osaka

again, i wish we'd spent more time here! osaka didn't seem like so much in the daytime, though i can't say i spent too much time outside of shops and department stores. but at night, the city was teeming with people looking for late-night eats and of course drinks.



a friend who i met in copenhagen at a couchsurfing party was gracious enough to take me to her favourite takoyaki place. 'octopus balls' may sound like a sad prank of a meal, but i promise you it's delicious. it's a savoury, spherical pancake with bits of octopus inside and slathered with a brown sauce and bonito flakes. seeing how thin she is, i was surprised when she suggested we get okonomiyaki afterward. it was about 9pm; i don't mind eating late, but i have to say i wasn't expecting to in japan.



thankfully the okonomiyaki place was pretty popular, so i got to digest a bit while waiting in line. once seated, we got to watch the cooks at the bar expertly forming our dinners. the batter seems to be very similar to takoyaki, but with many more options on fillings. we split two very common pancakes; one with pork belly and cabbage and another with green onion and cabbage (a.k.a. negiyaki). the toppings are also similar to their round counterparts with the brown sauce and the addition of kewpie mayo. equally delicious.