Alex Quinn's Japan Journal

1/8/2006, Shin-Sekai (New World) in Osaka - tacky

Akemi took me to a place called Shin-Sekai, in Osaka.  It means "New World".  However, she apologized repeatedly for subjecting me to such tackiness.  Why?  I don't know.  She says it's so weird, that if her mom knew she had taken me there, she would be embarrassed and would scold her for making me go.  Sounded pretty interesting to me.

Shin-Sekai is a neighborhood that is made to be old fashioned.  All the shops are set around the 50s or 60s.  It's a little funky.  A little scroungy, quite frankly, but that is strangely part of the charm.  A lot of things are cheap.

Vending machines are a little cheaper than usual, for example.

In the middle of the place is this big tower that I guess is a replica of the Eiffel Tower, or something like that.

We went up in the building to have a look at the view of Osaka and just experience the place more.  I couldn't believe how urban Osaka looked.  Like duh.... But, somehow I was surprised.  All buildings and concrete.  It is surprisingly popular.  We had to wait for 2 tour-bus-loads of tourists to finish before we went in.

It would suck to live in the house stuck in the middle of these buildings.  Why bother with windows on your house when the neighborhood is laid out like that.

Urban Osaka.

There were all kinds of super-tacky attractions in the waiting area at the base of the tower and at the top of the tower as well.  I guess if you tickle the feet of this figure, you can get good luck.

Looking down at urban Osaka.

Looking down at urban Osaka.

Looking down at urban Osaka.

Looking down at urban Osaka.

Looking down at urban Osaka.

Looking down at urban Osaka.

Since we were indulging in the tacky and silly, we went into this photo booth.  These things are popular with junior high and high school kids, but we're a little old, I think.

Notice how kids have stuck their pictures all over the whole thing.

You use these controls to choose backgrounds for your pictures.

These are the pictures Akemi and I made together.  Akemi wants me to stick them on my cell phone, camera, MP3 player, etc., but I am resisting on the grounds that it's childish and not masculine.

While indulging in the silly and tacky, we also spent some time playing with this video fortune teller.  You put in your birthday, choose some random numbers, and a few other things and it gives you some information about your, umm, future, if any.

I took this one later in the day in Namba, not Shin-Sekai.  The sign is for a comedy club that is rather famous.

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