Downtown Osaka: Dotonbori, the Street of Larger than Life Signs

Within a few blocks from our Osaka apartment (the largest apartment we stayed in while visiting Japan) was Dotonbori, the downtown district. Along the touristy street are lots of restaurants, clothing shops, and tons of illuminated signs. There were tons of takoyaki, okonomiyaki, and udon restaurants here with great animatronic signs!

Along the river, there are bridges that connect both sides of the street. On one of the bridges you get a great view of the famous Glico Man, an advertisement that shines bright, day and night. At the end of the district, there is an old neon sign that blinks various colors. The bulbs are so dated, you can hear the buzz of each color illuminating, flashing for attention.

I had to pop into a shop and buy myself a blanket-like scarf (perfect for Chicago's winter) since I saw so many people in Japan wearing such trendy scarves. Being our last destination, we didn't feel bad filling up our suitcases with souvenirs, especially the cute tins full of candy from the Kuidaore clown.

Finally, this is the last Japan post. I wanted to be able to have all of my favorite photos from our trip on the blog, but it was definitely an immense collection of images. I'm looking forward to posting photos of home, of Chicago, of a wonderful summer ahead.