Cool! I've seen people do art prints and the sort using things like doilies as resists when spraying paint, or painting the doilies and using them as stamps.
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Show posts MenuQuote from: PhiloB on June 25, 2017, 09:37:23 AM
I'm going there for the first time end of Sept. Going for a church mission trip. Our band is going to play music in the parks and do a concert at the end of the week. We have some built in "tourist time" but mainly we'll be playing classic "American music". I'm totally stoked. I can ask my buddy whose been before to recommend a few places and report back if he gives me anything;)
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Quote from: imjonwain on June 27, 2017, 08:23:15 PM
I was just in Osaka in May for work and go to JP maybe once a year for work. Osaka is probably the best place in the Japan to visit in my opinion. It's a big city but by far the most gaijin (foreigner) friendly as people there tend to be more talkative/forward/social compared to normal Japanese culture. Has lots of great record stores and music stores as well ( I didn't get to visit many guitar shops but saw them around)
Note:
-Most everything awesome in Osaka is hidden either physically underground or in a unmarked building so you have to be doing some exploring, asking people and google maps is your friend!
-Any record store you find in Osaka should have an Osaka record store map/guide pamphlet that can direct you to various record stores around the main train stations.
-Get an Icoca train card, it'll make your life easier and you can just add value to it. You pay for train rides based on distance traveled there.
-Download a JP/Osaka train map app for your phone, most stations outside of the major ones have no English and the maps are confusing as there are lots of different train types running on the same tracks. Trains are incredibly always on time though!
-FamilyMart and 7/11 there have MUCH better food then you would ever get here, it's actually a good place to grab cheap breakfast, lunch or snacks while you're roaming/exploring.
Osaka:
Areas to visit:
Namba - Nightlife, venues, bars, restaurants, shopping, massive NYC style shopping area, Glico man sign! Looks cool at night.
Shinsaibashi - Shopping...Guitar stores around there and record stores. Mostly hole in walls you need to search for
Amerikamura (American Village) - Record stores, bars, stores, in general fun to check out.
Osaka Castle/park- Self explanatory
Record Shopping:
King Kong Records -Bit of everything here
Night Beat Records- Classic and rare American early R&R mostly
Timebomb Records- Not much to say, it's Timebomb, the garage rock n roll mecca plus lots more!
Punk & Destroy - Hardcore punk mainly, in a hard to find basement in Amerikamura
Bars:
Misono Building - 3rd floor of a weirdo 70's art warehouse full of tiny ~15 seat bars.. Mostly punk, alternative, underground type stuff but really neat and worth checking out even if you don't go in, not much english but roll with it! "Nama biru" = draft beer
Captain Kangaroo Bar - Gaijin punk bar near Osaka station, where I hang out when I work in Osaka. Super friendly staff, located in an area full of bars and restaurants where mostly businessmen go after work.
Food:
--I'm vegetarian which is difficult there but I find the street food and Ramen are the best things there, obviously sushi too.
-Find an Okonomiyaki restaurant, it's the regional dish and really good.
Live Music:
Namba Bears- Underground punk/experimental/noise venue owned by the guy from Boredoms
Kyoto:
Take a train to kyoto, less than $10 from Osaka station (maybe 40 minute ride) and you can check out the Imperial Palace, a Castle (I forget the name), and lots of parks. Kyoto is really beautiful and great to explore if you want a break from being in a NYC style city like Osaka
List of things in Kyoto from a friend who lived there...
Kyoto (Music stores)
-Workshop Records
-Art Rock No.1
-Toradora Records
-Jetset Records
-Happy Jack
-Bootsy's
-Hotline
-Poco Apoco
-Meditations
-Bar Galaxy 500
Kyoto (Instrument Shops)
-jeugia sanjo stage
-bigboss kyoto
-music land key kyoto
-watanabe musical instruments digikan
-Full Up
-koizumi
-shimamura music kyoto
Quote from: gingataff on June 29, 2017, 06:11:03 AMQuote from: artstomp on June 20, 2017, 06:01:45 PMHey art! been a long time!
..hi..this might help..gingataff is a member here ar madbean..i think he's British and living in Tokyo..i had a trade with him a year ago..goodluck!
Haven't been to Osaka in a long time though I used to live near there. I'd go with what imjonwain said. Also get a good guide book. Osaka is pretty much a party town. You'll want to hit the temples in Kyoto for some sightseeing, possibly the big Buddha in Nara and Kobe is a cool town with some nice bars and stuff. Just be aware Japan is an expensive country, and a lot of smaller places don't take credit cards. But 7/11s have ATMs you can use with overseas bank cards.
If you're planning a separate trip to Tokyo then I'd save your money for gear for that. The number of guitar shops in Tokyo is ridiculous and there's a huge amount of second hand stuff as well. If you want a tour of the best guitar shops in Tokyo give me a shout!