21/05/2024
Smartphones poised in mid-air, their owners craning their necks to capture the dazzling sights and sounds, from the 3D prancing Akita Inu on the façade of a building to vendors preparing their foods. Along one pathway that overlooks the river, street musicians bang on plastic barrels and belt out tunes to a captivated crowd; at another, a rola bola artist struggles to drum up even a scintilla of attention. People staking their earned spots in restaurants' and eateries' delineated queue zones — their companions rejoin them and ply them with freshly made gyozas and viral ten-yen pancakes. Ebullient tour guides at the bow of river boats, microphones in hand, hollering familiar Japanese greetings to hype up both their guests and pedestrians. Young bar promoters vying for the patronage of reluctant passers-by.
Welcome to Dotonbori, Osaka.
Read more: aldenboon.com/travel/welcome-to-dotonbori-osaka-japan