This is part two of the birthday post! Yey :)

A lot of the pictures are either self-explanatory or no kind of explanation would really suffice. This is really me just saying (typing?) that I will keep the words to a minimun. ;)

Oh, I should mention this; for my birthday, my boss decided to throw a Alice in Wonderland themed birthday party! :D I'm Alice Alyse though the pronunciation is a bit different. :v

Fancy menu from an izakaya

And life was like 'OKAY, now do stuff.'
So I respectfully obliged, and got off my lazy bum. I've been to 3 successful interviews for part-time gigs, all of which I decided to take on, mostly because the first two were for English Conversation schools at an extremely part-time-type schedule. Which is good and bad. I won't lose my coveted and preciously held "time" however, I can't really make enough money to well.. anything. ;>

So I did the smart thing, and applied for some other stuff, mostly working late nights at bars, which is something I've always wanted to do (don't ask why, cuz I'm not really sure lol). This is, of course, impossible (the bar-tending part) stateside unless you are licensed/certified, however in Japan, you don't need one! You can just fumble around behind the bar and throw shit stuff into people's drinks. Not literally, obviously, because the Japanese take drinking very seriously because they do it all the time. Anyway, they'll be training me while I work, and there are no dress codes, bleached hair, piercings, whatever you want to wear (except for the shirt, which is black) are all fair game. I can choose my days as well, and how I get paid (daily or weekly). AND I lucked out, and applied to a Hip-hop & Reggae bar, so I get this weird feeling like this is the one time my ethnicity worked in my favor. I could get used to this ;)

Though I may have to get back into listening to hip-hip on a somewhat regular basis (the last new artist I picked up was Wale.. and he came out a few years back I think..).

The name of fancy menu izakaya.

So I get started this upcoming Monday night. I'm going to go into it with as much positivity as I can muster, because really, that's just the best way to go about things.

But then I also have an interview at another bar tomorrow!! I keep sort of forgetting. I should have canceled, but I feel really guilty about canceling after accepting the interview and all.. Besides! The guy in charge of recruiting was using emoticons in the e-mail. You can't cancel on that..!! :D

SO I just may be running around Umeda and Kyoubashi on late weeknights and weekends. I'll probably write about what a horrible idea that was around October or November (if I even make it that long).

One of many, many, many sunset photos.

I still want to apply for one more job though. JUST one more. Because this job is for working at events like concerts, festivals and the like, and I REALLY would like to try that. Though I don't know how good I would be at talking with the customers of those said events, I definitely think I could offer a lot of help in the background though.

And then I'm done, pinky swear. Damn, it is quite nice to have things to do. :3

I should have some decent posts coming up soon, some ancient burial grounds, the largest lake in Japan AAAND.. something else I can't quite remember. Bah, must not have been that important. ;)

Time to say goodbye to summer and .. nope, that's it, just summer. Bring it on autumn! >:D

★Peaces★

Check out Wale! PG County Represent!! ;D

Is that a scary sky or what!? I saw that on my way to work last Friday, and was quite worried that a typhoon has just shown up as some sort of sick surprise Christmas present. Ohh mother nature~~

The way the sun hit the clouds was quite lovely though, so it wasn't all bad :)






And before that crazy cloud formation, I had this show up..! Well, it was in a box, in pieces, when it showed up. But I put on my big girl boots and put this bad boy together..! All alone!! It only took 2 and a half hours :P

Sleeping on this is no replacement for a real bed, but TONS better than sleeping on the floor. Could not do another year of that~








Uggghhh... I don't remember exactly when I took this photo. That's the huge problem with taking photos on my phone. I soon forget about the ones I'd like to share...

Ah well, I might reuse this later on a post about Bike Etiquette in Osaka ;)











This past Sunday, we finally met up with Yuta..!! That last time we'd hung out was for Hanshin's last baseball game back in October. Hisashiburi-indeed! But everyone was in great spirits and the weather was great. Good day for hanging out.

