This morning we had to pack up one Airbnb and move to another just a few blocks away. We had originally planned to go to Hiroshima but for a reason we have not yet figured out, every hotel and Airbnb is booked. So we decided to stay a few more days in Osaka.

We walked our bags over to the new place and dropped them off. My parents split off to do some shopping and Nick, Millie, and I went to the aquarium. We stopped at a barebones playground on the way. It was completely empty except for one old lady massaging her glutes on a bar, like a bear scratching its back on a tree.

We took the train and arrived at the aquarium. Millie saw the Ferris wheel and insisted we do that first. As soon as we were on she told us it was boring and then admitted she had confused ferris wheels with carousels.

We enjoyed the views of the city and the port, and I was reminded of my slight fear of heights. It’s not bad enough to stop me from going on these, but it is bad enough to make it want to end.

From here we took our time walking over to the aquarium next door. This one houses fish and animals from the whole Pacific Ocean. I’d much rather see that than a bunch of glowing instagram jellyfish.

The highlight was the giant central tank with whale sharks and shark sharks. The most exciting moment was when a duo of divers came in and scooped out a dead fish!

We reached the end of the exhibits and stopped for a snack in the cafe. We watched the sun set. Surprisingly scenic for an aquarium cafe.

Once the sun was down we went back through to see the night time tanks. The aquarium changes the lighting to mimic nighttime. We sat on a bench by the big one for a while just watching everything swim around.

When we left, there was music playing outside. Millie ran around and danced and was in a great mood. Families kept trying to take photos in front of the sign and she’d pop up out of nowhere, dancing and oblivious and ruining their photo. She was having so much fun that we just let her do it. It made us laugh.

We rode the train back to our Airbnb, caught up with my parents, and then put Millie to bed. Once she was asleep we snuck out to get some dinner. We ordered yakisoba and okonomiyaki with noodles in it. It was so so good and we ate it all. Hard to capture in a photo, but it tasted like breakfast. Sweet and nutty and bacon-y.

It was served on a griddle in front of us. Here is the before and after.

I loved the design on this condiment spreader. This is what good design / engineering collaboration looks like.

The outside of the shop so I remember the vibe:

We walked back and stayed up too late chatting with my mom. It was worth any amount of tiredness we’ll feel tomorrow.