A few weeks back, I got a flyer in my post box for a local matsuri called Bucchigiri Matsuri.

Actually, the flyer appeared on my refrigerator one day, but I assume it came through the post box :0 Either way, I decided to check it out seeing as it was only a 6 or 7 minute walk from the apartment. Hence the 'super local' title. :D





 The festival was held at Horikoshi Shrine, in the Tennoji district of Osaka. It's a really small local spot, just a block north of the Tennoji Station.

From what I read on the official website, they've got a pretty long history, dating back to the 6th century CE. I think it was established by Japan's first empress regent Empress Suiko at the same time as Shitennoji (temple) which is right across the street (but the article was a bit difficult to read, so I could have gotten some bits wrong D:).  You can read it here.

I don't think this festival is to commemorate any particular Japanese holiday. Just a nice summer gathering of people in the area, which is a nice break from all the huge summer festival going on everywhere.

There were a couple local artisans selling shirts and crafts, then this guy ←←. I don't think he's selling those blocks, just playing with them. I wanted to play too, but I felt weird asking :<



They also had some performance arts..! :) This guy did some sumi-e, while his son preformed some songs from a CD he released last year.

There was also a magic/acrobat show, but I missed most of that. D:







Previously mentioned son, singing his songs. :3












And dancing girls! A local Japanese dancing school (I guess) doing traditional Indian dances. The little girl was super cute. :D










The following day, I headed out to Takatsuki City (still in Osaka)to visit the Osaka Prefecture Short-term Animal Shelter (大阪府動物一時保護センター).

From here, you can adopt rabbits, ferrets, cats and dogs. You do have to make an appointment in order to see any of the animals though. And you have to take a bus from Takatuki Station for about 40 minutes into the mountains.
It is located next to an onsen though, so you could make a nice day trip out of it :)

We were in the market for adopting a nice cat to live with us and keep me company as I start looking for more work from home (and also because Shota really wanted a pet, but a rabbit was out of the question).

Unfortunately for Shota, he had a severe allergic reaction to the cats there. I mean super itchy, rashy, red-eyed reaction. We couldn't stay in the room for more than 30 minutes. And so I knew a cat from the shelter might be out of the question, though I don't think they were particularly dirty or anything. They weren't quite as friendly but it's very likely they've been a little traumatized. They were all kittens though, none older than 6 months I think.

So after a long and sad ride back to the station, I tried to make peace with the fact that I wouldn't have a furry little friend to take home :(

But we decided to inquire about cat allergies at one of the pet shops near the station, and what do ya know.




We walked out with this little guy. He's a type of short-haired cat (an Ocicat, a breed from America :3) so Shota has an almost minimal reaction to him.

I still wish I could've adopted one though, because usually if they don't get adopted, they get put down. But it does make me wonder what happens to the cats in pet shops since they always seem to be under 6 months old, and I can't imagine they sell that quickly. But perhaps they do.. I really hope they do. And I really hope the cats from the center don't get put down too. They were uber cute ;3; Kitteh...

So now we sit at home together, entertaining one another when we're not dying from heat, watching episodes of The Big Bang Theory or The Universe.

He so cute :DD

I actually have a few more things and photos I'd like to share, but I'll have to save that for another post. Also, we're almost upon mid-summer (or a little past it), and I still haven't seen a beach. I'm getting antsy :< *random admission*

I hope everyone is having a fantastic summer!★





And I leave you with this video of Bingley jumping around to some Charlotte playing in the background~

I like to peg myself as an adventurer who enjoys a healthy leap into the unknown. And that was relatively true until I got a job and loss all sense of happy-fun-times in exchange for always sleepy-tired times. But since I've dropped that, I'm going back to being an explorer. Of sorts.

During the sleepy-times, Shota and I developed a pretty consistent schedule of visiting Namba on weekends until we knew it so well that.. well, we decided we knew it too well. We had a spot for Indian food, several karaoke sweet spots, a spot for desert buffet-ing, and ice cream spot, a spot for a little sports and rec, even a spot for ice skating (as rarely as we do that).

As a result of the monotony, we decided it was time to let go of Namba and branch out a bit. And by branching out I mean moving up 3 or 4 kilometers to Kita Osaka (Northern Osaka) or better known as Umeda. :)

It had never occurred to me that Umeda was the Osaka tourist hot spot until several visits and hearsays from friends and also the delayed realisation that all references to Osaka Station were actually references to the Umeda area (in my mind, Osaka station was Osaka-Uehonmachi station).

Oops.

Well actually no, not oops. I like my Osaka-Uehonmachi as my anchor point and until Umeda proves itself anchor point worthy in my high-and-mighty imagination, so things shall stay :P

But it's not bad either. :)

Umeda Sky Building(s)

For this visit, we started at a popular tourist spot for the Umeda area, the Umeda Sky Building. Actually, it's two buildings. Connected by those distant walkways (and another walkway closer to the ground). The buildings reach up to forty floors, and I hear they offer some of the best view in Osaka. You'll understand why I wrote "I hear" as opposed to "I think" or "I know that."

