Backpackers Hostel's Blog l J-Hoppers Guest House Lounge

The other day I hanged around the central down town of Osaka, and I found a Otaku dancer (Otaku : In modern Japanese slang, the term otaku refers to fan of, or is specialized in any particular theme, topic, or hobby. Common uses are anime otaku (a fan of anime ) and manga otaku (a fan of comic books or manga), Otaku's fashion is very unique, and they wear a frumpy cloth, because their interest is focused on the only anime or manga.).

He was dancing in front of the passer-by audiences. He is challenging to get a high score of Dancing Game at penny arcade.

His dancing is very sophisticated. I guess that he practiced and more practice.
It was very funny to see a gap in between his businesslike aspect and dancing skill like a professional dancer.

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It's been about 2 weeks since J-Hoppers Osaka opened.
It's still quite short time, but we've been having wonderful guests.

Some of guests left their messages on our guest book.
I'd like to report some of them today.


"We had a great stay here. Staff was incredibly friendly and helpful.
Would recommend to friends" 09/02 from Canada

"Great visit! It's the little helpful things that you do that will keep
your guests coming back and will get you recommended to other travelers!
Thanks for your help and kindness!" 09/02 from Canada

"It was perfect with beautiful sceneries in Osaka!
I would not forget everything in this place.
If I come here again, then see you!
Having fun!" 12/02 from republic of Korea


Sorry to guests who I can't report here today, but
Thank you so much EVERYONE who stayed with us!
We're so happy to know that you enjoyed here.
J-Hoppers Osaka will be more comfortable place, so
we're always waiting for your visit.


Thanks xxx

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Hi everybody !

As part of the ending process of opening J-Hoppers Osaka we've updated its webpage. Enjoy discovering it by clicking HERE. Reservations aren't open yet but we're working hard to make it available very very soon !

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Who would be the happiest person of this year?

There is Nishinomiya Shrine in Nishinomiya city, Hyogo Prefecture where I live. This shrine is the head shrine of Ebisu sect of Shinto, under which it is said that there are about 3500 shrines. Locals call the shrine, by a nick name of 'Ebessan' of Nishinomiya.
People visiting here wish for the safety of their families and success in business.

The most biggest event of this shrine is "Toka Ebisu" which is held on 9th, 10th and 11th of January.
In the morning of 10th, "Fukuotoko Erabi" is held to choose the happiest person of the year.

You want to be the happiest person this year?
By 6:00am on 10th of January, you have to line up in front of the main gate of Nishinomiya shrine.
Almost 200 persons should be already lining up for hours.
At 6:00, the gate is open with the cue of drum. And all persons start running all at once to arrive the inner shrine. The most first 3 persons can be "Fukuotoko", which means the happiest persons.
I am going to visit and wish to prosper J-Hoppers Osaka which will be opening shortly!


This is a dedicated huge tuna. Everybody paste up coins to celebrate.


He is Ebisu called Ebessan.

Homepage for Nishinomiya Shrine;
http://www.decca-japan.com/nishinomiya_ebisu/index.html

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Hello everybody ! Your favourite french is back on this blog ... direct live from Osaka. ;-p
I will help Yamaguchi San to prepare you a wonderfull new place to J-Hop' your trip !
There is still a lot to do here before opening but I've been really surprised when I arrived at J-Hoppers Osaka for the first time. I'm already convinced you will enjoy this new hostel. Actually I would like to be my own customer I guess ;-)
I've started to explore the neighbourhood and the shopping street where is located the hostel (very convenient). By the way I've you had a look at the neighbourhood map ? http://osaka.j-hoppers.com/e_neighbour.html ...
Yesterday I went to eat an okonomiyaki. "Eh ! Where are my sobaaaaa !!??!?!". Well, it's true, Hiroshima okonomiyaki and Osaka okonomiyaki are really differents. You have to eat both of them and compare yourself. The Osaka one is smaller, without noodles, covered by mustard, served with rice and miso soup, ... Finally is there something common between these two okonomiyaki ??? Cabbage and egg only ? (?_?) I had a good lunch but ... sorry obachan, I definitely prefer the Hiroshima okonomiyaki !!
Terachan, send me one by mail time to time onegaiiiii ! ;-)

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In the japanese traditional games there is one I particularly enjoy to play. It is called Go (Igo in japanese). This is a reflexion game which exists since several centuries. The rules are actually extremely easy to learn. Even very young child can enjoy the game. But becoming a strong player is incredibly difficult. Nowadays it's mainly played in Japan, China, Corea and Taiwan, but more and more people enjoy it in Europe and America and (rare) professional players appeared outside Asia.

