Canyon River Levi Blues

Thanks to my luggage being lost somewhere in limbo (thanks a lot United Airlines), I found myself shopping for new clothes this weekend. Completely engrossed in all my naivete about shopping in Japan, I conceded to my Japanese friend's request that we start with Amerikamura. For those who don't know, Amerikamura (photos) is a so-called "mini-America" within Osaka. While more flatteringly known as a hot spot for foreigners to hang out, club, or go to bars, it is also known for being a great place to go shopping for clothing. Or so I once thought.

Shopping in Amerikamura, however, reminded that I was in a country that venerates shopping and fashion. Amemura, as it is often diminutively termed, includes fashion tastes accommodating to most any all-American style. From the preppie hipster (my sort of tastes) to the punk rocker, or even just the hippy-types, Amemura offers most everything any American, or Japanese, could want to find.

Once swift lesson I learned however, was that fashion in Japan doesn't come cheaply. Originally planning to buy a nice, stylish pair of jeans, my jaw dropped when I looked at the price tags of the (not so) name-brand jeans. If one searched hard and long enough, one is able to find a decent pair of jeans for the hefty sum of about 7000 yen (about 58USD). Also, one can easily blow an entire paycheck on a single pair jeans as some costed an extravagant 24000 yen (200USD)... or more. Jest, or exaggerate, I do not.

After tiring of the crowded and frenetic Amemura, I and my friends decided to head to Umeda but instead found ourselves at a department store along the way called "Hep 5."
Department stores in Japan than what many in the US are familiar with. While American department stores tend to be horizontally oriented with large anchor stores accompanied by smaller stores, department stores in Japan tend to be vertically oriented and with no "anchor" stores, but just a series of smaller shops. Hep 5, for example, included about 9 floors complete with many shops on each level. Escalators guide shoppers from one level to the next. From the moment I entered the department store I realized that Saturday is obviously a big shopping day for Japanese as well. The sheer density of people at the mall rivaled that of any large shopping center in any large American city.

Hep 5 also includes a large Ferris wheel that can be spotted even from other parts in the city of Osaka. Visitors to the department store are given the opportunity to ride the Ferris wheel for a fee of 500yen. Upon entering the giant, red wheel I realized immediately that this isn't an attraction for those who are a bit squeamish of heights. The view that one is offered at the height of the wheel's revolution provides an unparalleled view a huge, seemingly-endless sprawling city littered with lights, skyscrapers, and congested highways. My only regret is that I was unable to take any pictures of the view because the windows obstructed my camera's ability to focus. Gomen...

*I apologize for not having any photos. However, it's hard to get good photos in such crowded places without looking like a complete Gaijin :-(