Stacey's Bodacious Japan Trip: Pokemon Center!

So I'm like a full week behind in my blogs and what is actually happening. So I'll summarize my last week in 3 words: Lots of Traveling. I've only been here one week (at school I mean) and I've already seen half the stuff in Osaka as I had originally intended. I'm jam-packing my days with so much fun, It's incredible. I'll start off with last week.

We went to Umeda in Osaka last week (It's basically Downtown Osaka). We went there with the purpose of going to the Pokemon Center. We hopped a bus, two trains and we were in Umeda.

After about ten minutes of walking, we were in the Pokemon center,

which was half of a floor in a high-rise mall. It made me really nostalgic. I grew up on Pokemon and I loved seeing the ridiculous amount of merchandise they have available at this place. It was a little sad/interesting to see that they only really pay attention to the new generation Pokemon and have pretty much forgotten about all the original ones I grew up on. I have no idea who the new ones are. I was a little lost. The only original ones they pay attention to are Pikachu, (of course) Eevee and Evolutions, Mew Two, Charizard.... and that's all I remember seeing. It was fun, but it made me realize just how old I really am. :p

Walls and Walls of Plush Toys

Pikachu Pancakes!

Afterwards we went to a HUGE shopping mall in Osaka about 15-20 minute walk from the Pokemon store. It's comprised of walls and walls of shops, with mere alleyways separating them to walk between. But high above, about two stories high, the alleys were covered. So it was sometimes an inside mall, and sometimes an outside mall.

We went to a great big Manga Store. It was absolutely huge. My roommate bought a lot, I bought a few. But it was fun to walk around and just see the massive volume of comics that were available. In the same shop, on the second floor, there were more anime/manga/otaku things than just comics, there were figurines, and fan-made comics (copyrights for comics are not really enforced in Japan. Fanficion and the like are let alone, and sometimes encouraged. It is seen as flattery more than copyright infringement.) and there were costumes and outfits. I was tempted by the Sailor Moon costumes, but they were even too expensive for me to feel ok buying them.

The outside of the manga store, called Mandarake.

I want to be Sailor Mercury.... :(

Afterwards on the way home, we stopped at a restaurant that had a small grill in the middle of the table. The cooks put the ingredients together and brought it out to the table and you cooked them yourself. It was really fun and I helped cook the meal for our table. Suck it, People who make fun at my cooking attempts! Cuz it was delicious!

Delicious, Bitches.

And as some of you have been asking about the weather. It is typically in the 80's during the day, but there is quite a bit of humidity although I dont know how to measure it. At night it drops a bit but the humidity reaches over 90% (so i have been told, and I believe it). But today (Tuesday Japan time, Monday Night Utah time) it's been really nice, about 70 degrees. But I do believe that is because of the Typhoon that is coming our way. It should be here tomorrow evening and be around for a day or two. I am so excited! I'm in a place where Typhoons are a thing! We are pretty high up, so It may just rain. But They are being careful so they may cancel school! Fingers crossed!