Despite what's pictured on the map on it's official website, the Umeda Sky Building is a bit of a walk from the JR, Hankyu and subway station. It took us about 15-20 minutes from the Higashi-Umeda Station, but that is probably the station farthest from the building :x
And we're sloooooow... So basically take our time with a grain of salt. ...:x

Tanabata

Located in one of  the walkways that leads you to the elevators that will take you to the observatory was a lovely display for Tanabata.

I did take photos of each one, but I won't bore you with them here. They'll all be uploaded to the We ♥ Kansai tumblr later on though..! :)

Elevator fare for the Observatory

Shota and I were fully prepared for the full-on awesome that would be the observatory until we saw this sign. →→

I really shouldn't be surprised about seeing signs like this. I mean, after all, if you want nice things (like snazzy observatories), you have to be willing to put down for it. Unfortunately (or fortunately? depending on how you see things), it wasn't in our budget for that day, so we just enjoyed our view from the third floor and headed back downstairs.

We're going to save all the gorgeousness for another empty Sunday (plenty to be had, I'm sure).

I am a little sad we didn't get to see the Tanabata decorations they had on the top floors. Ah well! :)

The smexy.

After the sky building, we decided to wander in search of a little cool-ness.

I think with a lot of Osakan people, Umeda has a very 'bouji' (click here for a definition if you're unfamiliar with the term ;) ) image so it's mostly devoid of the young and penniless (or the economically creative as I like to call them :D). It's definitely cleaner than Namba, with no hobo's to be found. But I figure even an uptight area like Umeda has it's own underground chill spots for the less monetarily endowed.

And I guess that's where Chayamachi is supposed to come in. According to Shota and what he's heard from other Osakan people, it's supposed to be Umeda's equivalent of Ame-mura.

Again, definitely not as dirty as it's southern counterpart, but I guess I could see it. It is close to where HEP5 is located, and that's a well-known youth hotspot, and also the location of Osaka's largest number of purikura machines in one game center. If that doesn't draw in the young folks, I don't know what will.

While I couldn't find any nice streetwear shops like the ones in Ame-mura, I DID find a ESP Custom Guitars shop. And across from that was a music shop selling that smexy Spider-Man guitar. I'd almost ninja gaiden someone for that guitar (I'd definitely ninja gaiden someone for a Batman guitar..).

NU Chayamachi shopping center

After a lot of circle walking, we eventually decided to enter NU Chayamachi, which is, as you have probably already guessed, a shopping center.

Nothing particularly new or exciting in here. HEP5 has a larger variety of shops and a gentler price range. And it can be seen that NU Chayamachi is for that OL/Salaryman group that isn't quite yet ready to retire to Daimaru's/Takashimaya's/Hankyu's/Kintetsu's.

There was a nice music shop with a decent price range for it's instruments, but nothing really outstanding (and really, it's hard to live up to a Spider-man guitar). There was also a Tower Records shop, but finding CDs isn't really a hard thing to do in Japan.

A sweater in summer!? Cray~

I wouldn't be in a rush to bring my friends out to this particular center, but I think Chayamachi still has more to offer.
I shall be back, in a better pair of walking/exploring shoes than ←← those.

I ain't done with you yet Chayamachi!! >:D

I was going to share another shopping center (actually outlet mall) that we checked out, but apparently I couldn't be bothered to photograph anything but the ferris wheel because that was all I found on my camera from that day. OOPS.

If anyone ever asks you to go to RINKU Premium Outlets, just say NO. Unless you really need some sportswear and are certain that they can't be purchased anywhere else for a similar price (and mostly likely, they can). Save yourself the trip and train fare..! Though I would recommend it for Non-Japanese girls who want some nicely fitting jeans for a good price :D

Anyway, hopefully the next post will be salutations from some place with lots of sand and sun..! ;] Take care♥

★Peaces★

Whenever this commercial comes on, I stop whatever meaningless thing I may be doing, and just enjoy the Matsuda Shota.

Why is he wearing what seems to be some poor Nordic man's mane in the midst of a desert?? These are probably question best not asked, seeing as they won't be answered. He should just take it off. And by it, I mean everything Q_Q

And his two white man-servants?????

Oh and the poor camel, why is he mean-mugging the camel!?

I'm just going to play this again~

This does remind to go out an buy some of this.. water deodorant that's being pushed on us consumers these days. Apparently, you put it on after you've already begun to sweat :|

I'm just going to play this again.

★Peaces★

P.S. A mosquito just bit me on the hand. NOOOOO ;w;