22 June 2026

IMHO. "Odayaka kizoku" ~ a gentleman's...

What do you do when you realised you've been swept to another world you don't really know? 
You start patting everyone's head of course, touch their cheeks, call them good boys and sleep together holding hands. Not all the time, no. 
But frequently. 
Because it's a gentleman's vacation. A very gentle gentleman. 
Just pure male friendship between brave adventurers. 
If you manage to get past these cringy moments of touchy-feely friendship, you'll get a poorly designed fantasy adventure with a few dungeons and dragons, which could be developed into something interesting if its potential weren't wasted on the sugary sweet and pretty meaningless interactions between the male characters, all of them being just by coincidence young cutesie-wootsie faces.
If you enjoy pretty guys dining, travelling and filling documents together, this is for you. I'm afraid, I don't. 
Give me back my time, please.

P. S. 
The voice actors in this show have pretty good pronounciation, so using this series for listening comprehension might be a good idea if not for the fact that the characters switch between formal and informal speech very often. This inconsistency may bring more confusion than profit, so 'Odayaka' is probably not the best source for learning the language, unless you're already familiar with levels of politeness in Japanese. 

14 June 2026

Osaka. Yes, again. Day 8

11.55, Hattori Ryokuchi park 
I somehow failed to notice that a great place to see hydrangeas is just a couple of stations away from my hotel. So of course I had to place this big dot in the end of my flower-hunting journey. 
Maybe I should have called this trip "hydrangeas, yes, again".... 
14:25, Sumiyoshi taisha
Today's a rice-planting festival. I would think rice is planted in spring, since it's warm enough already, but it seems like June is the season for the main island.
The names of women portraying messengers of gods and priestesses were called out by the host while they were moving. Seems like it's a honorary job.
14:38
There seem to be several small shrines within the premises. Bought myself a cute little guardian, who is supposed to invite family well-being into my home. 

13 June 2026

Osaka. Yes, again. Day 7

11:04, Hieizan
I mean, there was a person who came there and said "I'll climb this wild mountain and establish a temple on top". And then there were people who said "OK, there's a temple and a town so we kinda need a transport". And built a ropeway. These huge towers and a rope between them. If you ask me, that's impossible. Good thing they didn't ask me.
11:09, Garden museum Hiei
And there was someone who said "I'll build a garden on top of this mountain and then put impressionist paintings right in the middle of it!"
What?! 
This is my new friend by the way. 
16:51, Soiree cafe 
It's so popular people actually line up to visit. Popular and small, to be precise. 


12 June 2026

Osaka. Yes, again. Day 6

12:11, Hanabishi restaurant in Koya
Who thought up this way of serving in small plates? It's so cute and appetising 😍
12:57, Koyasan
A small quiet city in the mountains. Hard to get, but now I don't want to go back... 

15:37, Gran Tenku train 
The train itself is very stylish. The windows in the restaurant car look like a TV set on a wall. If only it didn't sway so much! My head kept swaying for the next several hours. My friend said it's because the track of Nankai railway is old and narrow. I'm sorry Nankai but the journey was not pleasant. 
16:43, Takashimaya department store 
They brought me this as an appetiser and said it's a salad. Guys, you're wrong, it's a whole tomato 😂 

11 June 2026

Osaka. Yes, again. Day 5

11:50, Sanno museum of art
Bad news - I don't like late works of Renoir. Good news - at least I made sure with my own eyes 
16:12, Expo park Osaka
Be prepared for more hydrangeas.... 


10 June 2026

Osaka. Yes, again. Day 4

12:22, Katsuoji Temple 
It's a lovely, lovely day after the rain. 
13:13, near Katsuoji main shop
They even sell katsu-tella. Castella. Shaped like daruma 😂
15:51, Hokkai sozai Q's mall 
This fish is so fresh I can't even taste the fish. Just pure protein and pure bliss.

Osaka. Yes, again. Day 3

13:30, Sakai city Alphonse Mucha museum
If I were a woman living in the end of 19th century, I'd spend all my money on jewellery and interior items designed by Mucha and become broke. 
16:55, Nagai Botanical Gardens
Do you love hydrangeas as much as I love them? 
Please start loving them right now.
And irises, since we're here. 
17:25, Bistro house Palpitant
A cocktail with cremant and strawberry. And a glass of Bordeaux. Nothing better after a long walk. 
And it was long. Who knew Nagai park is so huge?! 
21:09, TeamLab Botanical Garden Osaka 
You need to be here. 

08 June 2026

Osaka. Yes, again. Day 1

20:35, Kansai Airport
No queue at the immigration check. No queue. 
Why?! 
Why did I have to wait in line for one hour last time? 🥺 

Osaka. Yes, again Osaka. Day 2

10:20, Junkisshu Kopurple
There's nothing to replace these small places for breakfast.
13.02, Porto Europa 
I literally dream of visiting such a beautiful quite place to grab a seat on a bench and just spend some time doodling 
15:35, Wakayama Castle 
It's the first time I see so much effort put into English captions for the exhibits. They are literally exciting, saying things such as "imagine this shiny armor on a battlefield" or "this kind of female garment is rare to find". Even though I'm not much intetested in history, I found this a worthy place to invest my 410 yen. Oh, and the castle outer walls are so huge. No, they're huge in all castles, but here the passage is rather narrow and the walls are... rather green with moss. 
16:25, Matsuya restaurant
These small places kept by elderly ladies or gentlemen are the best. Hot fresh soba + meat-cutlet-on-rice set - just what I need on such a rainy day. 

19:50, Junkisshu Kopurple
Came here again because it's the only place until late and offering so many options to finish my day with something sweet 👌