Thursday, May 27, 2010

Cheap Sake - Gold Onigoroshi

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Surprisingly this box of karakuchi sake isn't making me gag, it's actually quite nice. Being that I'm enjoying this box of 100 yen booze this isn't that interesting. I thought this 100 yen swill would make me gag and I'd drunkenly describe how horrible it is to you. Drat.

Anyhow, I can wholeheartedly recommend Gold Onigoroshi box. Only 100 yen at your local home center.

Sunday, May 02, 2010

Above Osaka - Shigisan

At the end of the Nishi-Shigi cable car is Takayasusan station [高安山駅], a public toilet, one vending machine, a hiking trail and a bus station. Not much up there to see fit that a cable car should be built there. I hiked south along the trail eventually heading down the mountain back to Onji station.

Along the path I came across a sprawling cemetery complex. Many mountaintops have been covered with the stones we use to remember our ancestors here. The cost and scarcity of land for such a staid purpose in the city has created these giant cemetery complexes in the mountains. My father-in-law's resting place is in a similar cemetery in the mountains above Nishinoimiya.Besides the cemetery I came across three gloriously retro-due-to-age observation towers which offered similar views of Osaka below.

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A sign greeting visitors to the Takayasusan Cemetery.

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Takayasusan station.

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Beginning of the hiking train leading south from Takayasusan station.

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A viewing tower along the hiking path near Takayasusan Station.

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From this tower you can look across Osaka to the bay, or, on the other side, look upon a sea of gravestones.

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Saturday, May 01, 2010

April 29th Kintetsu Train Loop.

The video I took on my last day riding trains around Kansai using the Suttro Kansai Thru Pass.

Again I mostly rode Kintetsu trains in southeast Osaka prefecture and southern Nara prefecture. Like last time I also got to ride another cable car.



Note: I think I miss labeled my previous video saying it was the 29th when it was really the 19th.