Today was supposed to be about Osakaichiritsu Central Library, but when I arrived at the library I found there was no free WiFi provided, despite being one of the two libraries funded by the Osaka prefectural government (i.e., it was no small town library!). The library itself, though large, wasn't particularly impressive, so I went out in search of a cafe. I really did try to find a cafe that wasn't Starbucks, but all the cafes I passed made no promises as to whether WiFi was provided and I didn't feel like taking my chances after being stood up by the public library. I did try to enter one cafe that looked promising, located on the second floor of a building. But I couldn't figure out how I was supposed to enter the building in the first place and gave up.
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| The residential street of my current hostel, Peace House Showa |
It's days like these when I can especially empathize with tourists that travel to far away destinations just to get their coffee at Starbucks. Everything about major chains like McDonalds and Starbucks is just so predictable. You know exactly how to get into the store, where the menu is located, approximate price, if the staff speak English, whether there's free WiFi and comfy, plentiful seating, etc. When you've already spent your day navigating metro systems and streets that are completely foreign to you and trying to interpret symbols and photos on signs written in a mysterious language it can be a huge relief to walk into a place that feels familiar.
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| A small park I waked by while wandering the streets |
The Starbucks I ended up at had large front windows that were perfect for people watching. It was nice to take a break from sightseeing for a day.
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