The goal of the game is to share a board in two areas by aligning stones one by one to draw borders. The winner is the one who have the biggest area surrounded by his stones. This is a positive way of thinking compare to games like chess : you start from a clean board to construct territory instead of starting with a board filled with chess pieces and looking for killing them. Further more it requires intuition and not only calculation power has the board is so big that even current computers still aren't able to compute enough far away to be sure to win. There is also a psychologic dimension in this game. There is a saying about igo : "common people play cards, kings play chess, gods play igo"...

Near J-Hoppers Osaka you have a wonderfull place to enjoy Igo : the Nihon Ki-in. This is the national federation of game of go. It's located just behind the HEP Five building in front of the shinkansen station, at the 6th floor of the HEP Five Annex Building. Open hours are from 10:00 to 21:30 every day, except on sunday (until 18:30 only). The entrance costs 1200 yen. It's a little bit expensive but you will have a beautifull goban (the igo board) and stones, comfortable chairs and a spacious room to enjoy the game as long as you want. There is also a small shop to buy items related to the game, books to improve your level, or even fan decorated by calligraphy made by the most powerfull players of Japan. If you stay in Osaka for a long time you can even think about taking lesson with a real professional !

I would really enjoy to go there and play a game with you ! :-)

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Transportation in Osaka

1.Osaka Municipal Subway Lines
There are 7 subway lines and 1 New Tram line. You can figure out which line you should take by checking each unique color. Each station is allocated a reference number. For example, Umeda station on Midosuji is M16.
Please refer to their subway map (PDF file)
One day ticket is available at 850yen. For more detail, please refer to see this link.

2.JR Loop Line
True to its name, the JR Osaka Loop Line (Kanjo-sen) runs in a loop around Osaka. It's not quite as convenient or heavily-used as Tokyo's Yamanote Line, but it stops in major station Osaka, Kyobashi, Tsuruhashi and Tennoji, and by Osaka Castle. Namba and Universal Studios Japan are connected to the Loop Line by short spurs.

3.Private railways
Many private railway lines stretch all over Kansai region. Major railways are Hankyu(Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe), Hanshin(Osaka-Kobe), Keihan(Osaka-Kyoto-Shiga), Nankai(Osaka-Wakayama) and Kintetsu(Osaka-Nara-Mie-Kyoto).




4.Surutto KANSAI
This ticket enables you to ride on subways, private railways and buses throughout the Kansai district. As well as enabling you to tour Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto, it lets you visit Nara, Wakayama and Koyasan. Purchasing the economical KANSAI THRU PASS that comes in two types; 2-day and 3-day, will let you enjoy a more value-for-money holiday.
Please refer to this page for more detail.

5.Multiple Ride Card
The Multiple Ride Card is a prepaid discount card which is valid for transportation on the subway, New Tram, and city buses. No term of validity is set. Price: 3,000yen (good for 3,300yen worth of travel) for adults
Please refer to this page for more detail.



6.The City Loop Bus (Kobe)
One-way ticket: ¥250. One-day ticket: ¥650. The City Loop Bus circulates around many of Kobe’s sightseeing areas, such as the Foreigner houses, Harborland, Motomachi and the main stations of Kobe, Sannomiya, and Shin-Kobe. You can get on or get off as many times as you like if you buy the one-day ticket. You can also buy it on the bus. Service is offered every 18 - 20min., from 9:20 – evening (1 round: 70min.)

7.Airport Limousine Bus
There are a lot of bus stops for limousine bus. You can check the bus stop and time table on this website.

