CHAYAMACHI 茶屋町 OSAKA

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On the right side of this image, observe the enormity of the elevated JR Kyoto Line structure heading toward the Osaka rail station - and all of the businesses that live in its undercarriage. This built condition is found throughout Japan: bars and shops built into nooks and crannies below trains and highways, with everybody and everything filling in the cracks. We were amazed by the density and vitality of Osaka. We shopped in small boutiques that were affordable and cool - including an fun print shop in a pedestrian passage, the shop run by an older gentleman with excellent taste. We soaked in food and nightlife along an interior waterway, which was filled with groups of kids eating and selling Takoyaki たこ焼き; a boyband recording a video; an archery range; millions of places to eat and drink, and tourist boats.