Goose Feather at Namba Parks

Leaving Osaka Castle via Uemachi-suji Avenue , I headed for Tanimachi 4-chome Station. Passing rows of red-maple trees planted on each side of road, then head to station entrance which was located at the feet of mighty Osaka Museum of History.

“Enjoy Eco Card” (another name for One Day Pass in Osaka) for 600 Yen made ut comfortable and easy to got in and out of station without having to hunt a ticket at automatic vending machine when you wanted to use the services of Osaka Metro. I just tap the card at ticket collecting gate and enjoyed traveling around Osaka as I please.

Enjoy Eco Card.

Taking Tanimachi Line and changing to Sennichimae Line at Tanimachi 9-chome Station, my journey stopped at Namba Station after traveling three kilometers and in fifteen minutes.

Arriving at the eighty-five year old Namba Station, I exited towards Namba City. Namba City is a very large shopping center in this area.

Stepping in corridor after corridor in Namba City made me interested to stop by and saw some of UNIQLO store’s winter jacket collections in a side of magnificent corridor. An interesting funny story happened to me again here. This was the result of my cheap winter jacket I was wearing. This second-hand winter jacket from Pasar Baru (a market in my town) sheded soft goose down from its inside when I tried on a UNIQLO winter jacket in dressing room. Suddenly, after I came out from fitting room, a female attendant took a broom and dustpan to clean that goose. She just smiled at me when was putting the winter jacket back into display case. Even though, I thought I wouldn’t be able to afford it, I was still determined to try it. How could I not think a thousand times to buy it if a winter jacket was priced at 12,900 Yen.

To forgot about that embarrassing incident, I hurriedly left the store and rushed to Namba Parks. This time I started to be amazed because the access to Namba Parks kept me on indoor pedestrian path, even though Namba City and Namba Parks were in different locations. The indoor corridor continued to south and was directly connected to Namba Parks.

After walking less than two hundred meters from the exit gate of Namba Station, I finally arrived at Namba Parks. The cool garden was designed at the top of shopping center with a contour made of steps like a terrace. I should have visited this park at night because there were a lot of lights installed which would definitely light up at night.

A side of Namba Parks, the park above the mall.

Namba Parks itself is also integrated with a shopping and office complex located in Naniwa City District. In the park, I only took thirty minutes because I wanted to visit Americamura soon to see the shopping and entertainment area from a different perspective.

It was already half past two in the afternoon, I started to leave Namba Parks via original route when I came to Namba Parks.

Go to Shin-Imamiya Station from Kansai Airport Station

I already have a ticket worth 1,060 Yen to go to Shin-Imamiya Station in Naniwa City District. Meanwhile, time continued to move away from the dawn. I was still standing on one of platforms, waiting for JR Kansai Airport Rapid Service train to arrive. On another platform, a train with a futuristic design was parked waiting for its scheduled departure.

Haruka Express Train bound for Kyoto. It costs 3,400 Yen one way. Interested?….

Not long after, the conventional model train slowly but surely slowed down entering platform from northeast side. Within seconds, the metal wheels squeaked against steel track and came to a complete stop in front of me. An officer immediately docked at the front of the carriage and stood watching towards the rear end of train. After all passengers got out, he waved at me and directed me to enter the train. Maybe he had been observing me as a foreigner who lookedhj a little different from most passengers.

I was going to go up…. It was cheap.

I entered the first carriage and took a single left seat near the door. Fifteen minutes to go to seven in the morning, when JR Kansai Airport Rapid Service started speeding away from Kansai Airport Station. Heading north towards downtown.

Not long after the train was running, the first spectacular view appeared from carriage window. The vast expanse of Osaka Bay decorated with a tinge of dawn became a beautiful charm to welcome my first morning in Osaka Prefecture.

After four kilometers, the train crossed a steel bridge which straddled the bay. Then passed under a flyover which stretched along the beach in Rinku Town area. The combination of the calmness of bay, the tinge of dawn, the situation of half-dark streets and city lights which have not been reluctant to go out, beautify the rhythm of my morning journey.

Rinku Town area.

The sight paused for a moment at Rinku Town Station. The train had to drop off and picked up some passengers.

Leaving Rinku Town Station, the train continued on Nankai-Kuko Line. The Nankai-Kuko Line itself is a train line which starts from Kansai Airport Station in the south and ends at Namba Station in the north with a total length of nearly fifty kilometers.

Far away from Rinku Town, this time the scenery changed to a stretch of farmland located around Izumisano Town. The agricultural lands were combined with several small landing house complexes owned by residents. At some point, several medium-sized apartments began to appear. Meanwhile, dry rivers looked neat with guardrails at its edges.

Expanse of agricultural land and housing.

Within thirty minutes, the train began to enter the densely built urban area, in Nishi City District to be exact. There was no more agricultural land there. The view only contained housing, apartments, offices as well as health and shopping centers.

This time I myself would not complete the trip until the last stop point, namely Namba Station. I would stop at Shin-Imamiya Station, one station away before arriving at Namba Station.

I got off at Shin-Imamiya Station at fifty minutes of JR Kansai Airport Rapid Service train ride. I immediately left Shin-Imamiya Station on Abiko-suji Avenue. Then turned right, headed south down an five meters wide alley. After walking for three hundred meters I arrived at Hotel Kaga.

Along the way to Hotel Kaga, I walked with great confidence without needing to ask anyone about hotel location because I really understood route to get there from the map I brought.

I entered Kaga Hotel which was predominantly brick red in color. Greeted by a friendly male receptionist. But it was still too early to be able to check-in. I really only meant to leave my backpack and immediately explore Osaka until evening.

But to speed up the check-in process later, I decided to pay in advance. After receiving a receipt and placing my backpack in reception area, I finally left the hotel which costed for 1,800 Yen per night and headed straight for Osaka Castle.