This was taken while we were walking down Midosuji toward a Mexican restaurant called El Pancho. Unfortunately for us, it was packed with patrons..!! :<

I really wanted a chimichanga too....






So we made a U-turn back toward Namba. We still hadn't decided on what to eat, but Yuta kept declaring loudly that we needed to go out to eat more often so that things like this wouldn't happen.

Actually Yuta and Shota are in this photo. Hur hur hur~











JAWS! What an awesome theme for a bar..! :D I took this photo so I could remind myself to visit later on~

Osaka Muse looks intriguing as well.. Hmm.. this may not be good for my wallet DD: a.k.a. drinking is expensive in a bar..






We walked a little further, and we found this shop..! It's a jewelry shop, but the whole exterior is fashioned after some sort of medieval European building? At first, I thought it was a medieval-themed restaurant (which the ASoIaF/GoT fan in me would have died for), but seeing as it was just jewelry, we kept on keeping on.

I will probably go back later though..





I stopped mid-conversation for this. The building?? Oh no no no, the host club sign..! Usually, I don't care much for host club signage, but THIS club is called （Kemuri)Ikemen Paradise. Which is the name my friend's and I gave the host club at AnimeUSA when we started it :) （minus the kemuri part). Brought back lots of memories of hanging out with friends back home~

I wonder if there are any ikemen there tho~ I'm sure Shota won't let me find out. Awwwwww.


This was taken somewhere in between the Sennichimae street and Ebisubashi street. There are a bazillion little side streets running between those two major streets, and I often forget that that's where the coolest photo ops are.

I think this restaurant specializes in kushi-katsu..?? I don't know, I stopped listening to what Yuta and Shota were saying to take a nice photo. :]




 Another tiny street that will take you from Sennichimae to Ebisubashi. Take care though, because bikes are usually racing through here (not literally of course).













A French cafè in Namba. Like there aren't a bazillion of those..! Well.. there might not be.. I've seen a lot of English ones.. hmm..

Anyway, our French buddies Ludovic and Julius said the French used in there is all wrong. I guess it's the French equivalent of Engrish? Soo.. Furansu..Francoinese...Furansois..? I don't know, I'm no good at these things. And I've never taken a French course in my life, so I guess that doesn't help.

I did take 2 years of Spanish though, so I'm a pro at Spanish restaurants.. Muy bien~

About an hour or so later, we made it to the ice rink..! Our main event..! It's an indoor one, so there's nothing really seasonal or Christmas-y about it. But it was pretty busy anyway.

The only downside really is the price. The entrance fee is 1400 yen and the skate renting fee is 400 yen, so that's 1800 yen (about 20 bucks), blown on just ice skating. It's been a while since I've skated, but I don't recall it being that expensive... DD:






The coolest kids at the rink. I did see a couple other foreigners, but didn't talk to them :,<

It was Yuta's first time skating, but he said it was a lot of fun. Even with falling 5 or so times. I'm sure I fell more my first time though.

Shota said it wasn't his first time buuuut.. he was still wall-hugging Lol








Looking at this photo, you'd think Yuta was a pro ;)

If you'd like to check out this rink, the website is here.
It's called Naniwa Ice Skate-ba(place). It's located behind the Hankyu Namba station, past and one street or so behind the McDonalds across from the Namba Parks entrance. Here's a google map in case that made no sense ;)

That was a lot of fun, but I don't think I'm doing anything fun this week. HOWEVER, this is my last sort-of full week of work. From next week, I'm on vacation, so hopefully exciting things will ensue.

Also, I'm trying to start a vlog because I obviously have too much free time and have some hidden desire to see my face on the youtubes :P Mostly though, it's for talking about topics I don't want to type about. I'm also thinking about doing something about kansai-ben on there since I haven't done a written update in a while. It's only because I've run out of easy things to teach D; So sorry~

OH! Almost (well, I did) forgot..! Purikura! I didn't take a photo of my outfit that day because Yuta was hanging with us, but I did get a nice shot from a purikura machine :)
I love that batman skirt..!♥

Have a great everything..! :)
★Peaces★

Couldn't forget the muzaks. From another one of my fashion inspirations:

When the risen sun sets, the daytime, sightseeing filled Japan we know transforms into an electric playland sights and sounds. Some good, some bad, and some really ugly. But overall, somewhat tough to navigate.

