Bisdak Babbles

I love autumn and here’s the reason why…

At Osaka Castle grounds, Fall 2007

Since I’ve arrived here in Osaka, I’ve always looked forward to watching the Yodogawa Hanabi* display each year. It takes place on the first or second Saturday of August. I make sure that I don’t miss it because it’s just a few minutes walk from my place. There are lots of fireworks all over Japan during summer but I avoid the hassle of taking overcrowded trains. My experience this year was one of a kind.

We arrived at the river bank at around 6PM (the fireworks usually starts at 7:30PM). At first it appeared to be a fine day…

But the clouds seemed to have come to an agreement to gather in Yodogawa…

At around seven, we had to temporarily vacate our spot for fear of being hit by lightning.
Not long after, big raindrops started to fall so we had to take shelter in the nearby houses. I always bring my umbrella but unfortunately, I left it in my other bag.

We thought that they would hold the fireworks display until the rain stops but we were really surprised when we heard big bangs coming from the river! Yes, they still lighted the fireworks despite the heavy rains. So, we rushed back to our spot, while trying to keep our bags from getting wet. Just imagine running through a crowd of people, with the rain pouring down on your face and eyeglasses!

For the next 40 minutes, Idel and I used our picnic mat to cover just our heads and our bags, while staring at the magnificent display ahead.  As we had predicted, the rain stopped a few minutes before the end of the fireworks display. I’m sorry I still don’t have a digital camera yet so all I got were these lame fireworks display photos using my cellphone:

That small ball of light at the upper left was the moon 花火 -> Hanabi -> fireworks

I came here 2 years ago with one-year work visa. So I had to go to the immigration office last year and was again given a year extension. It was about to expire so I paid the immigration office a visit two weeks ago.

My Filipino colleagues were given a 3-year work visa after staying here for two years. So, I was looking forward to receiving the same. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the case. Yes, my visa extension was approved, but I was given one-year visa again. I can’t point out any reason why, but it would have been great to receive a 3-year work visa. It would definitely save me trips to the immigration office, and it’s cheaper! 1-year visa or 3-year visa, both cost 4,000 yen! Anyway, I couldn’t spend more time sulking about it. I just hope I could get it next time.

The Osaka Regional Immigration Bureau maybe far from the city but I think it’s worth the trip. Here are some pictures:

This is right in front of the immigration office:

A view from the train station:

Another view from the train station. (The building at the rightmost part of the picture houses the immigration bureau.)

I have posted something about getting to the Osaka Regional Immigration Bureau. Please click here.

Saikou - 最高　（さいこう） - the Japanese term for “highest, supreme, the most”. This is how I would describe Japan’s postal services. Here’s an illustration why I think so:

I posted some documents last Wednesday at 4:49PM, it was dispatched on Thursday at 1:17AM, then arrived in Manila at 3:00PM! Ok, I sent it through EMS, a quicker but more expensive delivery option. However, on that same day, I sent some postcards through regular air mail. Then one postcard reached the recipient in Netherlands yesterday! (I give credit to Netherland’s postal service, too.)

Here in Osaka, the central post office is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! I don’t know if the other cities (especially the smaller ones) have it, too. If you’re expecting a parcel, you can have it delivered on Sundays, even on holidays. Great, isn’t it? Well, at least it’s much, much better than what I was used too.

The biggest *shotengai in Osaka runs through the Dotonbori, near the Namba station. It’s one of the most crowded places in Osaka. It may be flooded with people, but it’s still one of the most famous meeting places because of this crab, a very effective landmark:

For over a year of staying in Osaka, finally I was able to pose in Dotonbori with some friends:


* A shōtengai (商店街) is a style of Japanese commercial district running along a certain street.

I love spring because of the Sakura and all those flowers blooming everywhere. But, I don’t like it because it rains almost everyday. Anyway, lately I’ve been to some rivers here in Osaka and I’ve taken some photos. It’s kind of nostalgic but I think rivers, buildings, bridges, and gloomy weather go well together.

The photos above were taken using my faithful phone camera.  Taken somewhere near Tenmabashi area but I forgot the name of that river.

I thought I’d never see more Sakura this year. I planned on going to Kyoto but I canceled it because of the rain. I still don’t have a new job but I had other things that kept busy so I’ve been away from blogging world for a few days, and I didn’t have much time going around Osaka to see Sakura. Thanks to Osaka Mint. With 370 trees and 125 varieties of Sakura Trees, my short trip there was really worth it. They opened the place to the public starting today, April 16th, until April 22nd.

Here are some photos: