Japan 2015: Osaka Alleys, Nyan Tsume Cat Cafe

Our last day in Osaka was spent just ambling about and trying out food.

First, let me just linger in the glorious strip of sunlight that morning. Photo assist: Ai.
Wearing H&M coat, Parkhurst beret, Uniqlo dress, Happy Socks socks, CNDirect sunglasses, Spurr shoes. Photo assist: Ai & Ru.
Our last day in Osaka was spent just ambling about and trying out food. Takoyaki-kun was a new stall we tried – their takoyaki had an interesting texture to them, but taste-wise, we agreed that we liked our favourite store better. Takoyaki-kun piqued our interest because it was only manned by only one guy, plus the signboard claimed that it was the number one tastiest in Osaka. How it worked was that we chose the number of pieces we wanted by pressing the option on a vending machine behind him, fed it money, and then showed the cook our ticket. No money changing hands at all, which I’m very much behind. Once we got our order, we headed into the narrow shop to add the sauces and crepes to our liking. There were even a few chairs if you wanted to dine in the bar counter. It’s a pretty cool system! Photo source: Ru.
Our ticket for 14 takoyaki balls.
We also had some really yummy unagi at Takagi Suisan! It’s nestled in one of those covered walkways I don’t remember which anymore, since we were more or less exploring aimlessly. We also had a bit of a bonding moment with the shopfront lady who knew Mandarin – her husband is local and he seemed to be a stoic guy who grills the eel in the other room. It was so delicious. Also, what is it about chilly weather that makes hot food so fulfilling?! Everything. Was. So. Delish. Even the pickled vegetables!
We even had shellfish in our miso soup! First time I ever saw this combination.
The lady saw us about to take a selfie so she offered to take one for us ahaha we weren’t ready yet.
Here’s some more food we ate along the way… we couldn’t help it, Osaka is made of all the noms. Ru succumbed to the lure of baby octopus on a stick, and we didn’t pay attention to the sign which said that its head was stuff with hard boiled quail egg. Imagine her surprise when she bit into it!
We also chanced upon Naruto Taiyaki Honpo and got ourselves taiyaki with different fillings!
Couldn’t pass up the chance for a photo-op when we spied this fish mural. A pity that I had already beheaded my snack.
They’ve got pretty painted manhole covers.
Is this a shrine to money? I have no idea.
We also dropped by a bookstore (I think it’s Tsutaya?) and I hung around my favourite corner. Shh, not everyone knows that I’m rotten on the inside.
My favourite Saint Young Men is already onto volume 12?! Wow. The last time I went to Japan I bought all five volumes, and five years later there’s already seven more! I hated to leave the bookstore without buying anything, but ever since I started renting, it’s just inconvenient to have to worry about moving my precious (and horrifically pared down) book collection all the time. I’m coming back for you next time though, Jesus & Buddha!
So there we were, just taking a stroll on a random street when we heard mewing sounds by the side. Upon further investigation, it turned out that the mewing was coming from a signboard advertising Nyan Tsume, a cat cafe. We decided to visit since we had nothing planned for our evening. So many kitties! Photo source: Ai.
Photo source: Ru.
I fell head over heels with this kitty with the weird fur.
Photo source: Ai.
Photo source: Ai.
The shop assistant’s cat. Photo source: Ai.
Omg it was just too adorable how the shop assistant’s cat was bundled up to go home.
Photo source: Ru.
We couldn’t pass up a late night snack from our favourite takoyaki stall on our way home. Photo source: Ai.
RU IS HILARIOUS (and that’s me getting my daily Snapchat update). We did a lot of walking in Osaka, no thanks to our very first day here. It was bound to hit our almost-30-year-old tired bodies. Photo source: Ai.
We’re at that point in our lives where we have to rely on external help to recuperate from so much walking. THEY BURNNNNED. But these relief patches did their job.