So I went to Osaka, which it has to be said is not the prettiest of cities, with the intention of visiting their aquarium and/or bridge.

After walking through a sprawling underground mall for twenty minutes, I discovered I’d gone to the wrong subway station, so I found the right one and eventually ended up at the Osaka waterfront, which it must be said is quite pretty.

So, into the aquarium. It’s 2,000 yen, but worth it: it’s absolutely fascinating to watch everything from giant manta rays, playful seals, restless otters, alien-like spider crabs, dolphins, penguins, and the showpiece whale shark both above and below water. The aquarium is themed around the Pacific Ring of Fire, so it showcases marine life from Japan, New Zealand, the Antarctic, Panama, California, and elsewhere in a variety of stunning huge tanks. I met a harbour seal, and we stared at each other for a while. Seals are great. Reincarnate me as a seal.
It was pretty dark, so I had to shoot at ISO 800 and a fast aperture and other technical words. Apologies for the iffy quality.

Anyway, having left, I discovered my camera was full. So I stopped to copy the photos on to my laptop and type this up. I guess I’m visiting a bridge now, one that apparently has a good Blade Runner-esque view. Then back to Kyoto for sleep.

21:34 – It was a bit out of my way, but it was indeed a good bridge. And quite Blade Runner-y. No glowstick umbrellas, but tons of people walking through narrow pedestrianised streets, an effect you don’t seem to get in Tokyo. And huge, huge signs, including the famed Osaka Running Man. It really looks like he’s running! Sort of. The bars of light scroll up giving the illusion of movement.

Finally, in the vein of that old baby-holding-lollipop-licking-man’s-head, an actual honest-to-god advert on the Osaka subway: