Japan > Whale sharks and dolphins

I’m going to the aquarium today. The two American girls I met in Kyoto recommended it. I’ll go by bike. At my hostel, I rent a bicycle. The man at the reception advises me to ride on the sidewalk. Riding is allowed on both the road and the sidewalk, but this is safer. “Here they drive on the left,” he adds warningly.

Japan - Cycling to the sea aquarium in Osaka

When I laugh and tell him I drove my own car all the way to Tokyo, he looks at me in disbelief. Just as I set off, the chain comes off. Since the chain guard is fastened with bolts, I can’t put it back myself. I try asking the postman, using a translation app, where a bike shop is, but he looks very unsure. I gather that either there isn’t one nearby, or they’re closed today. In any case, there’s no shop to help me. I have no choice but to walk back to the hostel. They give me another bike, which seems better. I set off again. I follow the road to the river and turn right there. From that point, it’s about eight kilometers straight to the harbor. I don’t make fast progress—there’s a traffic light at every intersection. On the whole route to the aquarium, I count sixty-two lights. After about an hour, I arrive at the marine aquarium. It’s high season here as well. Long lines are waiting at the ticket counter, and it’s busy inside too—almost too busy to look around calmly. The highlight is two whale sharks in a huge central tank. The walking route circles the tank so you can view the animals from every angle.

Japan - A stingray in the sea aquarium

There are also stingrays, nurse sharks, dolphins, and sea lions swimming around. The penguins huddle under a stream of artificial snow. What funny little creatures. I ride the same way back to the hostel. I don’t have a detailed map, but this route ensures I return to the city center. Halfway, I stop at a small restaurant. There are a few pictures on the wall, and the menu is pointed out. The menu is in Japanese. The woman probably doesn’t even realize I can’t read it. Two boys are eating a kind of fried noodles with meat. I ask them to point it out on the menu. Around 3:30 p.m., I’m back at my hostel. Immediately, people ask with genuine interest about my bike ride. The atmosphere is friendly, and everyone is sincerely curious. I grab a beer from the vending machine and sit in the common room. Carefully, after the fall in the machine, I open my beer. Delicious. Less than two hundred meters from the hostel stands the Umeda Sky Tower, a modern building with an observation deck on the 40th floor.

Japan - Night falls over Osaka The last night in Japan

On the Sky-Deck, I meet Allert and Carla again. Our last evening together. The sun slowly sets, and the lights of Osaka come on. What an incredible view. Earlier tonight, as I walked toward the tower, I noticed a small restaurant—maybe somewhere to eat tonight. The restaurant is typically Japanese: shoes off, sitting on cushions on the floor. A family next to us, who clearly comes here often or belongs there, helps us choose. The children, barely seven years old, politely introduce themselves in English. Meanwhile, we carefully add up what we’re ordering. We only have 7,000 yen left. The bill comes to 6,820 yen (about 60 euros). It’s Saturday night in Osaka. Time to say goodbye. Tomorrow, our paths will part. Allert and Carla fly on to Australia. I’ll fly on to the United States. It feels strange after traveling together for over a hundred days.