7 days in Japan- 10/20/2023-10/26/2023

Day  7- Osaka-10/26/2023

Amerika Mura and a stroll in Osaka

 Amerika-mura is an area just west of the Shinsaibashi shopping district that has for over 40 years been a well-known center of Japanese youth culture. Within this small area there are over 2,000 stores selling local and imported fashions, cafes, restaurants, bars, and clubs. Everything is centered on Sankaku Koen Park, a triangular concrete plaza and popular local hang-out where young people gather to show off their unique styles and discover the latest trends.

At the entrance of Amerika-Mura stands a miniature replica of the Statue of Liberty.

Closer view of the statue of Liberty.

Sankaku-koen Park (Triangle Park) is a concrete rest area surrounded by retail shops.  Amerika-Mura is a great place to wonder around and checking out of the vintage American label clothes.

At night, the area is bustling with concerts in bars.

Nowadays, clothing stores (new and second-hand), a handful of record stores and miscellaneous galleries characterize the district.

Very trendy area with a lot of cool stores.

Historically, Amerika-Mura is where you can find cheap, imported American clothing and accessories. But over the course of time, it transformed into a full-blown neighborhood of anything trendy and is now home to more than 2,000 shops. Although Ame-Mura started out with its American roots, what it is today is uniquely Japanese.

Check out these fancy lamp post that looks like an alien.

All of the post lamps are so artistically done.

Here is a lamp post with the famous number 23 which is surely the most iconic and recognized number in NBA history, mainly due to Michael Jordan's glorious career.  LeBron, James has also added immense greatness to the figure with his legendary title winning career with the Cleveland Cavalier and LA Lakers.

We passed by Pablo the famous original cheesecake and one of Osaka must-try desserts.  There is always a long line here.

The Cheesecake is freshly bake and I was told that they just melt in your mouth.

Akika Kart in the heart of Osaka.

Looks like so much fun to be riding in the center of the city and people are encouraged to dress in character.

Dotonbori is known as the entertainment hub of Osaka with colorful neon lights which is the home to some of the city's best bars, restaurants, and nightclubs.

We are now back to Dotonbori to meet up with the Takuma's family.  It is now around 6:00pm and you can see in the distance the beginning of the sunset.

We are waiting at the Dotonbori plaza and there are so many people around.

While waiting I took a few pictures of the canal with the sunset.

Lots of people are taking a cruise on the canal.

This area is really beautiful.

Group picture with the Taguma's family.

Mark, Kevin A., Kristie, Alice, Kevin (in the back), Cheryl and Jax, Me, Hoa, and Rick.

Jax has grown so much since we saw him last and he is so cute. 

Hoa and Mark on the left and Hoa and Kevin A. on the right.  We only had about 30 minutes to catch up with everyone an then we took the subway to Hortensia Bistro.

From Dotonbori we took the subway to Higashi-Mikuni subway station and we got off we saw this huge statue of liberty next to the track.

Closer view of the statue of Liberty.

Next...Dinner at Hortensia Bistro