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Eating in Osaka
I would like to introduce the following cuisines and restaurants in Osaka, which you may feel funny.

1. Okonomiyaki
A cross between a pancake, pizza, and omelet. The basic ingredients are flour, yam, egg, cabbage, spring onion. Most okonomiyaki restaurants have pork okonomiyaki and squid okonomiyaki. Some restaurants have other options for the topping like shrimp, beef, cheese, rice cake, etc…


2. Takoyaki
Bits of octopus inside fried dumplings. Takoyaki is best eaten from street vendors' carts, which can be found all over the major districts around nightfall. As you compare the surface with Okonomiyaki, The taste of source is similar to Okonomiyaki.


3. Kitsune Udon
Udon are a type of thick Japanese noodle, and kitsune is a piece of sweet deep fried bean curd. The combination of the two in a bonito and kelp broth is delicious. The taste of soup is a quite different from the one in Tokyo.


4. Kushikatsu
Kushikatsu can be made with chicken, pork, seafood, and/or seasonal vegetables. These are skewered on bamboo kushi and deep-fried in vegetable oil. They may be served straight, or with sauce. Many office worker in Osaka drink a beer with Kushikatsu.


5. Zuboraya
A fugu restaurant with a huge blowfish lantern hanging out front located in Dotonbori.
They serve Tecchiri and Tessa. Tecchiri is a pot of blowfish and vegetables, and Tessa is raw blowfish. Both very delicious, the quantity of blowfish consumed in Osaka Prefecture is greater than any other prefecture in Japan.



6. Kani doraku
A crab restaurant in Dotonbori, easily identified by its giant moving crab billboard. One of the most famous landmarks of Osaka. Dishes range are crab-suki, crab-chiri (a kind of crab sukiyaki), and fried crab dishes to crab croquette, roasted crab with salt, crab salad, crab sushi, and boiled king crab.

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Performing Arts in Osaka
Osaka offers some performing arts, which are deeply rooted for Osaka people.

1.Bunraku
http://www2.ntj.jac.go.jp/unesco/bunraku/en/
The modern name for the traditional puppet drama of Japan which developed in the Kansai region, particularly Osaka, in the seventeenth century. This performing art is registered as World intangible Heritages.
Sensitive performance makes you admiring!


The National Bunraku Theatre
This is the home of "Kamigata" performing arts - "Bunraku" puppet theatre, "Gagaku" traditional Japanese music, and other art forms. The theatre also contains bunraku exbition rooms and archivevs relating to the traditional performing arts.
-Subway or Kintetsu Railway Nipponbashi Sta.(Exit No.7)

2.Kamigata Kabuki
"Kamigata Kabuki" depicts human through gentle "Wagoto" love scenes. Since it should be a simple love story, I beleive you can understand the meaning of story.

Osaka Shochikuza Theater
You will soon notice the neo-Renaissance facade of this theater. Various theater arts such as Kabuki, musicals and concerts are put on here.
-Namba subway Sta. (Exit No.14)

3.Rakugo(traditional story-telling) & Manzai (comedy duos and comedies)
Osaka people love a hearty laugh. That's why in more recent times the Osaka-Kyoto area's unique style of entertainment, called kamigata, diverged into rakugo and manzai, two types of comedy, both born in Osaka.
Rakugo is a type of stylized comic monologue delivered by a single storyteller seated on the floor in front of a tiny desk. Manzai, on the other hand, is a vaudeville-like stand-up comedy routine put on by a pair of comedians. They are interesting, uplifting and funny. Rakugo, manzai and other comedic skits are performed on a daily basis at the Namba Grand Kagetsu Theater or Umeda Kagetsu Theater.

Namba Grand Kagetsu Theater : Namba on Midosuji Line or Sennichimae Line (Subway)
Umeda Kagetsu Theater: Higashi Umeda on Tanimachi Line (Subway)

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Entertainment in Osaka
As you may know, the most popular amusement park in Osaka is Universal Studio Japan. But there are some other kinds of entertainment places in Osaka.This time let me introduce them.

1. Universal Studio Japan
This exciting theme park brings you the magic of movies!Have you already enjoyed Universal Studio in other country?Here are listing of attraction for only at Universal Studio Japan.

