Awhile ago I wandered to Osaka on my own for an afternoon to see an exhibition of modernist art at the Osaka National Museum of Art. It was really easy to get to and it was a gorgeous day, so I didn’t mind (in fact I really enjoyed) just walking around by myself, doing whatever I wanted…
At the museum, I saw paintings and sculptures by Modigliani, Picasso, Kandinsky, Magritte, Dali, Giacometti, Warhol, Basquiat, etc, etc… It was really cool, fun to see paintings that I’ve studied in classes up close. The museum was really busy too. I guess these are pretty famous names so I guess that would be why, but I’ve just never been in an art museum where I had to weasel my way to the front of a small crowd to look at a painting. I spent about 2 hours there, then went exploring…

I went to an area of the city called Umeda, which is known for shopping (huge expensive department stores)… but I didn’t buy anything. I haven’t really buying much here, as far as souvenirs and things… most of my money goes towards transportation. I had fun taking photos of the crowds though.

I don’t see many foreigners here. I don’t exactly remember, but I’m sure that this day I wouldn’t have seen more than 5-8 foreigners, if that… It’s really strange when I think about it.