I don't know about anyone else, but I've had quite a time finding a suitable place for a little night time fun. I've done overnight karaoke too many times to count, and most of the game centers are shut down by 2am. That still lives me 3 or 4 more hours before daylight, signaling the ruling populous that it's safe to come out.

Last year, I spent most of my holiday in some drunken dance spree with my cousin, sometimes with Shota (he's not much of a dancer D:), but we always ended up at the same club, Club Pure, located in Shinsaibashi (right next to Ebisubashi, off of Souemoncho), because of the all-you-can-drink discounted price for ladies. The music was decent, and the crowd wasn't bad. But recently, it started to suck. The last straw was the night when my friend had an entire drink spilled down her back. What the hell happened to club etiquette?? I actually spent an entire night just wandering between Namba and Shinsaibashi looking for a better place because I refused to put anymore money into that place.

And you would think finding clubs would be easy to find right?! No, no it's not D:. Even with flyers from a nearby restaurant, we only ever ended up in one club (Club Life) which had the tiniest crowd I've ever seen at any place titled as a club. Maybe Korean Night is not as popular as one would think in Japan (that, or the fact that the DJ running her playlist off of the itunes on MAC :< not very DJ-like).

Anyway, it's too cold to be caught in that situation anymore. So luckily, I stumbled upon this wonderful site..!
(Check out that awesome Beatles theme on my Firefox. Love ;)

iflyer.tv is a navi for clubs and live houses throughout Japan. Even now, I'm not exactly sure how I found it, but I'm so glad I did..!!

The main page usually puts you at events in your region. In my case, the Kansai area page, with the most popular events (based on star rating I think) scrolling through a display at the top. There's also a calendar so that you can display events by the day. Also, you might have noticed that a lot of the tabs are in English. Or maybe you even noticed the language function up top. If so, you get super sleuth points..! Unfortunately, the English capabilities only go so far as the tabs. Most of the information under events is still in Japanese. There is a translate button, but it just gives you one of those quick babelfish translations. The English tab is there, so maybe they're actually start translating information soon. Til then, you might have to deal with a little more of this "to 0... all admission free!
※ Man 2 drink separately!
※ Women 1 drink ﾌﾟﾚｾﾞﾝﾄ from the free addition!"

Scrolling down a little further, you'll get information from their Twitter feed, your social networking links, and links for event tickets you can buy through the site. I think that's quite a handy feature since usually you have to buy tickets at your local 7andI or Family Mart. The e-ticket services works through mobile e-mails, but there is an option for other e-mail types as well.



If you start an account on the site, you can star events and artists you like, which will then be stored on your personal page. I just opened mine so it's pretty bare :<







Here's an example of an event page. The thing I really like about this site is that it can give you all the information you need about a venue or event. Prices, time sales (girls getting in before a certain time, drink buffets, etc.). The only problem is that sometimes the information in the top display doesn't match the information written in the details tab.
The map function is from Google Maps, so no worries there. As long as the information is accurate, you should be able to find the venue easily :)

ALL BLUE
Caffe & Bar

I'm not sure if you can tell from the photo but, this bar has a One Piece theme to it. And from what I heard from one of my friends, it's not the first one in Amemura with the One Piece theme, but so far it's the bestヽ(°▽、°）ノ

This place is super new and shiny, having just opened on July 3rd.

