When does Shin-Osaka shine?

When it’s Shine-Osaka, that’s when.

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That’s nothing.

There’ve been recent sightings of Michael Jackson, adding weight to the conspiracy theory that his death was in fact staged just so that he could fulfill his lifelong ambition of working in Umeda’s Loft department store.

See, photographic evidence. Would someone please call OK! Magazine?

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As if being blinded with science wasn’t enough, the world’s biggest electrical goods department store can bedazzle you with  the latest range of innovations, inventions and contraptions. A tasty trap to fall into, mind.

Why? Because you can now gorge your technological appetite on sushi USBs. Oh, a word of warning, though. Watch your laptop’s waistline with the fried shrimps, and watch your fingers while you’re at it. Look carefully at the piccy below and you’ll see one all nicely chopped off and ready for some PC action. Finger-lickin’ good.

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“lived & worked in the heart of NYC for 20 years. As owners of “K studio NY” on 54th and Madison, they used their hairdressing skills for numerous famous clientele including, Madonna, Sara Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss and many others.

In 2007 Keiko & Hiroshi relocated back to KSNY in Osaka. K studio NY provides a professional salon service which incorporates & reflects their overseas experience.”

A little treasure in the heart of Osaka. What’s more you get a 20% discount for the first time!

Check their website here.

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Seriously though this crew have two places in Osaka which provide therapeutic massages from 1050 yen for ten minutes upto 9450 for 90 minutes.

Their website has more details and some beautiful pics of Mongolia. Contact details for the Umeda shop are:

Osaka Ekimae Daichi Building 1 2F (see map below)
Tel: 06-6345-8090
Email: nrtmongolseitai@woody.ocn.ne.jp

and the Tennoji shop:
Phone: 06-6354-7398
homepage

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Although there are numerous golf driving ranges located throughout Kansai, there’s nothing like a bit of pitch and putt for the occasional golf fan.

The Niwaji putter golf course on the Yodagawa River Part has 27 holes and a couple of different courses to choose from. It costs 720 yen on weekends, and 520 on weekdays – open from 7-7 in the summer and 9-5 in the winter.

Getting there is a bit of a bind – probably the easiest from Osaka is take the Tanimachi subway line to Dainichi (T11) then walk North until you reach the part, turn east and walk for about a 1.5km along the river (its a lovely area so not really a big problem). Check out the map below for more details.

You can call the information office on 06-6994-0006 for more info.

Also, at Dainichi there is a massive Aeon shopping mall so you can combine a bit of golf with some bog standard Japanese Mall experiences too!

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A new book exchange has started in Umeda, Osaka at the Taiyo no To Cafe in Nakazakicho. (2-3-12 Nakazaki-cho, 06-6374-3630)

It’s held every first Friday of the month and starts around 7ish. The contact is a friendly chap called Matt.

More details here.

Cafe Taiyo no To (2-3-12 Nakazaki-cho, 06-6374-3630). Nakazaki-cho Station. Turn right out of Exit 2, and then right again immediately at the corner. Walk straight ahead about 250 meters and you should find the cafe on your right on the first floor of the Pilot Building below the Planet+1 cinema.

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I know the probability of this is pretty darn low, but of all unbelievable things poor ole Eckhart (or Eggsy, as he became affectionately known) was later found missing from his bowl. A tropical fish thief on the loose, perhaps? Or a maybe cat with a Vietnamese fighting fish fettish? No, of all shocking things he was later found (identified and confirmed to be the fish in question) on the floor. Turns out he’d lept out of his bowl to meet his fate. A dry one at that, poor thing.

Oh dear.

I sugarcoated the drama and pitched it to the owner upon arriving back from Thailand that there was no Eggsy waiting, but rather a nice anecdote to tell your grandchildren instead. And that fish heaven was a better place to have Eggsy in it.

Thankfully, the tears only lasted a couple of weeks.

Not that Eggsy was ever replaceable, but you know, sometimes a bowl looks kind of empty without a fish in it. So I suggested a new fishy-poohs might be in order.

You’d think that Vietnamese fighting fish would be two-a-penny. But nooo. What an ordeal trying to get a new one. Obviously Eggsy wasn’t that replaceable afterall.

After traipsing the length and breadth of Osaka we finally happened across a new age pet shop in Namba Parks called P2. Yes, not only Vietnamese fighting fish in every colour under the sun, but also prehistoric white shiny newts with frightening external gills and pointy manes. And…get this…cream cakes for dogs. At a special pet delicatessen counter, no less. Ruddy ridiculous.

So anyway, we plumped for a blue chiffon fish and called it Pai Lin. But we lodged a formal complaint when we discovered to our horror that the line in cream cakes was strictly limited to dogs. How utterly prejudiced!

So we went straight to the nearest supermarket bakery and stocked up on creamy delights. Needless to say, Pai Lin was delighted.

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Even amongst the concrete wilderness of the city our beloved cherry bosoms can be found in full boom.

Hang on a sec, isn’t there some kind of spellcheck error going on there?

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