HEP - the weird ferris wheel.

One of the coolest places in Osaka, other than Hikakebashi and Namba Walk, is the Hankyu HEP Department store located in Umeda.

Well, let me start over. Osaka has about 8 million people, and the majority refer to the cool areas of Osaka as either Kita (North) or Minami (South). Kita refers to the Umeda supercomplex of Hankyu Umeda Station and JR Osaka Station. Minami is Namba, Nipponbashi (the Akihabara of Osaka, but all the freaks hang out at Tennoji and Osaka Castle Park), Shinsaibashi, and America-Mura. I prefer Minami, and my wife likes Kita.

Anyway, in Kita there is one huge shopping building called HEP that has a HUGE ferris wheel attached to the top of it. Except for one building in Osaka Business Park, this is the best view available in Osaka.

Look, I can see my wife's old college from here!!

Their latest sale commercial.

Morning Musume - AFTER DARK

Well, I heard a couple of years ago the whole Morning Musume idea was sold to China for them to create their own Morning Musume group so that we can all forget our own ambitions and focus on 10-15 pubescent starlings.

No, I'm not bitter, but I do hate their producer Tsunku♂ (apparently he needs the male astrological sign beside his name, because he's writing all their girlie lyrics) who was lead for Sharan Q.



Tsunku is the second from left. Anyway, in the late 90's the Osaka band Sharan Q decided to "mix it up" with one of my favorite bands, another Osaka group The Ulfuls.



The Ulfuls are still going, and have a few of the best Karaoke songs ever made: "Guts da ze!" (It takes guts!), "Baka survivor" (Idiot survivor), and my personal favorite, "Osaka Strut." How this conversation evolved from Morning Musume into Osaka pride issues? Well, Morning Musume, one of the biggest franchises in Japanese history? Run by a guy from Osaka. All comedy acts in Japan? 90% are run by a company in Osaka. Yours truly? Lived 2 years in Higashiosaka - where Tsunku grew up. Enjoy the video. I was

Ulfuls - Osaka Strut
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