-Animation Celebration



-Sesame Street 4-D Movie Magic

-Snoopy's Sound Stage Adventure

-Snoopy's Playground


-WiCKED



2. Umeda Joypolis - Game Park

You probably have seen a penny arcade at downtown in Japan. Did you find a high tech game you have never seen before? Joypolis in Umeda created by Game maker Sega, this theme park features eight high-tech rides that are all very entertaining and original.
Admission is JPY200 for adults. If you ride the Ferris wheel on the roof of the building, admission is free. After the admission fee, each ride costs JPY500 or JPY600, though there are cheaper combo passes. A pass for all rides is JPY2,200 and a pass for three rides is JPY1,400. There are many arcade games throughout the place.

3.KAIYUKAN - Aquarium

Located in Tempozanspan, an area facing Osaka Bay. The aquarium constitutes part of the Tempozan Harbor Village, which also includes a hotel, restaurants and shops.They are exhibiting about 35,000 aquatic animals (about 580 species).Visitors can observe various living creatures on land,in the water and on sea bottom, while descending a sloped spiral passage. By doing so, they can enjoy the thrilling experience of a diver exploring marine nature.
Visitors who wish to have deeper knowledge of exhibited animals and plants can participate in a guided tour of the aquarium. During the tour, participants can hear interesting explanations, including episodes in the breeding of the animals and plants. (Reservations are necessary for participation in this tour.)


4.Tennoji Zoo

One of the largest Zoo in Japan. Located in Tennoji. They keeps animals of about 330 species, including lesser pandas and polar bears. They demonstrate how animals and nature are interrelated, by recreating actual habitats of animals. admission fee is just only JPY500. You may see animals you have never seen in your country!!

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Towers in Osaka

Since Osaka is the second largest city of Japan and used to be historically the commercial capital of Japan, there are a lot of high-rise buildings.
These Osaka's landmark buildings makes a great lookout point. Please enjoy a night view from the observation deck.

1.The Umeda Sky Building
Located in the Umeda district of Kita Ward. It consists of two 40-story towers that connect at their two uppermost stories, with bridges and an escalator crossing the wide atrium-like space in the center. The escalater ride is an event in itself as it feels like you are floating up into the sky.


2.Tsutenkaku
It means "Tower Reaching Heaven". It is located in the Shinsekai district of Naniwa Ward. The total height is 103 m. It's not so high tower but very famous as a tower of symbol in Osaka. The neon lights is especially colorful.


3.The Osaka World Trade Center Building
It's located in an artificial island of Osaka Bay. This is the second-tallest building in Japan. The 55-story building rises 256 meters. A transparent elevator can take passengers from ground level to the top in just 80 seconds. The building houses trade offices for companies around the world.


4.Osaka Business Park
It's a huge business area right next to Osaka Castle Park lined with 15 high-rise buildings. The height of these buildings are designed intentionally applox 150 meter, it's quite beautiful from the view of Osaka Castle Park


See more photos for skyscrapers of Osaka on this page.

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Shopping in Osaka

Osaka has a large number of shopping areas to choose from. You can enjoy a variety of shopping as below;

1.Dotonbori
It is a shopping and restaurant street, running along the Dotonbori canal,
A former pleasure district, Dotonbori is famous for its surrounding theatres, shops, and restaurants and the many colorful neon.
While Dotonbori is packed with interesting billboards and buildings, there are three main landmarks. These are all so funny!
-The mechanical drum-playing clown "Kuidaore Ningyo"
-Giant moving crab billboard "Kani Doraku Crab"
-The giant athlete is a symbol of Glico candy "Glico Man"

2.Tenjinbashi-suji shopping arcade
Tenjinbashi-suji stretches from the road approaching the Tenman-gu shrine and continues for 2.6km going north to south. It has all types of stores including commodities, clothing and catering outlets on both sides of the arcade. You might see and talk a friendly Osaka-no-Obachan (Middle aged housewife women who are outspoken, nosy but humane).