Access Info:
542-0086
大阪府大阪市中央区西心斎橋2-12-8
佐々木ビルＢ１Ｆ
Osaka-fu, Osaka-shi, Chuou-ku, Nishi-Shinsaibashi 2-12-8
Sasaki Bldg. B1F
Tel: 06-6213-6773
Hours: 7pm - 5am
Mixi page: http://mixi.jp/view_community.pl?id=5616013


This bar is pretty easy to get to. It's one block from Triangle park, right across the street from the huge crab restaurant in Amemura. If you get to the Korean Embassy is on Midosuji street, take the left turn north of the embassy, walk straight across one street, and All Blue will be right at the corner of the second street. But it's a basement establishment, so you should keep an eye out for their sign/flag (pictured above). If you walk under the bridge, you've gone too far(/ｰ＼).

  This bar is covered in One Piece paraphernalia. And it's all been purchased by the owner. I can understand why he started this bar because there is no way all this stuff could fit into some guys room. He's got figures, posters, bobble-heads, hats, converse sneakers, Zoro's swords, the guy with the freaky fur hat's shirt, masks, folders, pencil boards. I could probably go on for another few lines, but I've forgotten some of them. But the owner was a really sweet guy. He let us play with the swords, try on the masks, and take tons of ridiculous photos(*´∀｀*).

I'm pretty sure there's a food menu, but I didn't get a chance to look at it. All the (alcoholic) drinks were only 650 yen though, which isn't bad for a bar (soft drinks are 450). I thought the tables were cute because of the One Piece decals. He had just ordered some One Piece mugs, but we a day too early for those. I'll probably go back for a photo of that ～(´ー｀～). There were about 3 or 4 tables, plus two bars, so a generous amount of people would fit in this place.

 Along with all the goods, he also had episodes of One Piece airing on a TV by the bar. I should clarify that this isn't a "One Piece bar." For obvious licensing and copyright reasons, that wouldn't be possible. But I guess this is what could be called a One Piece-themed bar. Or maybe that requires licensing too... Let's just say it's a bar where One Piece fans are greatly appreciated.


I've actually only read the first few chapters of the manga, so I can't even say that I'm a fan, but I was definitely more interested after leaving this bar. I wanna go watch a few hundred episodes and then come back for some nerd talk with the owner( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ. Too bad I haven't found any Sailor Moon or Gundam Wing -themed bars. Would be all over thatヽ(°▽、°）ノ.

 Hopefully visiting One Piece fans will pay this place a visit. I think it's totally worth the time just to oogle at the stuff (and there's not sitting fee, so don't worry about that!). The owner also had autographs from the creator and voice actors. Apparently he knows like.. the creators nice or something. I dunno, maybe one of those six degrees of separation type things. I think I just became one degree closer to having met a manga-ka *keke-keke*(　´∀｀).


Check it out sometime!!
★Peaces★

GANJA/ACID
Psychedelic Bar/CLLIUVBE Room

Access Info:
大阪市宇宙大奥西心斎ケデリック橋2-9-5
(中央区西心斎ヶ橋2-9-5)
日宝三ッ寺会館3F
Osaka City, Uchuu Oooku Nishi Shinsai-chedelic-bashi 2-9-5(Chuo-ku, Nishi Shinsaikebashi)
Nippou Mitsudera kaikan 3F

Did I mention that these guys are funny, funny dudes?? I loove how their flyer says they're located in space (apparently some great Japanese harem in space since they use oooku) and how they squeezed psychedelic into Shinsaibashi. Can you tell I'm a fan??
Anyway, if you do get a hold of the flyer, don't worry, they have a map and the real address is on their homepage.They've also recently started a twitter, and the owner seemed really excited about it, so follow if you like..!
Location wise, they're one street west of Midosuji. If you've walked up to Triangle Park in Amemura or the Apple Store, you've gone to far. It'll be two streets south of the Apple Store, adjacent to a temple.
They have a huge sign on the building it's located inside of, so it shouldn't be too hard to find. Once you get to the third floor however, you're gonna walk up a small flight of stairs and bare to the left. Going to the right will take you to a girls bar, and they didn't seem all that hospitable when we peeked in(´＿｀｡). Once you venture down the hall a couple feet, you'll find a bar with a iron-wrought handle, and that's it..! Step into the zone~


Really, it's a pretty normal shot bar. There's only red lights, so it may take a moment for your eyes to adjust. But after that, just take a seat and order a drink..! The two tenders (pictured) were really friendly but there is a sitting fee of 300 yen that you have to pay along with what you drink. 

