Umeda

We're back in Osaka and spent the day in Umeda. J took us to this mega-mall called Hep 5 - Hankyu Entertainment Palace. It was floor upon floor of different ways to spend your money but consisted mainly of clothing stores. It was exhausting and packed to the giblets. It wasn't really to my liking. The stores catered to a different crowd, particularly those that were clad in high heels and daisy dukes with their hair overly coiffed and their faces overdone. I felt like I was in an episode of a Japanese version of Electric Circus and it wasn't just a handful of people in this garb - it was more like 75% of the female patrons. Every store was jam-packed. It's almost shocking how much consumerism goes on in this country. Seriously, I've never seen so many shops and monetary transactions going on. It's a bit frightening.

To be honest, the best place we ended up today was a teeny tiny shop called Tools located just off the train station. They had the loveliest papers, pens, folders and books. Japan has the best stationery and supplies I've ever seen.

Tomorrow, we are going to spend the day doing the exact opposite - we'll be spending the day at Koyasan which is the site of the largest and one of the oldest graveyards in Japan. It's also the headquarters of the Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism. We'll be spending the night in a Buddhist temple which should be a really wonderful experience.

Now, we're heading back home to relax and soak in the tub. Hope you're all well and having a nice week. Talk to you soon. :)