2.Nippombashi Den Den Town
Nippombashi Den Den Town is a shopping district in the Nipponbashi, famous for its wide variety of electronics stores, and especially famous for its negotiable prices.
Why don't you try saying "Mo-chotto Makete" meaning "discount a bit, please". Here could be the best area for getting hold of anime, manga and related figures. There are a huge number of stores providing a large amount of goodies for fans of anime or manga.

3.Brandshops
North-south Mido-suji and east-west Nagahori-dori Street. At the intersection, world-famous brand direct operated shops are lined up: Chanel, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, etc. In addition to these shops, there are lots of brand shops in department stores such as Daimaru Shinsaibashi Store and Shinsaibashi Sogo.

4.America mura
It's located at the west side of Mido-suji, This area is lined with used clothing and imported goods stores. You can feel artistic and energetic atmosphere of fashionable youth.

5.Yodobashi Camera
The mega-size electronics shop with all kinds of appliances located in the north of JR Osaka station. There is a floor for fashion stores, a restaurant floor offering Japanese, Chinese, Western, and others. Some staff can speak English.

6.HEP FIVE
This is a commercial and amusement complex with a huge red Ferris wheel, where you can find easily right in front of Osaka station. It's a wide variety of shops,153 in all, including GAP, SNOOPY TOWN SHOP, and DISNEY STORE.
The Ferris wheel will lift you 106 meters above the ground. You can enjoy a panoramic view of the entire city!

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How many sightseeing spots in Osaka can you pop into your head?

Although Kyoto is one of the major sightseeing place of Japan, it might be difficult for you to imagine the ones in Osaka.

I would like to introduce some typical sightseeing spots in Osaka including Hyogo on this section in addition to opening information.

Osaka Castle

It is one of Japan's most famous castles, and played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century of the Azuchi Momoyama period by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

• Osaka caslte museum (main tower) serves as a History Museum for Osaka Castle and it houses valuable historical materials. The Tower is furnished with the latest facilities to enable visitors to understand the exhibits. The view from ovservation deck is a great. You can try on Kabuto (samurai warrior helmet) on 2nd floor.


• There are many kinds of facilities in Osaka Castle park such as Osaka Castle Hall, huge playgrounds for lots of sports and open-air concert hall.


• There exist a variety of historic sites in Osaka Castle Park, including old structures which are recognized as Important Cultural Assets.


• You can often see a performance of street musician on Sunday.


• It is a popular spot for cherry blossom in spring.

-Open
9:00 am to 5:00 pm(Note: Last admission to the Main Tower is at 4:30pm.)
-Closed
December 28 through January 1
-Admission
Adults 600yen Children Free (A "Group Discount" is available for groups of 15 or more.)
-Transportaion
-Subway
Temmabashi Station or Tanimachi 4-chome Station on the Tanimachi Line
Morinomiya Station or Tanimachi 4-chome Station on the Chuo Line
Osaka Business Park Station on the Nagahori-Tsurumiryokuchi Line
-JR
Morinomiya Station or Osakajo Koen Station on the Loop Line
Oasakajo Kitazume Staion on the Tozai Line
-Related link
Officiacl website of Osaka Castle

What's next?

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Having a trouble with finding a backpackers hostel in Osaka?

We are planning to open a new backpackers hostel in Osaka within this year.
Cities in Kansai region you know is only Kyoto? Osaka is the heart of Japan's second largest city and traditionally considered the "nation's kitchen" (tenka no daidokoro) or the gourmet food capital of Japan.

It is located just only 10 minutes walk to Osaka terminal station, which has all kinds of accesses such as JR line, Hankyu line, Hanshin line and subway. This location should be a base point for travelling to lots of sightseeing places such as Kyoto, Nara, Kobe, Himeji and Wakayama.

You can easily visit Shinsaibashi, Namba and Nipponbashi by subway, also it would be good access to Kobe or Himeji castle.

The property is five story building with rooftop terrace that you can view cluster of high-rise buildings. You could feel urban air here.

Not only updating the opening process, but also we introduce lots of attractive places to view and sightseeing information in Osaka on Tag cloud "Osaka Count down".

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