do better next year..
First, off to somewhere with cool tree shade.
The rest of the group (the party people) were apparently having a barbecue somewhere and we had to find them, but the person who knew the spot hadn’t arrived yet, so we rested in the shade and waited.
Joining the barbecue.
When I heard it was a barbecue get-together I didn’t think much of it, but there seemed to be about 30 people there. It was a much bigger gathering than I expected. Most were foreigners, and there were Japanese people too, but a lot of the girls spoke English. The common languages here were English and Japanese, with bits of Chinese and Korean now and then. There was even a Korean girl over on a working holiday visa, so I got to chat in Korean too. Osaka really is an international city. Maybe because lots of party-loving foreigners live here, gatherings like this apparently happen a lot. In fact, the next day too…
Back to the outlet mall because of the car..
The last time I came, it was so crowded that I once waited two hours just to get into the car park, so this time I deliberately left the car at the outlet mall, and I regretted it. Argh.. the parking was a special summer rate of 1,600 yen.. if only I’d known..
A cat.
It was cute, but I shot it on an iPhone 3G so it didn’t come out well. I was wondering where to go in the evening when I heard there was a private party, so I went, and it was fun. The only thing was that everyone was drinking while I was stuck on ginger ale because I was driving, so I felt like I couldn’t quite blend into the mood, and in the end I played with the host’s cat. You can’t really tell from the photo, but this little guy was seriously cute. I wanted to nibble him..
The next day I went to Tokimeki Beach in Osaka.
Tokimeki Beach is reached by heading from Osaka towards Kansai Airport and then continuing a good way further towards Wakayama Prefecture. It didn’t feel especially amazing, but the vibe was a bit friendlier than Kobe. Probably because it’s out in the countryside. That day I went because the barbecue crowd I’d met the day before had organised a party boy/girl barbecue. I do like parties and clubs, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen people who party this professionally. If anything, the clubs around Shimokita are more my taste ^_^ Anyway, barbecues weren’t the original purpose of this trip, but somehow it looks like I’ll end up doing nothing but barbecues before heading home.
Even so, the water was nicer than the day before.
Thanks to poor preparation I didn’t manage to set the summer ablaze.. but this isn’t bad either. Besides, I’ve still got next year..
A quiet scene..
Some days are like this, some days are like that..
A shot with the girls who came to the beach..
That watermelon was delicious. But I’m so shy that, sadly, I didn’t get to know the girls..
It’s getting towards evening, so time to head back.
The barbecue wrapped up at 4.
I like this kind of quiet, too
I think I’ve been living like a hikikomori for too long.
One last shot before leaving..
It was a short trip and I didn’t get to do any proper eating, but it was a really fun trip. There were lots of incidents I haven’t covered here, and I met all sorts of people. In the old days I’d have got swept up in the mood and caused some trouble, but at my age I just get a little taste like this and head home. That’s how the world goes..