Kishiwada Danjiri Festival!

Kishiwada Danjiri Festival!

The biggest Festival in Osaka, a traditional event is that commenced about 300 years ago to wish for a bountiful grain harvest.
A danjiri is an ornately decorated wheeled float that is drawn during the festival.
People ride inside and on top of it and playing music.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Place: Around Kishiwada station and Hruki station of Nankai Line

Schedule: Sep 14 - 15

High-School Baseball Tournament

National Invitational High-School Baseball Tournament is held in Koshien Stadium every year.
This stadium is close to Osaka Hana Hostel.

Their play is really amazing.
Many professional baseball players are born from this.

If they lose, you cannot be back in the tournament.
Many Japanese are really look forward to watching their play every year.
If you have a chance, please head to the stadium.

These are tips about tournament.

Alps 
This means the crowded stands in the tournament.
It looks like a alps.
 
School songs
Winner school sing their school song after the game.

Siren
Siren sound tells start and end of games.
It was important for next game supporters, clews or sellers because they did not have even radios.

Clod of ground

Looser team bring it back to their home town as memory.

Ticekts fee is very cheap　:　600yen～

I am sure you can enjoy, even if you are not interested in baseball :p
 

Dotonbori River Bon Festival

Do you know about "Bon festival"?
It has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years and traditionally includes a dance, known as Bon-Odori.


You can try participating in the Bon Odori (Bon festival dance) at "Tombori River Walk" center of Osaka.
 The lead singer will sing from a stage on a boat and large numbers of dancers will go through the steps on both banks in this Bon Odori worthy of a city next to the water.



Date:   August 18 (Sun)

Access: Dotonbori River (4 minutes walk from "Namba" subway station and, 6 minutes walk from "Shinsaibashi" subway station)

entrance fee: FREE

Let's join the Bon festival and enjoy summer in Japan!!

Floating Garden Observatory

Have you been to Floating Garden Observatory?
We call it Sky building.
It's one of the sight seeing places in Osaka, go up to the 40th floor and see a nice view of Osaka, sweet dating spot for couples!

And now we have a haunted house in Floating Garden Observatory1st floor!

It looks so scary,doesn't it!?

*The 12th of July　(FRI) ～the 8th of September　(SUN)
*The 1st floor of the Floating Garden Observatory
*Weekday from 5pm to 9pm 
  Holiday from 2pm to 9pm
*1000yen
*Special ticket-2800yen (Entrance ticket of Floating Garden Observatory and haunted house)

After that why don't you go to this restaurant?
【Sky rouge STARDUST 】
It's Italian restaurant, they have many kinds of wine, cocktail and course! 
It must be a beautiful view since it locates the 39th floor of Floating Garden Observatory!

Enjoy this summer in Floating Garden Observatory!!!! 
 

Osaka Soul food - Kushi-katsu!

Have you ever tried Kushi-katsu?
That is one of the Osaka Soul food, as same as Okonomi-yaki (Japanese pancake)and Tako-yaki (octopus ball).

Maybe you have heard "Ton-katsu"  which is deep fried pork cutlet.

Tonkatsu

So what is the different between Ton-katsu and Kushi-katsu?

Kushi means Skewers, so in English it is

“deep-fried breaded meat or vegetables on skewers” 

 

Each one is small portion so you can enjoy different Kushi-katsu (vegetables, shrimp, meat etc) for reasonable price. (100yen ～400yen each)

When you eat, you dip them in the sause pot. You share the sauce with others, so you are NOT allowed to dip in the pot twice!

The name of the dish is "Kushi-katsu", but if you order "Kushi-katsu" in a restaurant, you will get deep fried breaded beef in Osaka.
In Tokyo, it's made by pork with onion or spring onion.
In Nagoya, they put sweet miso sauce on the top. Each region has different style!

If you go to Shin-sekai(新世界) in Osaka, there are many Kushi katsu restaurants.
Normally you eat at the counter and chef cooked in front of you and serve them straight away.
It is so good and I just love to eat there!!!



Me and my friends at "Tengu" Kushikatsu restaurant.

On April, there is New Style Kushi-katsu shop opened at Shinsaibashi shopping street!!



The name of the restaurant is "Daruma"

"Daruma" has many branch in Osaka, but this one is very special!

You will be seated at a table, not a counter...

Then you order with the touch panel!! (some sushi train restaurant has this system)



English, Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese and Japanese is available!

  

Then small train will bring kushikatsu to your table!!

After you take all kushikatsu, you press the red button, then a train leaves.



They have a heated plate on the table to keep them hot.

You will get a bawl of cabbage for free (you can ask more if you want).

It helps your digestion also used as a spoon to take more sause on your dish(because you can't dip them in the sause pot twice!). 

 

If you find Kushikatsu restaurant, please try it.
It could be lunch, dinner and even snack!
Some shop has English menu, so you know exactly what you want to order.

Daruma Shinsaibashi branch

Operation hour : 11:00〜22:30

Address:1-5-17 Shinsaibashi suji, Chuo-ku, Osaka

 I hope you enjoy it !!!

Haunted houses in Osaka

Japanese people like Haunted houses.
Tsuten-kaku, a famous Osaka tourist attraction, has a haunted house only in this summer.






This house name is death-world (死ん世界）

http://www.kansai-obk.com/shin/index.htm#
This house opens from the 12th of July to the 8th of September.
Admission fee is 800yen.

There is another haunted house near Osaka Hana Hostel.
Please come here and ask us directly... !

Tanabata Festival in Shitennoji Temple

Tanabata Festival in Shitennoji Temple

To celebrate Tanabata (the traditional Japanese star festival), a bamboo grass tunnel and an artificial Milky Way will be created at Shitennoji Temple. The tunnel will be made with more than 300 bamboo branches and the Milky Way made with brilliant LEDs. If you walk through the bamboo grass tunnel decorated with tanzaku (colorful strips of paper on which people write their wishes), your wish might be heard by the stars. On July 7, the venue will be lined with street stalls. There will also be various events, including a concert, an astronomical viewing session, and lectures relating to stars. (Some events will be charged.) On July 8, a fire ritual will be held at the temple to burn the tanzaku.

When: 6th - 8th of July
Where: Shitennoji-Temple  1-11-18 Shitennoji,Tennoji-ku,OsakaCity