The bar is pretty small. I think after about 10 or so people, it probably feels too crowded, but from what I read from the website and Mixi page, it's a popular spot for bands, indie and signed alike. The owner seems like he promotes a lot of local live events too, so we got of info on locals fests and shows going on (I plan on sharing those tomorrow( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ).

I don't know what the Acid part is about though. In katakana, it says クライヴェントルーム, which is a kura(?) event room? Maybe it's supposed to be a like a club spot? If I find out they have any events going on there, I'll definitely try checking it out.

Overall, it's a pretty small bar, but I completely dug the atmosphere and people gathered so I plan on going again. And again. And again.. I think it's worth a bit of time during your grand evening in Osaka（●´－｀●）

★Peaces★

Psychedelic Bar GANJA on the web:
Homepage
Mixi Community
Twitter

Kama Sutra
Karaoke/shot bar

Access Info:
Kama Sutra
大阪市中央区東心斎橋2-1-13 大阪屋ジャンボビル5F #5
Osaka City, Chuo-ku, East Shinsaibashi 2-1-13 Osaka-ya Jumbo Bldg. 5F #5
English/Japanese: OK 
Closest Station: Shinsaibashi Station on the Midosuji Line/Nagahori Turumi-ryokuchi Line.
I would suggest leaving near exit 4a-8. After exciting the gates, if you follow the ramp off to the left (next to the entrance to Daimaru I believe), it'll take you up some stairs that come out right in the shopping arcade. Follow the arcade back south, cross two streets (the second street will have a Krispy Kreme Doughnut shop), then turn left (heading east) on Hachiman-suji. You'll cross four streets, and on the block before Sakai-suji, Kama Sutra will be in a nondescript building to your left on the 5th floor, directly across from a nail salon/school. You'll definitely miss if you aren't keen because there aren't any signs, so be careful!

I m p r e s s i o n s
I have to admit that my initial impression when I came in was something like "damn this place is small.." but that must be the American in me, expecting everything to be huuuge. Everything doesn't need to be huge. In fact, by the time I left, I actually quite liked the size and all the people I had spent about 6 hours with.

Yes, we stayed all night. ;D

The people on staff were all really pleasant throughout the night, and it was very easy to fall into light conversations while karaoke-ing and drinking. The karaoke is free but on a slightly dated UGA karaoke system (yeaa.. I'm somewhat of a karaoke geek..), but the collection appears to be updated often since they had Lady Gaga's Judas. Be warned though, the karaoke game they have active is point-based, with higher points revealing nude idol photos. It usually only seems to get as far as the boobs, but it's fun to play along with everyone. =]

They don't make any food in the bar, but have a few demae (delivery) menus that you can pick through, all at nice prices. They don't have a drink menu either, but if you're a bar vet, you know what you like anyway, so who needs a menu?? Anyway, I'm sure the bartenders are happy to make whatever fits your fancy. I ordered a Long Island, Irish Coffee, and CranVodka, all delicious and potent. Most drinks seems to run an average of 600-700 yen, but they time sales like 4 shots from 1000 yen.

We got there pretty early in the evening, so it was empty, but people started dropping in not long afterwards. A lot of regulars it would seem, since the tender greeted most of the patrons by first-names. My personal favorite was Mr. Tanaka. A 65-year-old business man, who has a thing for karaoke and  women. He was kind enough to toss one of my friend's a 'you are bootylicious' comment after we sang Destiny's Child's Bootylicious. Good times :)

We didn't intend to stay the entire night, but we did and we had a lot of fun. The next time we go, we probably won't be there all night, but we'll definitely be stopping by for a drink or two. Check it out if you have the chance! Karaoke and drinking always go well together!

★Peaces★