Unfortunately, all good things end far too quickly, and the next day it was time to say farewell to the beautiful hostel in Yufuin and transfer to Osaka.
A great farewell in Yufuin
I had another great breakfast, perhaps even better than the one the day before, and the hostess made me promise that if I ever came back to the area, I would definitely stay at the “Assi” again. Of course, I will! Hopefully next time I can stay there for a few more days.
I set off at a leisurely pace. The train left relatively late, so I had time to pack up, play with Assi again, and then leave. I even had enough time for a quick trip to the onsen, but it wasn’t open that morning. What a pity.
Transfer to Osaka
The journey to Osaka was long but uneventful. The whole time it was drizzling and foggy, so I dozed off and drafted a few program texts for my next concert with the SinfoNeA. I arrived in Shin-Osaka at around 4 p.m. The Shinkansen station is some distance away from the city, so I had to take the express train to Osaka station. From there I could take the Osaka Loop to the hostel.
A misstep in the accommodation
The hostel, the Auberge du Tanuki Noir, was located in the harbor area, a bit far from the sights but strategically close to the Loop Line. Unfortunately, it was raining badly now and, like in Matshushima, I arrived completely soaked.
It was a guesthouse run by a Frenchman who had been living in Japan for a few years. I thought it might be a nice idea not to have to communicate via Google Translate for a few days. The room was comfortable and the guest was well-equipped. Breakfast was included and, according to the reviews, very good. So everything was great?
Well… the catch: the guesthouse closes at midnight. In other words: it is locked and you don’t receive a key. I already knew that there is hardly any public transport after midnight and that nightlife in Japan is therefore a bit different. But in Osaka of all places, the city for parties, the city that is said to have a certain, well, weird side – I was supposed to hop in bed at midnight like on a school trip?
I discussed it with the landlord, but he somehow didn’t understand my problem. That wasn’t what I had imagined. Of course, I could be out until the shop opened at six in the morning. But that was too much for me. I still do need a little sleep, once in a while…
Looking for an alternative
Well… This evening was beyond saving. I went to the nearest 7-Eleven or Family Mart to buy something for dinner. Also, two beers with whiskey, as I was a bit frustrated. These are apparently quite popular there. After a shower and a quick dinner, I was in a slightly better mood and consulted Booking.com. Naturally, I couldn’t cancel this accommodation (not even as a goodwill gesture, as it turned out). But I didn’t care. It wasn’t that expensive.
On the spur of the moment, I booked an alternative for the remaining three nights: the APA Hotel Higashi Umeda Minami Morimachi Ekimae. It was about the same price as the guesthouse, I wasn’t tied to the opening times, and it was also located much more conveniently, right in Umeda. So I would be moving the next day.
Of course, that also meant that I had to plan the next day differently. Originally I wanted to go to Kobe and maybe do a little sake tour there. But I found out that I could do that in Kyoto too, and even better. And tomorrow was my birthday and I wanted to see something nice. So I decided to go to Himeji.
Moving on
I informed the landlord of my decision, which he took a bit of offense to. But maybe he could have written the thing about the curfew in the text on Booking.com. He seemed to assume that this was common knowledge. However, every Japanese person and every Gaijin found it extremely strange and no one was familiar with it. I was then forced to cancel his booking on booking.com so that “the paperwork” would stay in order. I still didn’t get my money back. Not that I cared that much.
I went to sleep fairly early. Apart from me, there were only two small groups of young people there, who were very busy with themselves. So there was no chance for a nice chat or more. At least I would be able to catch up on some sleep. That was good too. I packed my stuff back into my suitcase. Atv least, the bed was very comfortable and I fell asleep straight away.