From the 2 previous visits we’ve been fortunate enough have to Japan, I learnt first hand that Osaka is one of the coolest cities I’ve ever been. Not as widely spoken about as Tokyo, but when you did deep enough, it’s got some absolute gems – from shopping districts to nightlife, it smacks it on all levels.
We spent our day doing a spot of shopping – Ed tried on some Yeezys but came away with an ’01 pair of Jordan 1′s, amongst some other loot we picked up along the way. Big shout out to SKIT Osaka – probably the most dope sneaker store I’ve ever set foot in. A MUST visit for any sneaker head, regardless of brand preference.
The evening’s show was at the Zepp Arena, and as always, Fact smashed the 2000 cap venue. We made the aforementioned 2000 kids sit down on the floor like they were at a Slipknot show, and they blatantly had no idea what was going on.
Post show, safe in knowledge we had a day off the next day, we went out en-mass to a ‘Nomihodai’. For those that don’t know, a Nomihodai consists of paying a flat fee, and then having an hour to eat as much food as possible, and drink as much alcohol as possible. You can only imagine how this turned out. Not about to post bare pictures of my wasteman friends, but I can assure you some shit went down.
Next stop / blog – Hiroshima
Name : Noodles & Company (www.noodles.com)
Locations : Concentrated towards the East coast, but some have been popping up in California and neighboring West Coast states. Found in 18 States, at 255 locations.
Food : Noodles, Pasta, Mac & Cheese, Sandwiches etc.
What do I order? : Regular Bowl of Mac & Cheese, with tofu. Put plenty of Sriracha (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sriracha_sauce) on that shit, and you’re gooooood. Never order a drink, just say you’re going to drink water, they’ll give you a cup, then just drink whatever takes yer fancy from the machine (from now on, this is referred to as ‘the cup trick’).
Food rating : 9/10
Service : 9/10
Pricing : 7/10 – nearly a full PD down the drain in one meal, but well worth it.
Likelihood to shit yourself after consumption : 6/10
Ease of finding one when you’re hungry on tour : 5/10 – they’re kinda tricky to track down sometimes.
Wi-Fi? : Yes (most of the time)
Notes : They have blue Powerade on tap. Only place I’ve ever seen it.
Number 2.
Name : Jimmy John’s (www.jimmyjohns.com)
Locations : Everywhere apart from the Mid-West really. Even then, you can still find one every now and then. 1000 stores in 39 US States.
Food : Subs. It’s like a WAY better version of Subway.
What do I order? : #6 – Vegetarian w/ oil & vinegar, and mustard.
Food rating : 8.5/10 – always taste fresh, and actually kind of healthy. Doesn’t fill you up for THAT long though.
Service : 9/10 – sandwich in hand within 3 minutes of order normally.
Pricing : 9/10 – my usual order comes to under $5. That means I can have 2 in a day with my PD, wasssssup.
Likelihood of shitting yourself after consumption : 1/10 – don’t think I’ve ever known it to happen.
Tour ease : 8/10 – quite often found in locations you just wouldn’t expect.
Wi-Fi? : Sometimes, it’s a gamble.
Notes : Their Oatmeal & Raisin cookies are DOPE. Do the cup trick.
Number 3.
Name : Panera Bread (www.panerabread.com)
Locations : Abundant on both coasts. Slightly harder to find in the mid-west, but there if you look hard enough.
Food : Paninis, Sandwiches, Soup, Mac & Cheese etc.
What do I order? : Creamy Tomato Soup in a bread bowl (sometimes some Mac & cheese as well, but only if I’ve found a dollar or 2 on the floor of the van or something).
Food rating : 8/10 – you run a high risk of over-indulging on bread when eating here. Still good though.
Service : 8.5/10 – you get these cool bleeper things that go off when your grubs up.
Pricing : 7/10 – can be a little pricey for what it is.
Likelihood of shitting yourself after consumption : 4/10 – it’s a bad day if you do.
Tour ease : 8/10 – pretty good. Often located round the back of things you can’t see from the road though, ball ache.
Wi-Fi? : YES.
Notes : PB’s are ALWAYS full of old people and business men/women on their lunch breaks having casual meetings. Do the cup trick.
Number 4.
Name : Chipotle (www.chipotle.com)
Locations : Found in 38 US States, and Canada.
Food : Burritos, Burrito bowls, Tacos, Chips & Salsa etc.
What do I order? : Vegetarian burrito w/ mild AND hot salsa, no corn, but everything else. I always try my hand at getting some extra guacamole up in there as well, normally works.
Food rating : 8/10 – best tasting burritos from any chain of restaurants for sure.
Service : 8/10 – pretty instant, workers can be grumpy and hard to understand at times though.
Pricing : 7/10 – kinda pricey when on a budget, but does fill you up.
Likelihood of shitting yourself after consumption : 8/10 – I think at least 1 person has a date with the toilet straight after we eat Chipotle.
Tour ease : 8.5/10 – often found in parking lots.
Wi-Fi? – Nah, not really.
Notes : There is in fact a Chipotle in London, UK now. Do the cup trick.
Number 5.
Name : Taco Bell (www.tacobell.com)
Locations : EVERYWHERE.
Food : Tacos, Burritos, Quesadillas, Tortadas etc.
What do I order? : 1x Cheese, Bean & Rice Burrito, 1 (or 2)x Crispy Potato Soft Taco, 1x Cheese Quesadilla.
Food rating : 7/10 – it is what it is. Cheap and nasty, and that’s how it tastes (in a good way).
Service : 6/10 – if it’s busy, then it can take a near-decade to get yer grub, but if not, then it’s pretty quick.
Pricing : 10/10 – cheap as fuck. My order comes in at around the $4.50 mark, and fills you up good and proper.
Likelihood of shitting yourself after consumption : 9.5/10 – I mean it’s not 100% guaranteed, but more often than not, within an hour or so of chowing down, you’ll be having a dreadful time on the bog.
Tour ease : 10/10 – they’re around every corner, even when you haven’t seen civilisation for hours, you’ll find a TB.
Wi-Fi? : Probably not, but you never know.
Notes : There’s a cheeky TB on some airbase in England somewhere. Do the cup trick.
One love xo.
If I were more snap-happy, there would have been some pictorial evidence of Luke Beard, the man responsible for the TBT site, and some mindblowing design work of his own. But for now he will remain a mysterious web-enigma.
We went for a beverage with Luke & Tom Welsh, (who shot the TBT lookbook/video), had to resist design nerd talk, so not to isolate any of our present company too much.
This place is seriously next level.
