Rainy Sunday in Osaka

Last Sunday, it was really rainy. Due to the rain, I really didn't feel like biking around town. Amy called and wanted to head to Osaka one last time before she left. So that is what we did. Osaka is a little under 2 hours by train from my apartment, so going there for a day trip is really nice. When we arrived at Namba station we heard a lot of good hip hop dance music. Come to find out, right outside the station there was a dance competition. It was really amusing and we probably stood there for an hour watching. There are a few photos of the competition. Typically the groups were kids and they were all dressed up in hip hop clothing. There was one group of much older woman that performed a really good routine and yes, they were also dressed in hip hop clothes. After the dance off, we went to Amerika Mura and the Dotombori area. It continued to rain all day, however in these areas there is a lot of coverings, so it ended up being a very nice afternoon. We shopped and played tourists by taking lots of photos. Click here to see the album. Let me also give you one funny observation about Japanese youth, they really get into one genre. For example hip hop, there are magazines and stores dedicated to hip hop. They basically tell them exactly what to wear and purchase to be completely hip hop, reggae, etc. I know that we have similar stores in the west, however most people just incorporate pieces into their own style. The Japanese youth tend to go 100% into a genre. All reggae from head to toe, including hair and makeup. It's really interesting. I think that's why I like to go to the festivals. You tend to catch a lot of people in traditional Japanese attire. It's the only place that I've seen their culture (at least in clothing)stand out.