A LOST WALLET AND OTHER ADVENTURES

the most visited attraction in Osaka, and has eight sections, each with more than a couple of rides. I’ve hurtled and hung across a web of a multidimensional ride called The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman-The Ride 4K3D, and the opportunities to drop said wallet with each sudden upturn, quick acceleration, abrupt stop, and rapid fall were numerous. It is, bar none, from a wild ride aficionado, the best five minutes of my entire theme park-going career. I will return to Osaka for this ride, if nothing else.

I’ve also made a marathon dash over at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which has lines longer than MRT stations on peak hour. It was crazy. Every Potterhead from this corner of the world seemed to have decided to pick that day to visit Hogsmeade— drawing the entire Asian regiment obsessed over tasting Butterbeer for the first time.

To even get to the mouth of the yawning entrance, Muggles are known to line up for five hours. The anticipation builds from there, as you need to take a long, winding, scenic roundabout through the beautiful forest to get to the Hogsmeade gate. This is a 45-billion-yen outfit, a sprawling place that gets thousands of visitors a day. If I screamed “Accio,Wallet” to summon my precious, I doubt the spell would have been heard over the cacophony of Muggle chatter.

Searching vainly for the wallet made me late for my Kaiyukan Aqua Museum trip, so while my companions explored the spectacular aquatic museum, I hopped on the Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel, situated only a few steps away. Kaiyukan is a massive aquarium that houses life inhabiting the Pacific Rim, 35,000 specimens displayed in 19 tanks, and so it will take a while before they come out of the building (which I may add, is Japan-tastic in its Legoinspired design), as visitors have to start their tour of the aquarium on the eighth floor, and slowly spiral down floor by floor around the central tank.

Me, I’m going up, 369 feet on a 17minute ride that offers a view of Osaka Bay, Mount Ikoma to the east, Akashi Kaikyo Bridge to the west, the Kansai International Airport to the south, and the Rokko Mountains to the north—a vista that embodies Osaka’s fusion of modern and traditional, steel and spirit, cutting edge technology and natural terrain.

While the Ferris wheel slowly and dramatically ascended, I found all the time I needed to mope, sniffle, and— surprise, surprise—put my problem in perspective. Here I was in a beautiful, breathtaking city, with these majestic views, my lodging and accommodations already taken care of, and so I will not let this little problem stop me from enjoying this wonderful city. By the time the ride was finished, I was in a better mood.

Sure, I probably will have to skip the Shinshaibashi shopping arcade, one of Osaka’s oldest and busiest shopping destinations, spanning 600 meters, to avoid heartache. Shinshaibashi gathers the best of local retail and international brands, and it will be torture to even consider a meander down its historic side alleys.

Small mercy that you didn’t have to be loaded to appreciate Dotonbori, the pedestrian area, where you can marinate in the thrum of Osakan nightlife: Neon billboards, like the iconic multistory running man Glico billboard, are plastered in every corner, and cool, fashionable Japanese boys with cigarettes dangling between their lips routinely accost gaggles of mini-skirted, knee-high boots shod girls, who lightly shoo them away in high-pitch giggles.

I had a few hundred yen stashed deep into my jacket pocket, so I hunt down a takoyaki stand while I people watch. Topped with tangy sauce, mayonnaise, seaweed powder, and bonito flakes, this mouthsearing hot ball of goodness can be had for only 350 yen (for six.) Being broke wasn’tso bad, I thought.

The Osaka Castle park is another free attraction. Osaka Castle (Osakajo) was built by the hegemon Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who ruled Japan in the latter half of the 16th century, on the site of a temple called Ishiyama Honganji. The area is about 3,300,000 sq.m. and tens of thousands of people worked day in and day out to construct it.

You can see about 600 cherry trees, including someiyoshino in Nishinomaru Garden. The scenery, which changes from season to season, attracts many visitors throughout the year.

If you have about 1,700 yen to spare, don’t miss the Osaka Castle 3D Mapping show at the Nishmoru Garden grounds, which happens in winter and other special occasions, perhaps the most famous of Japan’s winter light shows (which is saying a lot, as Tokyo is a stiff contender.) The light and sound show is nothing short of stupendous, with 3D mappings projected onto the castle monument.

I’ve reached Level 5 in the KublerRoss scale, and was slowly accepting my fate as a penniless vagrant when, immediately after I board the tourist bus headed back to the hotel, Mr. T, our coordinator, takes the microphone and announces he has good news.

My wallet—the brandless one with no IDs and all of my life’s treasures— has been found. At the gargantuan Universal Studios. Somebody picked it up, checked for identification, found none, and made the effort to walk the x number of meters to the Lost and Found section. The Lost and Found staff goes through their list and sees my callout and tracks down Mr. T.

A cheer goes up from the back of the bus. Faith in humanity, fully restored.

The next day I pick up my wallet. Not one cent is missing. In fact, I am pretty convinced that whoever found it took pity and added quite a few more bills.

I wouldn’t be surprised. It is a city of astonishing, faith-restoring miracles big and small, after all.